Portrait Photography

For the best composition, place your subject just to the right of the center of the frame. While many photography books recommend that you place your object a third off from the right side of the frame, it doesn’t have to be exactly a third, especially if you’re framing the shot vertically, like this the image of the woman in Mexico in this shot.

This subject was photographed late in the day, inside a food stand with only three walls and a ceiling that was fully open to the outdoors at the entrance, with only a gate to lock it up at night.

The woman was standing against a north-facing wall inside the restaurant just as the sun went down. The natural lighting at that moment was perfect, a shot without shadows and so sharp she almost seems as if she could walk out of the frame after she’s finished posing.

The woman is wearing an apron, which is part of the attire she needs to wear as a cook in the restaurant. Part of the charm of the picture is that is that the apron doesn’t match her dress.

Another significant aspect of this woman is that even though she is older, her skin is flawless, smooth, and tan, without any blemishes or age spots. It’s the kind of subject you could look at for a long period of time and be enamored by what looks to be a very nice, kind, simple and ordinary Mexican woman.