key skill Portrait tips

How to frame, pose and light your shots

Be consistent

The three images need to look like they belong together. Here a black backdrop and consistent lighting with flash help to keep things looking uniform – other options include a consistent colour theme or an unchanging composition.

Stay loose

If you know you’ll be using a shot in a triptych, you’ll give yourself more options if you frame it fairly loosely to leave room around the edges. This will give you more freedom to crop or rotate the image when positioning it later.

Find a balance

Think about balance and symmetry. If your subject is looking one way, for example, grab another shot when they’re looking the opposite way so the two frames will balance one another out when positioned side by side.