

  This is the most important skill of all! Master this, and you're well on your way to becoming an expert photographer. Your job as a photographer is to get them to relax and have fun. If you can do this, good photos will follow.

  Wide angle lenses are also a great way of showing your subject in their environment.  Beware of getting too close to your subject's face with a wide angle lens. It will distort their features and you won't receive any thanks!

  You can buy lenses that are specifically great for portraits.  The maximum aperture of a 50mm lens is much wider than your standard zoom. Does this matter? Yes it does - the wider the aperture, the more you can blur the background, and the more your subject stands out.

  Black and white photos are artistic and creative.  Black and white photography is about shape, texture, lighting and composition. Shoot in black and white and you'll improve your photography skills and eye for a photo.

  A lot of portraits look better with flash - the flash does the same job as a reflector of pushing light onto your subject's face to eliminate shadows caused by uneven or harsh light.

  Your camera has settings that can help you take great portraits. Some of these settings will be activated if you're shooting in Portrait mode. If not, you can activate them yourself.

  Get creative. Ask your subject to stand still while the people around are moving. Put your camera on a tripod for the best result.

  Finally, study the work of the world's greatest portrait photographers and learn from them. Look at how what they do - the poses, the lighting, the clothes, backgrounds, textures, shape and colour.