When I am asked what my favorite form of photography is, I always say portraits. The reason why I love portraits so much is because I love focusing on people.

People are interesting because every single person is different and unique. Nobody is the same person which is what I like to show through my photography. Granted, I am not qualified enough to call myself a professional but I have learned some key things when it comes to portraits...

1. Find Good Lighting and Shadows

This is one of the many goals as a photographer because without good lighting the photo doesn't have good quality. Good lighting can come from both natural and artificial light. It can be easily spotted once you look through your camera lens. Sometimes even dark lighting can be good lighting for shadows but you still want to have a good exposure and tone.

2. Be Unique

Everybody is unique, therefore, their photos should be as unique as they are. Find different backgrounds that are different than a solid color background. Your eyes should always be open for great photo spots. Take advantage of the neat places around you.

3. Candid Pictures Almost Never Go Wrong

The great thing about people is that sometimes when they are caught off guard, you can get the best pictures of them. For example, when you are taking a picture of someone and they start laughing, quickly snap a shot because odds are it could be your favorite one.

4. Show Emotion And Personality

Again, people are interesting! They all have different personalities and are their own person. Most of my favorite photos are the rare moments captured that completely explain the subjects personality. This requires patience but also quick shooting because sometimes a certain moment is all you need.

5. Tell Their Story

Everybody has a story to tell and most peoples stories are amazing. There is a saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" which I believe is true and it sometimes can be portrayed in portraits. A portrait is a picture of a person and the best portraits are the ones that tell a person's story in one shot.

In my opinion, portraits are the most interesting photos a photographer could possibly take because it's a way to capture a person in one picture. With being a portrait photographer you also get to know the people and they trust you enough to take their photo. I hope to continue to take portraits and get to know more stories as I continue with photography. I have a feeling portraits will always be my favorite because it's the closest we get to people we don't know and a great way to capture the memory of the people we do.