Portrait Lessons - Full-Length

A full-length portrait shows the full body of a person from head to toe.  The most important 2 things to remember when doing these is (1) be conscious of your angles as to not make the subject look larger than they are and (2) be aware of your crop.  You don't want to take a photo of a subject straight-on because this will flatten them out as well as making them appear wider.  You also don't want to crop too close to the head or feet so that you leave enough room that the subject isn't scrunched into your photo.  Here are a few examples.

The rule of thirds is very useful when it comes to full-length photos.  Leaving extra space in the photo makes the subject feel less scrunched into the frame, but you have to decide where to leave the space.  Place your subject's eyes according to the rule of thirds and the composition will look 100% better!

Although a full-length photo has to show the subject from head to toe, it does not have to have them standing up or fully stretched-out.  Sitting, crouching, kneeling and laying can still make for full-length photos.