There is a lot to know about shooting portraits and figures that can improve your photography.  To start, there are a few different types of shots one can take and I will provide an example of each.  There is an extreme long shot (els), a long shot (ls) or full body shot, a medium shot (ms), a close-up (cu), and an extreme close-up (ecu).  Each of these can be used in different instances to provide a certain mood, tone, or action that fits with the subject of the photograph.

This photo is an example of an extreme long shot.  The figures in this photo are exploring the edge of the cliff and this type of shot is very fitting for the scene.  It shows the immense beauty of the setting that the figures are exploring. Also, since both the foreground of the figures and the background of the mountains are of equal importance, a large aperture was used in order to capture the full scene in clarity.

This next photo is an example of a long shot.  It shows the entire body of the figure, most importantly, it doesn’t cut any part off.  It can be an easy mistake to accidentally cut off a figure’s feet or top of the head, but this can really impact the quality of your photography.  When taking images of people, always be conscious of the frame and make sure either the whole figure is in the frame or you are cutting off a piece of the figure for an artistic purpose and with intention.  Also, when shooting a figure, make sure either they are in motion or making some sort of pose that provides angles, shape, and an interesting composition.  

This photo is an example of a medium shot.  The image cuts off at the hip of the figure and shows his top half.  This is an intentional cut of the figure that also appears intentional and not by mistake.  If I had cut the figure at a lower point on the legs, it might appear to have been a mistake.  Compositionally this shot works with the mood and tone, showing some of the figure and his facial expressions, but also providing a lot of the background.  

This photo is an example of a close-up.  A close-up is normally cut just beneath the shoulders of a figure.  When shooting a close-up it is important that the shoulders are still included in the shot, so your subject does not appear to have a floating head! You must give the head and neck a body to attach to.  In a close-up, the figure takes up a much larger part of the image and there is a greater emphasis on them compared to the background.

This last photo is an example of an extreme close-up.  When using an extreme close-up, you are adding a very dramatic emphasis on one part of the figure.  This shot can be used on hands, feet, lips, or in this case, eyes. This shot was used to bring an intense emphasis on the subject’s eyes.  When taking an extreme close-up it is still very important to watch where you are cropping the image. In this case, if I had cropped off the bottom of the nose, the image would look quite strange and his nose could look quite distorted or elongated, which would take the viewer’s eye to that problem area and away from his eyes.  Conversely, if I left too much room at the bottom without including the lips or including, but cutting them off, it would also look very strange and off-putting. It is important to find a proper balance of what to include and what to exclude. 

Overall, the biggest takeaway of figure or portrait shooting is to watch where you are cropping your images and be aware of the tone you are trying to portray, so you are using the correct type of shot to accentuate this.

Sources:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/video/tips-and-solutions/filmmaking-101-camera-shot-types

https://expertphotography.com/guide-portrait-photography-tips/