Tweeter St.portraits in place

Portrait guides

Seven guides, written to be read in order the first time and dipped into after that. They start with what an environmental portrait is, move through asking, lighting and shooting, and finish with editing and posting the picture without exposing the person in it.

  1. 01A Drawing of wide, medium and detail frames of one scene

    What is an environmental portrait?

    The setting carries half the story. How to pick it, frame it and keep the person from getting lost in it.
  2. 02A Four-step diagram for asking a stranger for a portrait

    How to approach strangers for a street portrait

    What to say, where to stand, how to take a no, and how to make the most of two minutes.
  3. 03A Decision map of when a portrait needs a model release

    Consent and model releases for portraits: US and UK basics

    When spoken consent is enough, when you need a signature, and what a simple release covers.
  4. 04A Top-view diagram of four light positions around a subject

    How to light a portrait with whatever light is there

    Window, cloud, shade, low sun and street lamps: where to put the person, and starting settings for each.
  5. 05A Three drawn faces showing 0.5x, 1x and 2x phone lenses

    Phone camera tips for environmental and street portraits

    Which lens to use, when Portrait mode helps, and how to stop the phone from flattening every face.
  6. 06A Gentle tone curve beside a seven-step editing list

    How to edit portraits so they still look like the person

    A seven-step order of work that keeps skin, color and the place believable.
  7. 07A Diagram of crop ratios, an alt text box and GPS removal

    Sharing portraits on X: crops, alt text, credit and privacy

    Aspect ratios, alt text, tagging and credit, and how to strip location data before you post.

New guides are added here and to the RSS feed. Written and checked by the Tweeter Street Team.