Secrets of Great Portrait Photography: Photographs of the Famous and Infamous

Assignments

Now that you’ve made it through this 12-step program to great portrait photography, it’s time to put what you’ve learned to good use. After a great deal of thought and quite a few pints of research, Mr. Miyagi and I have put together a list of assignments to really hone your skills.

One Lens One Week

Here’s a great assignment for equipment junkies who own every lens made. Shoot for an entire week using just one focal length. If you have only a 16–300 zoom lens, that’s OK, but you’ll need to tape the zoom ring in place to a single focal length.

Choose a focal length you don’t normally shoot with. For example, if you normally shoot sports with a 300mm or 400mm lens, try shooting sports with a normal or wide angle. If you shoot architecture ...