• High contrast lighting makes portraits more dramatic.portrait image by Yvonne Bogdanski from Fotolia.com
  
  Many artists believe that painting portraits is the most difficult type of painting to do. Despite this, many artists believe that this important art form is important to pursue because it captures those we love at specific moments in their lives. Additionally, portraits make great gifts for holidays and for special occasions like retirement. One of the easiest steps a portrait artist can take when planning a portrait painting is to ensure that she takes good references photos. Better photos make better portraits.
  
  

Composition

• Good portraits rely on good composition, according to artist Ann Kullberg in "Colored Pencil Portraits." This begins when you are taking the reference photos for your portrait. While you can crop a photo if the composition turns out badly, there's something to be said for understanding what constitutes good composition in pictures. If you do not really understand what makes a good photograph from a compositional standpoint, chances are you won't understand what makes a correct composition when painting a portrait, either. According to the Digital Photography School website, successful composition in photography relies on five elements: pattern, symmetry, texture, depth of field and lines. Pattern in composition also means repetition; for example, successful compositions repeat shapes like circles or rectangles in a picture. In a photo, this might mean including several windows or lampposts in a shot. Symmetry deals with the visual balance in a picture. Usually this means adhering to the rule of thirds. Different textures add interest to a picture. For example, when photographing your subject, she might wear a sweater with a cable knit. This provides contrast to the smoothness of the material of her shirt. Depth of field is specific to photography, but can be adapted to painted portraiture; this implies the focal point of the picture. Finally, lines not only create the portrait, but the use of different types of lines add to the visual interest of the portrait.
  
  

Lighting

• Lighting gives a photo its contrast. Reference photos that capture the lightest lights and the darkest darks reveal the most contrast, and thus provide the portrait with quite a bit of drama. If, on the other hand, the photo is taken with low light contrast, the mood is quite different---usually nostalgic or wistful. These elements help set the mood in your painted portrait. When selecting the lighting for your reference photo, try to determine what kind of feeling you're trying to evoke in your portrait and set the lighting accordingly before you take the picture.
  
  

Multiple Photos

• Ann Kullberg suggests that the artist look at lots and lots of photographs of the portrait's subject. These photos can be photos that the portrait artist takes herself or a combination of her photos and the photos available of the subject. This not only gives the artist a feel for who the person is, but it also offers possibilities in terms of facial expression or different moods and settings. Additionally, if the artist is painting a montage---particularly if the person is deceased or the portrait is a surprise---multiple photos give the artist a lot of pictorial references.