Suspense in a portrait starts with the eyes—make them a little too wide, or have a shadow fall over one side. Play with light and dark so the background feels almost as if it’s breathing. A sharp, almost grainy digital edge can make the subject look like a glitch in reality, hinting that something’s about to unravel. Keep the composition tight but leave a small, off‑center element—a half‑lit window, a blurred reflection—so the viewer feels the space between what we see and what might be hiding. Those small, almost invisible details are the pulse that keeps the tension alive.