Gallery: Portraiture

When taking portraits, remember to work quickly and not bore your subjects. Especially when they look scary. This shot is of a performer from the Fire Tusk Pain Proof Circus, and was taken on Brian's Canon EOS 5D. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk

Another performer from the Fire Tusk Pain Proof Circus - this time, a more gentle soul. The black background makes the bright colours of the balloon and his costume stand out. Taken on the Canon EOS 5D. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk

The unusual framing really makes this portrait of story teller Llyn Ruth Miller stand out. Brian used aperture priority on the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS to take it. The blurred foreground was created by shooting through a bunch of flowers. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk

A performer from the Fire Tusk Pain Proof circus. Taken on the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS, shoes slightly (and deliberately) out of focus, with the face reflected in a mirror. Brian has captured the mood back-stage before the artist went to work. The image was taken with shutter speed priority. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk

Brian took this portrait of a gum-chewing local using the fisheye setting on the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS - hence the slightly weird, fun house mirror effect. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk

Encourage your subject to strike unusual poses (if they're up for it). This leads to much more interesting portraits. Taken on the Canon EOS 5D. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk

Talking of unusual poses... It helps if your subject is prepared to show off a bit, as this student amply demonstrates. Taken on Brian's Canon EOS 5D. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk

Brian broke the rules here by shooting into the sun. As he says, rules are there to be broken. Taken on the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS, with the shot slightly over-exposed. Photograph: guardian.co.uk

Brian took this from a strange angle, with the fisheye setting on the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS adding some additional weirdness. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk

A portrait doesn't have to be of someone's face. This shot of one of the UK's more unusual clowns was taken on the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS, with aperture priority. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk

Mime artist La La Luna, taken out of context to create an interesting - and revealing - portrait. Shot on Brian's Canon EOS 5D. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk

A self-portrait, with Brian deploying the timer on the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS, as well as the fisheye setting. Nice hat and glasses too. Photograph: Brian Sweeney/guardian.co.uk