Portrait Photography

It took a few years after the invention of photography before the media was “fast”, or light-sensitive, enough to make photographs of human beings a reality. It took a few more years before photographers could capture portraits conveniently.

Once that happened, and ever since, portraits have remained the most popular subject matter in the craft.

This article deals with portraits of human beings. Portraits of other living subjects are covered in their own articles, because of the specific challenges they present.

Although creative photographic and post-processing options allow for a limitless number of variations from what we have come to accept as a portrait, the goal of the portrait remains twofold.

1. To serve as a record of the subject; that they existed in time and space, and
2. To record some part of the personality of the subject.

The degree of this second motive is subjective if the photographer isn’t specifically trying for it.

A standard “record portrait” of your parents will always show you their personality because you can put your personal memories to the print. The challenge is, can you show me their personality?

The various types of portrait photography are all dealt with in their own articles in this Photo Situations section, since it is the choice of situation, by the photographer, that distinguishes the different types.

• The stiff appearance of portrait subjects in early photography, caused by the fact subjects had to be, literally, locked into place due to long exposure times, has converted into a cultural phenomenon, where people adopt an austere pose when they see a camera pointed at them. Good portrait photographers, even studio portraitists, find their unique ways to get a subject past this initial response to show more of their personality.

• Unless it is your intention to use the person’s age as part of your expression, avoid side-lighting that brings attention to facial details.

• The eyes are the most important part of any portrait. Focus on the eyes, then recompose with the focus locked in.

• People who tell you they " never like the way their pictures come out” are both more challenging and, paradoxically, the same people who produce the widest range of portrait possibilities. Don’t give up.

None thus far.