There are many rules for taking portraits, and it is good to know and use these rules. However, often the most striking portraits are the ones that break, or bend the rules. In the following article you will find 7 tips that will help you compose stunning portraits.

1. Alter the imaging perspective
   Usually portrait photography is done with the camera at the level, or around the level of the eyes of the subject. If you want, however, to add interest and to compose a stunning portrait, alter the imaging  perspective by changing the shooting angle, for example stand higher than your subject and shoot down on your subject, or get closer to the ground and shoot up.
   
   
   
   Photo by striatic
   
   
2. Play with the direction of the person's eyes
   The direction of the subject’s eyes can have a remarkable impact on the image. Having the subject looking down the lens create a sense of connection between your subject and the viewers, however, there are some other things you can do to add interest to your portraits:
   
   a) Have your subject look off camera  
   To create the elements of randomness and curiosity in a portrait, have your subject focus their attention on some object that will make them express some emotion, for example something that will make them laugh, which is outside the field of the camera. This will make the viewer wonder what makes the person laugh.  However, while this might add interest in a portrait, keep in mind it will also draw the viewer's eyes towards that direction and away from the person you are photographing.
   
   
   
   
   Photo by monicutza80
   
   
   b) Create a second point of interest within the frame
   An alternative will be to introduce a prop that will create a second point of interest within the frame and a relationship between this point of interest and the subject. This can be a child looking at a kitten, or a man looking hungrily at a large piece of pizza. Having a second point of interest within the frame adds extra layers of depth, enhances your shot and helps to create a story within the image.
   
   
   
   Photo by paulbence
   
   
   c) Give your subject ‘room to look into’
   According to this rule, if your subject is looking in a certain direction, or the subject’s head points in a certain direction, the subject should be placed on the opposite side of the frame so as to give the subject ‘room to look into’. This draws the eyes of the viewer in the direction that the subject is looking in and creates a natural way for the viewer to flow into the picture.
   
   
   
   Photo by Bukutgirl
   
   
   
   We offer professional Portrait Photography Services in Paphos, Cyprus
   
   
   d) Rules are made to be broken
   There are many rules about composing a portrait. Rules are good to know so you can purposely bend them, or break them to create striking results. One such rule that can be broken effectively is the ‘Rule of Thirds’. Rather than placing the points of interest along the ‘lines of thirds’ or on the intersections of the lines, you can place your subject right in the center, or on the edge of the frame. Although this might leave the viewer feeling a bit unconformable, it can also create an impressive image.
   
   
   
   Photo by Reportergimmi
   
   
   3. Randomness of light
   The possibilities of experimenting with light to add randomness and interest to your portraits are many. One way is to use side lighting to create mood, to silhouette your subject, or use a slow synch flash technique, a function found on most cameras, which adjusts your camera to shoot with a longer shutter speed and the flash at the same time. The use of this technique will give you a sharp shot of your subject and give your camera time to collect enough ambient light from the background and foreground.
   
   
   
   Photo by Bukutgirl
   
   
   4. Take images of your subjects outside their comfort zone
   Any good photographer can take hundreds of good, ordinary portraits.  If you want, however, to create unique portraits that stand out of the crowd, move your subjects outside their comfort zone. For example, it is standard and excepted to see the portrait of a business man sitting behind his desk. We will find, however, the portrait of a business man dressed in his suit jumping in the street more unusual and interesting. So have your subject pose in an unusual and unexpected way, even if the idea seems silly, or funny; the result will be amazing.
   
   
   
   Photo by TeeRish
   
   
   5.  Shoot Candidly
   Not everyone looks good in posed shoots. If you want to put your subject at ease and to produce unique and more natural images, use a candid approach, for example shoot your subject doing something they like, or with their family. You can even take yourself out of the immediate zone, especially if you are photographing children, and use a longer zoom lens to take paparazzi type of images. 
   
   
   
   Photo by phitar
   
   
   6.  Obscure or focus upon one part of your subject’s body
   What you leave outside the image, can tell the viewer a lot more than what you include. Use a long focal lens, or get as close as possible to your subject and trigger the viewer’s imagination by photographing a part of your subject’s body, for example their mouth, or hands. Another idea is to obscure parts of your subject’s body or face by placing those parts outside the frame, or by using objects. The viewer will activate his imagination to see that was left out of the picture.
   
   
   
   Photo by Bukutgirl
   
   7.  Take a Series of Shots
   A series of images can help the viewer understand more about the subject and his story, than one static image. Ask your subject, especially if you are photographing children, to pose in succession and set your camera into ‘continuous shooting’ mode. This technique will allow you to create a series of images that can be presented together to tell an in depth story. 
   
   
   
   Photo by diyosa