Frame and shoot: Top tips from photography pros

Grace Paras, photographer, ANM magazines

Be approachable. Smile. Make your subject feel like they can trust you. Being a good conversationalist doesn’t hurt. Or at least attempt to be a good conversationalist. Caution: too much talk can also be annoying and work against you.
Be understanding. Understand that being photographed can be daunting to some people. Help them relax by photographing your subject in an environment that is familiar or comfortable to them. Or maybe remove them from a public space into a more private setting or vice versa.
Know your subject. Of course, you won’t usually have the pleasure of knowing your subject but, for example, if you’re photographing children then you know that bringing them into a mental “fun zone” by initiating a game or sparking their imagination or asking them questions about a book they’ve recently read or been read to, will help bring their little characters out. Kneel or lie down to shoot at their level.
Be creative. Once you’ve got your subject’s trust and they’re at ease with you, make suggestions on what you both can do to make your shoot fun and interactive. Try out different angles, serious poses, silly poses... be creative.
Enjoy. Having fun is contagious, just like laughing. You get more out of your subjects when they’re having fun!

Christopher List, photographer, ANM magazines

Stagger the heights. I am not a great fan of making people stand in a line for group shots. Instead make them stand at different heights,
grouped loosely. Take the picture from below if you want a giant effect, and create an interesting point of view.
Go for the ‘heroic’ halo. While shooting people portraits, you can go for an interesting super hero look. Place the camera at 45 degrees from the sun and use a force flash to get some really great ‘heroic’ lighting. If you have more than one subject, you can have them looking in different  directions at some point off the camera.
Know no limits. There are some little tricks you can use to get really creative images. Slip on an old stocking over the lens. It will give the pictures a grainy ‘old’ look, slightly antique. You can use stockings of varying textures for different results. Or smear a little vaseline around the edge of an old transparent lens filter placed over the camera lens – makes for a nice dreamy and surreal effect.
Lights, camera, action. Instead of them just posing, have them do something, like jump up and lift their hands. Never have them stand in a straight line. Get the group to mingle, anything to get some energy in. When its children, get them to group in circular or triangular shapes. If it’s a party setting, get in up close and keep the circular or triangular composition in mind. I often focus on one face, and get the others blurred for a moody effect. Or stand on something high and take pictures of people talking.

Stefan Lindeque, photographer, ANM magazines

Watch your background. It’s always better to place the head in an open, neutral space such as a blank wall or open sky to avoid clutter. It’s easy to miss stray rubbish bags, cars or other distractions creeping into your picture, so look out for them while checking your frame.
Go for a play of light. When shooting outdoors, don’t position your subject’s face directly towards the sun – it will only make them squint. Instead, look for some shaded area like a dense tree or the side of a building.
Experiment with poses and shooting angles. Change your shooting position and always try to shoot people from slightly below their chin level: this is even more important when they are sitting down. Experiment with different poses for your subjects – try to get their shoulders at an angle to the camera to avoid the ‘passport photograph’ look.

Kishore Kumar, senior photographer, ANM magazines

Create the ‘Rembrandt’ effect in lighting. I always position my subject from the main light source i.e. window or door through which daylight filters through so that the light hits the subject from a 45-degree angle creating what is called ‘Rembrandt lighting’ – something like the effect in the great master’s paintings.
Soften the flash lighting. Avoid using built-in flash. If you have to use flash in low lighting condition, use an external flash and bounce it on the ceiling. Sometimes you can use the flash to fill in the shadow areas as well.
Make room for digital manipulation. Always make sure to shoot with little extra space around the main subject to digitally recompose later. It will give you the space required to manipulate the picture if you feel the need to. 
Go for a higher resolution. Always shoot in the highest possible resolution available in the camera. You can always re-size it later if required.
Keep the options open. I recommend taking multiple shots of any person or group. This gives you the freedom to choose the best shot later

Silvia Baron, senior photographer, ANM magazines

Include their environment. When taking someone’s picture, I want the picture to include their environment, for example, a fisherman and his catch, a violin player and her instrument.
Make the subject comfortable. You have to make your subjects feel comfortable. Talk to them, find out what they fear and reassure them. When taking candid pictures I like to blend in, be very quiet and unassuming.
Get more options. Take as many shots as possible so you can choose the best from among them.
Get the eyes right. When shooting people focus on their eyes – they are the windows to their soul. Certainly, the most expressive part of the face.
Experiment with angles. Take pictures of the same subject from different angles. One of them usually tells the real story.
Go for natural lighting. I like to use natural light as much as possible. People should look like they are in their natural environment, rather than posing for a picture.

Asghar Khan, chief photographer, ANM magazines

Catch the candid moments. When you want to shoot a casual portrait of a person, look out for those moments when a person’s character shines though. In a formal portrait session, shoot some frames while he straightens his tie or while she brushes her hair before the formal sitting. People photography is a lot about understanding human nature and being aware of how people would react in given situations.
Eye contact makes a difference. Mostly it is about eye contact. It can be truly surprising how much the direction of your subject’s eyes can impact an image. Most portraits have the subject looking down the lens, something that can create a real sense of connection between a subject and those viewing the image.
Focus on lighting. The effectiveness of a portrait also depends on the lighting. An element of randomness that you can introduce to your portraits is the way that you light them. There are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits. Backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features can be powerful and sidelighting can create mood.
Go for continous shots. Switch your camera into “continuous shooting mode” and take more than one shot at a time. Create a series of images that could be presented together instead of just one static image