Lighting is probably your most important element when capturing a great shot. I often choose early morning or late afternoon sunlight because of its fallow temperatures which produce a glow, especially with portraits. If I can avoid it, no overhead sunlight because it often flattens colors and produces unwanted shadows. That’s when the speed light comes out which can even the light on people’s faces particularly in back lighting situations. By the way, I almost never use a speed light when its dark. It creates too much contrast. I simply boost the ISO to within noiseless levels and shoot away, holding the camera as tight as I can. My camera is always programed on multiple exposure mood. That way I can fire off two, three or four shots and later pick the best one. You never know when you are going to get an eye blink or blur the shot in haste. Always hold your breath when shooting.
Here's an example of no flash, because I wanted to create a painting like setting
What I shoot often depends on my mood. I’ve got a quick trigger finger, meaning that if I’m inclined to hit the shutter, I do it without second guessing the shot. That way you will never miss the unexpected. When shooting quickly I’ll usually use wide angle focal lengths to keep most ambient surroundings in focus. You never know how important they will be in the shot. When shooting posed shots, I usually fire off some shots before people are ready; you know when they are composing themselves. These shots often produce more candid expressions and can, sometimes, turn out to be the best photograph. Candid expressions are the best way to capture a person’s personality or mood.
Midday- the worst time to shoot, but with fill flash you can even out the lighting at the same time capturing a young woman taking a selfi
Finally, croppingis essential and can often differentiate your shots from more amateur attempts. Amateur photographers leave everything in the shot: half hands, arms, half faces, and bits and pieces of trees and signs. You should always crop out images that interfere with what you are trying to say in your photograph. Every photo should tell a story and you should leave only those visual elements in that tell it. One more thing. Be creative with your cropping. Tilt and move your center focus to the side orhigh or low, leaving a more interesting 2/3rd shot. Check out the examples that I’ve posted and see how choosing the right subject, lighting and cropping make it more attractive shot.
Here Alaina poses in a dark hallway. I moved her under the light and told her to stand very still creating a sexy mood.
