Portrait Photography | Definition, Techniques & Tips

The differences in types of portrait photography are mainly differences in technique. These techniques can include different lighting approaches, backgrounds or settings, or levels of involvement and connection between the photographer and the subject. In more creative portrait approaches, techniques can also include digital or darkroom editing.

This is an example of both a group portrait and an environmental portrait of newsies on the street.

Approaches to Portrait Photography

Portrait photography has four basic approaches: constructionist, environmental, candid, and creative.

Constructionist portraits are very similar to traditional portraits in that they're the most posed and planned of these types. Photographers bring specific backgrounds, props, and wardrobes for the subject to "construct" a moment or mood. Examples of constructionist portraits might include stock photos, advertisements, or actor headshots.

Constructionist portraits use props and other elements to construct the image.

Environmental portraits show the subject in their natural, everyday environment. These are not necessarily nature or outdoors-related but can be set wherever the subject belongs. In a way, the environment of the photo becomes a part of the message about the subject, just like their face or clothing.

This environmental photograph shows its subject in her natural environment, the ISS.

Candid portraits are a bit of an oxymoron. Candids, or street photography, are not planned, posed, or rehearsed like other genres of portrait photography. However, much like environmental portraits, candid portraits show their subjects at their most natural. A couple of different approaches to candid portraits exist. In some cases, the subject knows they're being photographed but doesn't know when the photographer will take the picture. In others, the subject doesn't know they're being photographed at all. It's important to practice with candid portrait photography to make the portraits seem as un-posed and natural as possible. If a subject knows they're being photographed, they may change their behavior or posture in a way that takes away the candid nature of the photograph. Practice taking candids with various subjects in various settings can help photographers snap more sneakily.

In candid portraits, subjects may or may not know they are being photographed at any time.

Creative portraits most often involve manipulation or editing in some respect. In modern times, this usually means digital editing with Photoshop or other programs to create double exposures, strategic blurring, or composite images. However, photographers who want to compose creative portraits can use film development techniques like overexposing or double-exposing to create many effects. Others can set up creative effects in frames for fine art or surrealistic portraits.

Some creative portraits, such as this one, use digital editing techniques to create the effect.

Other creative portraits use techniques of lighting or composition to create the image in frame.

Good portrait photos don't come without thought and practice. Improving technical, compositional, and relational elements of portrait photography can help create better photos. In this section, we'll look at tips for all three areas.

What are some Tips for Successful Portrait Photography?

Some suggestions for making the most of technology when taking portrait photographs include:

• Taking photos in RAW file format to preserve the original image after editing.
• Using diffused or indirect light for most portraits to help create more favorable lighting conditions. Sunlight or other direct light sources are bright but can create unwanted effects through shadows and highlights.
• Shooting through foreground objects or using gels on lights to create new color tones and moods.
• Keeping the camera's white balance in mind; colors in the environment can throw off the image without a good white balance.

Tips for Composition

Strategies for composing photographic portraits include:

• Using a wide aperture (somewhere between f/2.8 and f/5.6) to create that shallow depth of field look and ensure the subject's face stays focused.
• Using subtle leading lines to draw the viewer's eye to the key elements of the photograph or background lines to frame the subject.
• Including the subject's feet in full-body portrait photographs.
• Paying attention to negative space (the amount of the background that shows in the photo); more may be needed for environmental portrait photographs or candid portraits.
• Moving the subject around to find the best angle and relation to the background.

Note the leading lines of the brick wall and the window dividers on this photograph, pointing toward the subject slightly off-center.

Connecting with Subjects

Some ways to work collaboratively with the subjects of portrait photographs to find a connection include:

• Creating a personal connection with the subject by meeting, conversing with them, or observing them as they prepare so they are comfortable and open during the portrait process.
• Taking images in close proximity to the subject to keep the personal connection, and staying on their level as much as possible.
• Being ready for small moments that show the subject's personality, these candid photographs can be the best to come from a portrait session.

The eyes are the window to the soul in a portrait photograph; sometimes a face is all you need.

Portrait photography is photography that shows the essence or vital qualities of a subject in just one moment. Portrait photographs have been around since 1839, when the daguerreotype procedure of creating photographs through picture transfer to metal plates was invented; it has expanded into new, more creative forms. The invention of the paper photo negative simplified the photographic development process. Smaller cameras let photographers get out in the streets to capture life. Several different approaches to portrait photography exist. However, they have many things in common, including a primary focus on the subject's face and a general process for getting to know a subject, planning, posing, and rehearsing.

The major approaches to portrait photography are traditional portraits which are straightforwardly composed and posed facing forward. Constructionist portraits create a particular feeling or scene. Environmental portraits use the subject's usual setting as the background. Candid portraits were designed to seem relatively spontaneous. Creative portraits use various editing techniques. The aperture should be set to f/2.8–f/5.6 to ensure a face is not blurry when taking a portrait. It helps to create a personal connection with the subject of the portrait photograph to understand the best way to portray them. Scheduling a meeting between a photographer and a subject can help the connection process.