Portrait Photography Part I

Anyone who has wielded a camera has likely captured an image of another person. However, can we categorize all such photographs as portraits? Probably not, as many are merely snapshots. Therefore, what defines a portrait, and how does it differ from a snapshot?

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Let us start by looking at the definition of a portrait by referring to our trusty encyclopedia. Wikipedia defines a portrait as “A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person.” The critical words here are -“artistic representation” as these are the ones that separate a portrait from a snapshot.

If that is the definition of a portrait, how to proceed to create one photographically is the subject of this article. Since a portrait has to have artistic merit, you need to have a correct approach to create it. Plus like any photograph, it needs to have a proper composition and lighting. Let’s explore a bit more to understand what all this means

While there is no formal method of defining ‘types of portraits’ let us for our understanding, broadly classify as follows. These are -

• Formal

• Informal

• Environmental

• Candid

Many portraits taken intentionally with the knowledge of the subject, fall under the category of formal portraits (Picture 1). Hence, by this definition, most studio portraits fall in this category. Normally the subject “poses” for the portrait. In some cases, the photographer creates a photograph to convey a theme - like a sportsman, a corporate honcho, and so on by choosing suitable props. Lighting plays an important role here and you will see later how to set up lighting for a formal portrait.