As an amateur photographer, I tried a few indoor portraits without using a lot of expensive equipment. My Canon DSLR Rebel T5i, one 320EX Speedlite, one Tungsten clip on light with a 100w bulb, tripod, gorillapod, a bedsheet hung over a shower curtain rod for backdrop, several white foam reflectors, and natural daylight through south facing windows. The mature female model had very little makeup & no hairstyling. We used a lei & flower from Hawaii for a prop. No Photoshop. I used Windows 10 for further processing. They turned out OK, but the model does not want them posted on the internet. It was a very interesting first lesson in portraits!

Like Sharpshooter, I really like "tight" shots that emphasis the eyes of the person. Unlike Sharpshooter, all of my "portraits" are taken in a more natural setting, which can add a variety of issues, such as lighting, backgrounds, etc.

I did professional wedding photography for years, working for three different photography studios in the York, PA area as well as Philadelphia. (I hate that drive.) During that time, I also did "professional" studio work, but found that I didn't enjoy that quite as much.

I've been criticized for too tight of a crop, but I think in some cases it can play well.

I recognize that I have to do a better job with lighting, and being able to tone down some backgrounds in post processing.

I hope these examples fit the scope of this "discussion." Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

I am a traditional portrait photographer- have been at it, professionally, for a long time. Although my work is comparatively conservative, I am always interested in other approaches. This is what attracted me to this thread, that is, the “out of the box” preface.

Thing is, I waited for more folks to contribute to see what it up but I haven't seen that much that is all that “out of the box”. In fact, most of it rather traditional even classical. Some of it is kinda old fashioned or retro- nothin' wrong with that! There are a few images that are novel and some that are more in the category of candid family shots. I don't think that masks and cutouts make for particularity effective portraits- just my opinion.

Composition is composition regardless of the theme or content of the image, whether the subject is traditional, exotic, sensual, cute, or even bizarre. There are elements of posing, lighting and composition that always work well and others that are not as effective, distorted or awkward- regards of style or theme. Oftentimes, breaking a traditional concept makes an image more exciting or adds an element of tension.

So...when you say “out of the box” what is the comparison to “staying within the box”? What is the BOX? Is traditional portraiture perceived as boring, stiff, artificial, cookie-cutter or thought of as work like mass produced school pictures? Does it have to be that way? I am not asking theses questions be confrontational or start an unpleasant exchange. I feel theses are legitimate questions in a thread like this.