Jon Souer - Thoughts for the Photographer:

Set up the shot in advance. Plan the shot in advance.

Shoot in different frames - head shot, upper body shot and full length

Shoot a different format - landscape/portrait

Use a different shooting angle - raising the camera slightly and having them look up can add a feeling of vulnerability to a shot while lowering the camera can make the subject look more empowered and powerful.

Use a different focal length - longer lenses give tighter, more intimate shots, while wider lenses provide a more open feeling in the image. Wider lenses are often better when shooting up or down at the subject. Stay with a telephoto lens but vary between short to medium focal lengths. Using a large aperture will give you short depth of field which will blur the background.

Keep your distance - Two reasons, first you want your client to be comfortable so keeping a respectful distance is key to a good working relationship. A nervous model will have an effect on the look and feel of the lay out being shot. Second a short telephoto lens is the best option to prevent foreshortening (when the objects nearest the lens will appear larger than objects farther away) and helps slightly blur the background. It will also make the model look slimmer, a factor most people want in their portraits.

Before each shot:

Look at the clothes - Men: Make sure the shirtsleeve extends one finger width past the jacket sleeve. Woman (and men): Make sure that the camera is not in line with gaps (armpits, cleavage, skirts, etc. . ) in clothing. Raising the leg that is closest to the camera will prevent shooting into the subject's crotch.

Look at the pose - Don't project the any body parts toward the lens and keep everything within the range of focus. The hand that is nearest to the lens will appear larger than what it actually is. Are the hands positioned with the small finger toward the lens? (Do not allow your model to slump over or sit round-shouldered, as that will make the person look short and thickset.)

Shoulders might not seem like an important aspect of a portrait however they can actually set the tone for an image. The shoulders generally form the base of the portrait and are widest part of your subject. They are visually what the main point of focus for your image (the head) is sitting upon. (Angling the shoulders slightly gives the shot balance and helps lead your viewer's eye into the shot towards your main focal point. It also stops out of proportion look as it lessons the width of the shoulders slightly. People read a photo from the bottom left hand side up an in so use the angle of the shoulder to lead the eye to the face.)

Look at the face - The face should not be turned so far away from the camera that the nose will break or nearly break the far cheek line. This will make the nose look large. The far eye should either been seen completely or not be seen at all, but one should never photograph the face so that only 1/2 of the far eye shows. Note that this pose will also cause the subject's eyes to have too much white on one side of the eye as opposed to the other side of the eye. Check the smile, teeth showing and face comfortable with the smile.

Look at the eyes - The eyes should be turned so that there is white area on both sides. A slightly higher camera angle will give more whites at the bottom than at the top, which is more appealing in images of young females. Watch recessed cheek line with glasses. Have the subject obtain empty eyeglass frames that will solve the problem immediately. Otherwise you may have sacrifice good lighting and turn the head straight toward the camera. Check the hair, is it falling correctly? Are the eyes fully open and looking in the correct direction?

Post Production Editing:

Your job is to frame the shot well in the camera to limit the need for postproduction cropping. When you must crop do so between the joints, because cropping at a joint makes the subject appear amputated.

When composing multiple shots together have the subjects at either end of the image face in toward the center. This will keep the viewers attention on the subjects.

Consider "Black and White", it tends to make most people look better. That's one reason why actor headshots are almost always in black and white. Use Photoshop and give your client the option.