Learn Portrait Photography

Portrait photography isn't easy - just pointing a camera at someone isn't generally going to get you an happy photo.  What can you do to increase the number of quality photos you like?

Take Lots of Photos
If you expect every snap to be perfect, you can pretty much guarantee every shot will be at best mediocre.

In the big scheme of things, film is cheap and digital is cheaper.  The above series shows a few of the different rules of portrait composition.  The first photo shows the empty space facing the person - if you have empty space, try to keep it in front of the person.  The second image shows symmetry.  The third (and first) has the eyes resting on one of the rules of thirds - again a nice thing to have.  Don't feel the need to keep space around people, or their heads.    Perhaps for a formal, you want a border, but most portraits aren't (or shouldn't be) formals.

Pick the Correct Lens
I'm a big fan of the 105mm for single person portraits.  The longer focal lengths are better for isolating subjects, and used at large apertures (like f2.8) give a pleasant out of focus background without being too heavy.  For larger shots, shorter lengths are helpful (70mm).

Focus is always a bit of a challenge.  With  children, they often get very close, and the closer they are, the harder it is to focus.  To make matters worse, you really need the eyes to be in focus - when doing close ups the nose and ears are often on the edge of focus.

Setup the Environment for the Shot
The better shots are more often made than captured - set your self up in the right place with the right gear and the correct setting and then take lots of photos.  An age appropriate playground is good because people tend to loosen up and forget you are there with a camera.