My 5-Point Portrait Checklist, Now With a Real Human in Front of Me
For the last few weeks, I’ve been doing self-portraits like it’s a job. Repetition. Constraint. Small refinements that stack.
I’ve learned the technical side in a way I couldn’t have learned any other way: where the light needs to be, how far, how high, what angle gives me cheekbone, what angle gives me honesty. I’ve learned how the camera “sees” compared to how I feel I look. I’ve learned to place a subject—because I’ve had to place myself—again and again until the results were repeatable.
But self-portraits come with a giant advantage: the subject already trusts the photographer.
Now I want to take what I’ve built indoors and bring it into the real world. I have a tentative style forming—Chiaroscuro portraiture—and I don’t want to overthink it into a manifesto before it has a body of work. I want to test it with real people and see what happens when the darkness has to collaborate with someone else’s energy, posture, and story.
This post is my bridge: a personal narrative and a 5-point portrait checklist I’ll run during an actual session—because the technical part is now familiar, and the human part is the thing I need to protect.
What Self-Portraits Gave Me (And What They Didn’t)
Self-portraits taught me control.
- How to shape light for contrast (and how quickly it falls apart if I move two inches).
- How to aim for mood instead of “correct exposure.”
- How to place a subject to get the look I want.
- How much power there is in simplicity: one light, one angle, one intention.
But self-portraits didn’t teach me connection—because connection isn’t something you “set up.” It’s something you earn.
So the next phase is learning how to keep the portrait human while I’m running the technical machine in my head.
That’s what this checklist is for.
My 5-Point Portrait Checklist (The One I’ll Use On Set)
Point 1: Slow the Session Down On Purpose
If I want chiaroscuro, I can’t rush. The style demands patience—physically and emotionally. And people can feel when you’re chasing a result.
What I’ll do:
- Start with a conversation before I bring the camera into their face.
- Move slowly, adjust slowly, shoot slowly.
- Let the first few minutes be about comfort, not output.
What I’ll remind myself: If I rush, they tense. If they tense, the portrait becomes tense, not relaxed and natural.
Point 2: Keep Eye Contact (Don’t Hide Behind the Camera)
Self-portraits trained me to think like a technician. Real portraits require me to stay visible as a person.
What I’ll do:
- Compose, then lift my head and re-enter the conversation.
- Keep my voice calm and steady while I make adjustments.
- If I’m using a tripod (likely, since this style benefits from stability), I’ll stay beside the camera so I can stay with them, maintain eye contact, and leverage my camera’s autofocus.
What I’ll need to remind myself: Chiaroscuro is built on trust. Eye contact is part of the light.
Point 3: Test “Look At” and “Look Past” the Camera
I can’t assume everyone looks best staring down the lens. Some people come alive when they look just off camera—like they’re thinking, not performing.
What I’ll do:
- Get the “into the lens” frame early.
- Then guide them slightly off-axis and watch what happens to their eyes as I move my hand; have them look through my fingers at what’s behind my hand, not at my hand. Having them look beyond my fingers will make the subject squint a bit, making the eyes look more alive and not just staring at my hand.
- Use cues that keep life in the gaze (more “look through” than “look at”).
What I’ll remind myself: The eyes are the portrait. Everything else is staging.
Point 4: Show Frames, But Compliment the Craft (Not Their Face)
People often don’t want to be told they look great. They want to feel safe.
So I’ll keep praise where it belongs: on the work.
What I’ll do:
- If I show a frame, I’ll say:
- “The light is landing exactly how I hoped.”
- “That shadow is doing the work.”
- “This shape is perfect.”
- I’ll avoid turning it into an evaluation of their appearance.
What I’ll remind myself: If they feel judged, they’ll retreat. If they feel involved, they’ll relax.
Point 5: Listen Harder Than I Talk
This is the point that turns “photograph” into “portrait.”
What I’ll do:
- Ask simple questions and actually hear the answers.
- Watch for discomfort and adapt—pace, distance, direction, even the lighting plan.
- Let them steer the room’s emotional temperature.
What I’ll remind myself: The best lighting in the world won’t fix a subject who doesn’t feel safe.
How This Checklist Fits My Chiaroscuro Direction
Chiaroscuro (for me) isn’t just dramatic light. It’s a commitment to restraint.
- One dominant direction of light.
- Shadow treated as design, not as a problem.
- Fewer decisions, made on purpose.
- A quieter frame that forces expression to carry the image.
I’ve been developing this indoors, where I can control everything. The real test is whether it holds up when the subject brings their own nervous system into the room.
This is exactly the kind of “real world” constraint I want—because I’m not trying to perfect a look. I’m trying to see what kind of work naturally starts to assemble itself when I stay consistent.
What I’ll Actually Do in a Real Session (Start to Finish)
Before the camera comes up:
- Five minutes of normal conversation.
- I set expectations: “We’re going to take this slow. I’ll guide you. You don’t need to perform.”
When I place them:
- I place them the way I’ve learned through self-portraits: small movements, watching what the light does.
- I adjust the light first, then the body, then the chin/eyes.
When I start shooting:
- I keep my head up as much as possible maining eye contact.
- I take fewer frames, but I take them at the right moments.
Mid-session reset:
- I show one frame if it helps.
- I keep feedback technical and calm.
Wrap:
- I end by thanking them for their patience and presence—because that’s what actually made the portrait possible.
The Real Point of This (For Me)
I’m not trying to “be a portrait photographer” in theory. I’m trying to build a body of work that has a consistent visual language and a consistent way of working.
Self-portraits gave me the technical reps. Now I’m using this checklist to learn the part that can’t be practiced alone: how to bring someone into the process without letting the process swallow them.
This is me taking the home-studio discipline out into the world and seeing what kind of portraits it yields.