Sometimes portrait shoots can be tough with all your shots seeming a little ‘bland’.

Today we’re going to look at a technique that can give a portrait a little spark – it’s something photographers have been doing for years.

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Image by anitacanita

Here’s a quick tip to add interest to portraits – introduce wind.

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Image by homernarvaez

Studio portrait photographers have been using fans to blow the hair of their subjects for years and while at times it can be a little cliche – done well the movement of a subjects hair can add a sense of fun, sensuality and interest into a shot.

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Image by jdebner

It won’t work for every subject or situation but it is one option to have up your sleeve – particularly when photographing subjects with long hair.

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Image by Lorenzo Herrera

How do you do it?

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Image by Sapo Essay

It’s not rocket science really – make some wind! Fans, hair dryers, get your model outside in the wind or even flicking their hair around my tossing their head back and forth (just think shampoo commercials).

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Image by sciain

One of the keys with these types of shots is to think about the length of shutter speed that you use. There are two main options. One is to use a fast shutter speed and FREEZE the motion created by the wind.

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Image by hedonaut

The other is to go with a longer shutter speed and let the movement create a little (or a lot) of blur in the image.

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Image by Mark Sebastian

Again – it’s not a technique I’d be using in every portrait that I was shooting but it could be worthwhile in spicing up the occasional shoot!

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Image by Simon Pais-Thomas

Have fun!

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Image by Lorenzo Herrera

Read more from our Portrait Photography Category