A portrait is a picture that focuses on a person and expresses the subject’s personality, mood, or story, not just their external appearance. It uses elements like the person’s pose, their expression, the background, and the lighting to convey a brief story about them. In other words, a portrait is about identity and personality as much as appearance. For instance, Annie Leibovitz is known for bold, narrative portraits of celebrities and is famous for her use of dramatic lighting and vibrant color.

A portrait stands out because it captures something true about the person. This could be their mood, interests, or a moment they’ve chosen to share with the audience. It uses light and shadow to shape the face and evoke emotion. A bright, soft light might feel warm and friendly, while a dramatic shadow can feel intense or mysterious. The setting also helps tell the person’s story. A studio with a plain background can effectively highlight facial expression, while an outdoor shot with the person in their environment can showcase what they love to do. It’s all up to the photographer’s choices, where the camera is placed, how close or far away the shot is, and what the model wears. These factors all affect what the portrait communicates.

Selfies can be considered portraits if they reveal something meaningful about the person, such as their mood, style, or personality, and are thoughtfully composed, not just random pictures.

Key elements that must be included in a portrait are the person’s face and eyes, their clear expression, and any items or props that add special meaning to their identities. Elements that should be excluded are distractions that divert attention away from the person, such as cluttered backgrounds or odd objects that don’t add meaning and merely serve as adjuncts.

A ‘good’ portrait feels honest or revealing in some way. It has clear lighting, sharp focus where it needs to be, and a composition that draws your eye to the person’s face ot a telling detail. It also evokes strong emotions in viewers, helping them understand the person’s identity. It tells a small story about the person, whether it’s their energy, their interests, or a moment they wanted to capture.

Portraits go beyond capturing mere faces; they can focus on other factors, such as a close-up of a hand, an eye, or a mouth, if they successfully communicate something about the person. A portrait can also be non-traditional. It might use objects, a person’s possessions, or a torn or faded image to represent someone when the person isn’t present in the shot. The photographer Amir Mohammad successfully featured a close-up of a human eye. The warm brown color and the light highlights make it stand out. The blurred background draws more attention to the eye, making it appear more expressive and engaging.

A single photo can be a portrait, but a series of images can also be a portrait of a person’s changing mood or story over time. The collection itself can illustrate who the person is across moments.

To conclude, a portrait is not just a picture of a face, but is a story about a person. It utilizes light, pose, background, and props to convey the person’s identity or their emotional state. Portraits that are successful balance technical skill with human beings, capturing a moment, mood, or part of a person’s identity that words can’t fully express.

 

Image citations:

https://unsplash.com/photos/persons-eye-i8ZpN7D-cis

https://proedu.com/blogs/photographer-spotlight/annie-leibovitz-iconic-celebrity-portraits-and-cultural-moments-a-visual-journey-through-pop-culture-history?srsltid=AfmBOorzVJo_b0vKlqTZhncQYJUp5PEt4AWgfPOC4MUCSe6g5DvK8sO9

https://www.seattlemet.com/arts-and-culture/2011/12/annie-leibovitz-pilgrimage-elliott-bay-book-co-december-2011

https://www.jamescohan.com/exhibitions/simon-evans/selected-works?view=slider