How to take close up portraits

As the human face is so interesting, so fascinating, it’s obvious then that close up portraits of faces make for some of the best photography. Taking a good quality close up portrait means to photograph your subject from their shoulders upwards, or closer. Therefore you are framing your subject around the face, so that the face takes up the majority of picture.

This is the best sort of framing to fully capture the range of expressions available on your subject. When photographing a close up portrait shot you need to ensure that your lighting is right for your subject. For example, you wish to accentuate the character in a face and highlight curves and wrinkles then you have your subject lit from the side or from above.

If however you want to take a more flattering photograph you would light your subject with diffused light and eliminate any shadows. For outdoor close up portraits a cloudy day would be best to avoid any harsh lighting.

Your photos will look better as well of your subject is lighter than your background so that they dominate the final image. It is best to use a wide aperture and make the subject in sharp focus while the background is slightly out of focus. Using a 90mm or higher telephoto lens will allow you to take the emphasis off your subjects nose by taking the picture from further away; therefore their nose will not appear to be closer to the camera.