Portraiture .......................12

For some, photographing people is a huge bore, they much prefer scenic photography, photographs of nature, abstract, or whatever. For others, such as myself, creating quality photographs of people is among the greatest rewards the photographic arts have to offer. While much of the general public has grown accustomed to the traditional low budget retail studio portrait, which is too often merely a likeness of the subject, the public is unaware of the many other possibilities which are available with the more creative photographer. These possibilities range from outdoor, environmental portraiture and casual, semi-grab shots, to the totally abstract portrait image. While all of the tools and techniques discussed so far apply to creative portraiture, it is simply not possible to include all of the possibilities in this text. In fact the available information and the number of options can occupy a lifetime of study. Some have commented that the human body only sits, stands or kneels in particular ways and they have all been photographed before; that's true. What they fail to realize however, is that each person alive is unique, each has a unique face and unique attitude, gestures and mannerisms. What the creative portraitist sees, goes beyond physical appearance, he or she tries to create something beyond a mere likeness, something more than a photo which looks like the subject. Hell, that's done every time we get a drivers license photo made!

Some primitive groups believed that when a photo was made of a person, a portion of that person's soul was captured in the film. We know the soul isn't captured, but maybe we can develop the ability to reveal a little part of that soul; to show something of the personality, of the individuality of the person being photographed. Let's take a look at how we can go about creating a memorable portrait.

Please note: These samples may may not tbe identical to the actual book pages, due to the conversion process.