Portrait photography is in my opinion one of the most fun photography hobbies. It can make money if done well. Here are some portrait photography tips:

• Get a good tripod to photograph with.
• When just starting out, find models or students in college who will be willing to trade for prints, or trade for electronic copies of photos. This way, you can get practice and so can they.
• Lighting is very important. Although studio lighting can be useful, some of the best photography is done with natural light.
• Be creative. If using a digital camera, experiment over and over.
• Learn about poses. There is a lot of useful posing information here.