Learn professional techniques for shooting great portraits of kids, pets, and family groups
Done right, a good portrait captures much more than what someone looks like; it also reveals a bit of his or her life and personality. This guide shows you how to make that happen, with advice on equipment and lighting, tips for working with various subjects, information on how to choose the best camera settings for portraits, and instructions for fine-tuning your images on your computer.

Choose the right equipment — find out what to look for in the ideal camera, lenses, filters, and lighting sources

See your subject — sharpen your observation skills by paying close attention to your surroundings and the people near you

Location, location — place your subject in natural surroundings that say something about the person

Meet challenges — discover the secrets of photographing babies, young children, and pets, especially cats

Make them even better — enhance the effects you've created with appropriate cropping, sizing, and retouching

Open the book and find:

Important details about composition

How to work with props

Various lighting approaches and the results they achieve

Tips for taking advantage of your surroundings

What differentiates a portrait from a snapshot

How to use focal length and aperture

Ten top editing tips

What a histogram is and how to use one