Simply put, creating unique portraits that have a lot of visual appeal is a matter of finding the right details. What would be a bit of a messy, awkward portrait had it been a full shot becomes a sweet reminder of a fun afternoon playing in the mud simply by focusing on the details of a specific part of the child’s body. The texture of the denim, the splashes of mud on the jeans, and even the mud itself have great color and dimension. The image above is a great example of this. But for as much detail as various body parts inherently have, finding other details to add to the shot will help boost its visual appeal.

Hands, in particular, have great character because of the wrinkles found on people’s knuckles and palms. But when taking portraits that don’t include a person’s face, what are you to make the subject of the image?Īs noted above, hands, legs, fingers, and feet make excellent portrait subjects. In traditional portraits, the eyes are the focus of the shot. Editor's Tip: Learn how to edit your photos with ease using Luminar's easy-to-use, yet advanced tools.

That’s what photography is all about - telling stories that engage viewers and elicit fond memories of their own lives. For his parents, it will be a photograph to cherish for a lifetime.Īnd for those of us viewing it, it will undoubtedly conjure up memories of the first steps of our own loved ones. We see his home where he will take his first steps. But by holding back a bit and including the surrounding environment, the photographer is able to tell a more complete story about this phase of the baby’s life. The portrait of a baby’s chubby legs clearly documents his burgeoning standing and walking skills. The image above is an ideal example of this concept. Including the environment doesn’t require a background that’s all that compelling or fantastic either, so long as it complements the story you’re trying to tell. Much like including props from the surrounding environment allows you to tell a more complete story, so too does including some of that environment in the frame. Though this can yield some excellent photographs, so too can keeping your distance and keeping that zoom lens on the wide-angle side. When composing portraits that don’t include faces, it’s difficult to resist the urge to get in close and fill the frame with hands, feet, or other body parts. When used like this, props can give more meaning to a photograph, and help you create a more compelling visual story. Not only does this image capture a sweet moment between loved ones, but it also has tons of texture and visual interest, namely in the grandmother’s worn and wrinkled skin and in the petals of the flower. Get more information about photoshoot ideas on our website .įor example, a portrait of a grandmother and granddaughter working in the garden takes on a much more meaningful tone when framed like the photo above, with the focus drawn to each person’s hands as they exchange the flower. Rather than being something over the top, try finding props that fit in with the environment in which you’re shooting. Props have a reputation for being cliche and gimmicky, so the secret to using props effectively is to do so purposefully. Learn more about photography ideas on our website .Ĭonsider these three tips for creating unique faceless portraits. These “faceless portraits” focus instead on things like hands, elbows, knees, and toes, and tell a much different story than photos of faces. In fact, you can create visually stunning portraits without having your subject’s face in the frame at all.

And while faces are worthy subjects for portraits, they aren’t your only option. When you think of a portrait, you no doubt get a mental image of a person’s face.

Faceless photo