Portrait Photography Basics That Actually Matter

Portraits feel intimidating because there are a hundred things you could adjust. In practice, a handful of choices do most of the work. Get these right and your portraits immediately look more intentional.

A longer lens flatters faces

Wide lenses up close distort features, making noses look large. A longer focal length around 85mm compresses the face more naturally and lets you stand back. This is one of the clearest reasons to own a short telephoto prime.

Open the aperture for separation

A wide aperture like f/1.8 to f/2.8 throws the background out of focus so your subject stands out. Just remember that the sharp zone gets thin, which makes focus accuracy matter more.

Soft light is flattering light

Hard, direct light creates harsh shadows on a face. Soft light, from open shade, an overcast sky, or a window, wraps gently and is far more forgiving. Position your subject so the soft light falls across their face rather than straight down on it.

Focus on the eyes

Sharp eyes read as a sharp portrait, even if the ears and shoulders fall into the blur. Use single-point or eye-detection autofocus and put the point on the near eye. At a wide aperture this is the difference between a keeper and a miss.

What is the best lens for portraits?

An 85mm prime is the classic portrait lens for its flattering compression and background blur. A 50mm also works well and is cheaper, especially on APS-C where it acts a bit longer.

Why are my portraits not sharp at f/1.8?

The depth of field is very shallow wide open, so a tiny focus miss lands on the eyelashes or ears instead of the eye. Use eye-detection autofocus or stop down to f/2.8 for a little more margin.