Flatter your subject

[tegan]

Rather basic to all portraits is the concept that the photographer should be flattering the subject through their photos. The photographer cannot do that without looking CAREFULLY at the subject and using TECHNIQUE to emphasize the visual strengths of the subject and de-emphasize the weaknesses.

Viewers should not be distracted by buck teeth, bags under the eyes, skin blemishes, bow legs, double chin, full figure, wrinkles, sunburn, etc. If you hope to be successful, don't even think of serious portrait work or weddings until you really know how to flatter your subjects through excellent camera and postprocessing work.

So there are lots of techniques. If you shoot portraits, how do you flatter your subject and deal with imperfections?

Tegan