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Use unusual crops and exclude the subject’s face

It is not always necessary to include someone’s face in a portrait. The subject’s clothing, accessories, hair or pose can reveal much about their personality, so it is worth looking for unusual crops and angles that could make intriguing images. Concentrate on capturing details and, while including a person in the frame, try purposely excluding their face. This means you can take pictures even if someone isn’t looking at the camera or isn’t ready to have their picture taken. If you are using a digital camera with a very high resolution, you can create these kinds of unusual compositions on your computer by experimenting with the Rotate and Crop tools. However, nothing beats training your eye and imagination to spot potential images while you are shooting, rather than hoping to discover them when reviewing your images later on.

PINK DRESS

There is nothing particularly exciting about a woman holding a handbag, and yet here the photographer has turned this ordinary action into something more interesting. This image works well because the unusual crop and angled composition add energy, as well as allowing the viewer’s eye to be led to the main focal point – the bag. Also, the colour of the dress complements the greens of the sofa in the background, and the two combine to create an intriguing, modern composition.

Canon EOS-1D MkII, 17–40mm at 30mm, 1/15 sec at f/4, ISO 500.