How to find Great Senior Portraits (part 1) or the “Eyes Have It”…

With all of hullabaloo surrounding senior pictures, it is important to know what makes a good portrait.  Most people know a good portrait when they see it, but they often can’s tell you why it is good.  So in this series of blog posts I am going to explain what I strive for when creating senior (and other) portraits.

First, it goes without saying all of the technical things have to be in correct.  Color has to be perfect.  Focus has to be crisp.  There should be no obvious flaws.

But there’s more.  Look at the eyes in the attached portrait of Carolyn.  They are crisp and expressive.  The eyes should “pop” and are almost always the focal point of the portrait.  That is usually created with great lighting, weather inside or out.

Finally (well for this blog post) is the expression. I like nice smiles and pleasant expressions. That’s not to say that great portraits can’t happen without a smile because they often do. The photographer has to create a rapport with the subject to coax the desired expression. That takes practice.

More about getting great senior portraits in a future post.