portrait photography professional, fotografia(1)
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Professional
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Techniques and Images from Master Photographers
LouJacobsJr.
Amherst Media
®
PUBLISHER OF PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS
Copyright©2008byLouJacobsJr.
Allrightsreserved.
FrontcoverphotobyFrankFrost.
BackcoverphotobyChrisNelson.
Publishedby:
AmherstMedia,Inc.
P.O.Box586
Buffalo,N.Y.14226
Fax:716-874-4508
www.AmherstMedia.com
Publisher:CraigAlesse
SeniorEditor/ProductionManager:MichellePerkins
AssistantEditor:BarbaraA.Lynch-Johnt
EditorialAssistance:CareyMainesandJohnS.Loder
ISBN-13:978-1-58428-229-7
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PrintedinKorea.
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NoticeofDisclaimer:Theinformationcontainedinthisbookisbasedontheauthor’sexperienceandopinions.The
authorandpublisherwillnotbeheldliablefortheuseormisuseoftheinformationinthisbook.
CONTENTS
CONTENTS
3
INTRODUCTION
time-exposedFrenchstreetscenecreatedin1839.In
the years that followed, imaging art and techniques
quicklyimproved.AphotographIrecallvividlyisagroup
portrait of Lincoln and his generals, created by Mathew
Brady, who operated a popular portrait studio in Wash-
ington,DC,inthe1860s.Professionalportraitsbecame
morepopularviadaguerreotypesandtin-types.Posesre-
quired exposures of up to a minute. Glass plates were
faster, but the processing required was clumsy. You may
recallsomeoftheportraitsbyprominentphotographers
ofthe19thandearly20thcentury,includingJuliaMar-
garet Cameron, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Au-
gustSander,andGeorgeHurrell.
In 1889, George Eastman introduced roll film, 100
exposuresinaboxcamerathatwassenttothefactoryfor
processingandreloading.Thepublicbegantakingthou-
sandsofsnapshots.Professionalsgraduatedtosheetfilm
and roll film. By the mid-20th century, portrait studios
had sprung up everywhere to offer visual memories of
children,families,andfriends.Today’sdigitalcapturehas
made photography even more versatile. Portraiture was
andstillisagratifyingwaytomakealiving.
Fine Portraiture
Likelasagna,notallportraitsarecreatedequally.I’veor-
deredlasagnainrestaurantsfromFlorence,Italy, toSan
Francisco,CA,andeachhaditsownflavor.Portraitsmay
also have individual characteristics in today’s market. As
the images in this book show, the success of an image is
largelyduetoindividualtastes,talent,andtechniques.A
photographer’s personality can also influence the aes-
thetic quality of portraits. Every photographer inter-
viewedforthisbookagrees.
About Portrait Style
Snapshot portraits are mostly forgettable, though some
amateur images can be terrific. However, professionals
can’tdependonhappyaccidents.Weinspireexpressions
and moods, modulate lighting, and adjust composition
4
PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
O
ne of the first historic photographs on record is a
as we chat with our subjects. A pro-
fessional photographer can create
magicinportraitsthatclientshappily
payfor.
Portraitstyleishardtodefinebut
easier to recognize. It’s a mixture of
creativeseeing,artfullighting,apre-
cise sense of timing, a good instinct
for posing, and an attitude that
strives to bring out the best in peo-
ple.Moodisalsocreatedbylighting
andexpressions.
It’s worth being influenced by
portrait work you like in this book
andeverywhereyouseeit.Yourown
style can evolve to please clients and
make you proud of producing fine
portraits.
Movie Style.
Director Ingmar
Bergman said of Sven Nykvist, a
greatcinematographer,“Hehasbeen
an inspiration for his natural, simple
style of lighting. His work is ex-
tremely subtle. We were both utterly captivated by the
problems of light.” A
Los Angeles Times
editorial added,
“Nykvistwasabelieverinthepoweroffaces,oftenzoom-
inginforintense...close-ups(“DeathofaSwedishRe-
alist,”
Los Angeles Times,
September 22, 2006: B12).”
Nykvist won Oscars for
JFK
and
The Aviator,
and also
photographed
Sleepless in Seattle.
Study cinema faces and magazine portraits. Decide if
thephotographershowedcharacteraswellasbeauty.Ex-
perimentwithfriendswhomodelforyou,oruseaman-
nequin. You will make discoveries that help you please
moreclientsandincreaseprofits.
Style is elusive. I often argue with myself and others
aboutindividualportraitstyles.Ifeelthatmanysuccess-
fulprofessionalsdonothaverecognizablepictorialstyles,
but they prosper. So does style matter? Yes, because if it
emerges,ithelpsyoudevelopportraitindividuality.Peo-
pleskillsalsoimpactphotographicstyle,asdohandsome
prints that generate repeat business. Success may not
bringyouayacht,butitkeepsyourstudiolookingsharp
andfuelsyourcreativity.
Why We Take Portraits
Portraitsaremadetopleaseclients,relatives,friends,ed-
itors, advertising art directors, curators, and potential
lovers.Theportraitbusinessisastimulatingwaytomake
aliving.Fineportraitureisachallengingformofcreativ-
ity.Peoplesaveyourprintsforgenerationstocome,sobe
suretoputyournameonyourportraits.
Portrait Techniques
You and your clients should be a comfortable team for
success. Anticipate how to make a subject look terrific,
because or in spite of their personality, age, and appear-
ance.Subtleorsignificantvariationscanbecapturedwith
slightchangesinapose,acameraangle,and/orlighting.
JaneBrown’sportraitstyleevolvesfromcleverwaysto
avoidusingflash.ShephotographscelebritiesforanEng-
lishSundaynewspaper,almostallonlocation.Janefavors
staircasesettingsbecausesubjectscanbeplacedaboveor
below the camera, walls are usually plain, and window
lighting is available. She shoots in a lot of gardens, too,
and as is evident in her fascinating book,
Faces
(Collins
andBrown,2000),shecharmshersubjects.
INTRODUCTION
5
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