What do I look for in a Portrait

There are several things I want to capture when I shoot a portrait. First, I want to have an interesting background. I hate the canvas backgrounds that you see in everybody's family pic they have hanging in their hallway. Nothing about it is interesting at all. Sometimes it looks like a dirty sheet from some seedy motel. The second thing I think about is, where is the sun? If I can, I like to position my model so I get backlighting in her hair and maybe a rimlight around her body. This adds a 3 dimensional look to your photo by providing separation from your background. Next I want to evenly light her with a flash. I want to make it look like I didn't really use a flash at all. I do want to see the catchlight in her eye from the flash. The eyes are very important to me. I will focus on her eye that is nearest to me. Last but not least, I like to have something in the foreground if at all possible. You really can't do this often with a headshot, but if you are doing 1/2, 3/4, or a full body shot, this should be easier. Oh, I almost forgot, it really helps if you have a stunning model like my friend Emily. She makes it easy to take some good pics. There you have it. Not that difficult if you just plan a tiny bit and use what's around you.