Howzit!
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When I first began photography, portraits were the one thing I wanted to avoid. I didn’t like being in photographs myself, and the thought of having to talk to someone while I took their picture filled me with dread. I was shy, quiet, and preferred to keep to myself.

At photo school, though, there was no escaping it. Assignments came, and some of them were portrait assignments. The problem was—I always stuck to photographing people I already knew. That way, I didn’t have to face my shyness. The result? The portraits I took of strangers looked stiff, awkward, and lifeless.

It wasn’t until I worked for a magazine in Bloemfontein that things began to change. On assignments, I often had only ten minutes to make a portrait. Ten minutes to find the light, the background, and—most importantly—to connect with the person. It was uncomfortable at first, but it forced me to grow in ways that have shaped how I see photography today.
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The Main Frame:

Portraits: The Hardest Subject (and Why You Should Try Them Anyway)

Portrait photography has been my toughest teacher, but also the most rewarding. Here are the three biggest lessons it taught me—lessons that apply to all kinds of photography:

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1. Light is everything.​
Every photograph needs light, but portraits are uniquely unforgiving. You can sometimes get away with dull light in a landscape or a street scene if the subject is strong enough. But in a portrait, if the light is poor—or used poorly—the image simply doesn’t work.

What I learned from those quick magazine sessions was to look first for the light. I’d scan the room, the street, or the office I’d been sent to, asking myself: Where is the light? How is it falling on them? What can I use? That practice built an instinct I now carry into every genre of photography.

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2. Talking to people matters more than posing.​
At photoschool we were taught lighting ratios, camera settings, and even a few “standard” portrait poses. But no one ever told us how to actually talk to the person in front of the camera.

When I had only minutes with a subject, I developed a few simple “hacks” for connection:

• Ask easy, genuine questions: “Did you find your way here okay?” or “That’s a lovely blouse—where did you get it?”
• Let the conversation guide the photo: if the article was about their work, I’d ask about it while looking for light or background that told part of their story.
• Ease their nerves: give them a chair, a wall, or something to hold. Nothing is more awkward than standing in the middle of a room while someone points a camera at you.

These questions and gestures might seem small, but they transform how someone feels in front of the camera. And when they relax, the photograph changes.

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3. Variety builds observation.​
In a portrait session, you’re photographing the same person again and again. The challenge is to create variety—different angles, different lighting, different moods. That forces you to notice subtleties: how their face looks from the left versus the right, how side light differs from frontal light, how a tiny shift of expression changes the whole mood.

That kind of careful observation is a skill you can carry anywhere. Once you learn to notice details in portraits, you’ll start to notice them in landscapes, in street scenes, and even in the everyday moments around you.

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Where Confidence Comes In

The biggest hurdle in portrait photography isn’t technical—it’s confidence.

Some of my best shoots happened when I slowed down. Sometimes I’d spend an hour talking before I even picked up the camera. That might sound like a luxury, but the principle is the same even if you only have ten minutes: don’t rush. Make space for the person in front of you, and the portraits will follow.

If confidence is something you struggle with, you’re not alone. It’s the single most common fear I hear from photographers who want to try portraits. That’s why my upcoming workshops in Milton Keynes (November) and Vienna (January) are built around this exact idea. Find out more here​

Yes, we’ll cover light and technique—but more importantly, I’ll show you how to interact with people in a real portrait setting. You’ll get to watch how I work, then try it yourself, with guidance. It’s the kind of training I wish I’d had when I was younger, when I was still too shy to ask a stranger for a photograph.

Inspiring Me This Week:

Richard Avedon
​https://www.avedonfoundation.org/​
​Richard Avedon (1923–2004) completely reshaped both fashion and portrait photography. He’s best known for his stark, minimalist portraits—often shot against a plain white background—that seem to reveal the very soul of his subjects. What made Avedon’s work so powerful wasn’t elaborate posing or complex lighting, but the way he connected with people. His portraits remind us that conversation, trust, and confidence matter just as much as technical skill—exactly the lessons I learned the hard way in my own portrait journey.
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Over to You:

This Week’s Creative Prompt:​
Photograph someone you know using only natural light from a single window. Spend at least 5 minutes talking with them before you take the first shot. Notice how their expression shifts as they relax, and try to capture the moment where conversation turns into connection.
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Upload them here:
​https://www.picdrop.com/tpe/vocSZfusNK​

Inside the Tribe:

We've had some awesome images this week from our Tribe Members​

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That’s all for this week. Whether you love portraits or fear them, I encourage you to step into them. You’ll not only improve your photography—you’ll learn more about people, and maybe even yourself.

Cheers
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Alex

P.S. If portraits make you nervous—or you just want to get better at them—don’t put this off. My upcoming workshops are designed to give you the confidence and hands-on practice you can’t get anywhere else. Spaces are limited, and once they’re gone, that’s it:

• Milton Keynes – November 2025
• Vienna – January 2026

Reserve your spot now → Click here​