Portrait photography may seem simple, but in fact, it hides mysteries! Avoid these fatal taboos, and your works will instantly get rid of the amateurish feeling. Here are the "10 Sins of Portrait Photography" summarized from actual practice, along with solutions:

1. Lighting Disasters (The Most Critical!)
1. **Death Top Light**
Noon sunlight shines directly on the top of the head → eye sockets are as deep as a skull, heavy shadows under the nose, and skin blemishes are highlighted.
Solutions:
- Move to a shaded area (under tree shade/eaves)
- Use a reflector to fill in the facial shadows
- Reschedule to the golden hour (1 hour after sunrise/before sunset)

2. **Yin-Yang Face**
Excessively large side light angle → half of the face is overexposed and half is too dark, losing details.
Solutions:
- Use a foam board/reflector to fill in the dark areas
- Adjust the model's orientation to let the light evenly cover at a 45° angle

2. Composition Flaws
3. **"Growing" Trees/Power Poles on the Head**
Background objects overlap with the head → strong visual interference.
Solutions:
- Scan the edge of the background before pressing the shutter
- Squat down or move sideways a step to change the perspective

4. **Joint Cutting Lines**
Cutting the wrist/ankle/knee at the edge of the picture → creates a sense of incompleteness.
Solutions:
- Choice of shot:
  - Half-body shot: cut above the waist
  - Seven-body shot: cut in the middle of the thigh
  - Full-body shot: leave blank space at the bottom of the feet

3. Focus Errors
5. **Out-of-Focus Eyes**
The focus is on the ear/nose tip → the eyes are blurry and lack vitality.
Solutions:
- Mobile phone: click the screen to lock the focus on the eyes
- Camera: turn on face/eye-controlled tracking focus

 4. Posture and Guidance Failures
6. **Stiff "Standing Punished" Posture**
Hands hanging down against the seams of the pants, expression tense → like an ID photo.
Solutions:
- Guide actions:
  - Put hands in pockets/toss hair/prop up chin
  - Lean against the wall/sit on steps/capture while walking

7. **Excessive Posing Feeling**
Postures are deliberate and unnatural → the model is embarrassed and the audience is distracted.
Solutions:
- Let the model perform continuous actions (turn around/toss hair/laugh loudly)
- Turn on continuous shooting to capture dynamic moments

5. Improper Background Handling
8. **Cluttered Background Stealing the Spotlight**
Trash cans/pedestrians/b bright-colored advertisements are distracting → the main subject is drowned out.
Solutions:
- Use a large aperture to blur the background (turn on portrait mode on mobile phones)
- Find a solid-color wall/empty space as the background

9. **Over-Blurring Losing the Environment**
The background is blurred into color blocks → the person looks like it's been Pasted on.
Solutions:
- Adjust the aperture (f/2.8-f/4 to retain some background details)
- Choose a layered scene (such as an extending street)

6. Ruinous Post-Processing Operations
10. **Snake-like Face Internet Celebrity Filter**
Excessive skin grinding and liquifying → plastic-like skin, distorted facial features.
Solutions:
- Retain skin texture: local skin grinding to avoid facial features
- Liquify slightly (amplitude ≤ 10%)

Ultimate Pitfall Avoidance List:
Major taboos: taking photos with top light, composing by cutting joints, out-of-focus eyes, foreign objects "growing" on the background, deadly direct flash, excessive upward shooting causing double chins, bright clothes with flowery backgrounds
Quick solutions:
→ Hide in the shade + fill light with a reflector
→ Cut at the waist/middle of the thigh/leave space for the full body
→ Manually click the screen to focus on the eyes
→ Move sideways a step to change the perspective
→ Turn it off! Use ambient light + reflector
→ Keep the camera position at the same level as the model's eyes or slightly higher
→ Solid-color clothes + simple background

Portrait Secret:
"Light shapes, eyes convey emotions, background serves the main subject"
Check 3 seconds before pressing the shutter:
Is the background clean?
Are the eyes clear?
Are the shadows deadly?

Avoid these minefields, and the texture of your portrait works will immediately rise to a higher level!

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