A portrait is a photographic work that centers on capturing a person’s identity—whether through their face, gestures, or the context that reflects their character. For example, Richard Avedon’s In the American West series uses stark, full-body shots of cowboys and laborers, not just close-ups of faces, to reveal their life stories, proving portraits are about conveying who someone is, not just how they look. And , selfies can be portraits: they’re intentional attempts to express one’s identity, just like traditional portraits. Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills—where she dresses as different characters and photographs herself—are essentially elaborate selfies, yet they’re celebrated as iconic portraits because they explore identity, showing selfies qualify when they carry purpose beyond casual documentation.