 As a portrait photographer you receive a multitude of requests, from natural group shots to close up headshots. Good portrait photography captures the feeling and emotion of a subject and can only happen if your subject is comfortable or relaxed. Having the right lens is important for making this happen, whether it's a zoom lens for capturing your subject unaware or getting a natural reaction or a fixed lens for more creative portraiture. As with all styles of photography composition is essential so you need to think about your framing in order to get the perfect shot. As a general rule of thumb images taken horizontally are best when shooting a person's head and shoulders or two people standing together. However for most portrait photos from the waist up, vertical shots will fill the frame better and allow you to incorporate a beautiful blurred background behind the subject. It's also good to think about what direction the light is coming from as it will play an important part in how the final photograph will look. Light from behind you the photographer will give you good even light or to the side of the subject will give you a more creative image. Always be aware of where the light is coming from as light shining in people's eyes will cause them to squint potentially ruining the shot. Remember to check how much light is available, this needs to be taken into account when selecting the best settings for the camera. In terms of lenses one of the key things you want to think about is depth of field. Essentially this means choosing a lens that gives you the ability to blur the background. This helps the subject stand out and avoids anything in the background distracting the eye away from the subject. To achieve a blurred background you'll want to use a wide aperture setting of 2.8 or larger. The most common portrait lenses are prime or fixed lenses a 50 millimeter or 85 millimeter are the most popular. Although prime lenses are popular portrait lenses if you want to capture someone in a candid setting a zoom lens would be advisable. For example if you want to capture a portrait at a party or wedding from a distance a focal length of 85 millimeter or longer would be perfect. Combined with a wide aperture this will help your subject stand out.