portrait photographers (Page 4): Wow...the posts here are top notch. I'm so new...I'm still packing away all the receipts. I am trying to learn with fast moving subjects...

trainspotter Loc: Oregon

Wow...the posts here are top notch. I'm so new...I'm still packing away all the receipts. I am trying to learn with fast moving subjects (trains)....but I also photograph bridges and trestle's. I've just retired and got the photo bug as a hobby. I've had ex-coworkers ask for portraits, and I'm unsure where to start. That's why I'm here...I'm all ears..and eyes....thank you for your posts..( I do take notes). respectfully trainspotter

polonois Loc: Lancaster County,PA.

Acountry330 wrote:

Lighting makes or breaks you. Happy shooting.

The best answer yet. Lighting. Learn as much as you can about lighting.
A good quality incident light flash meter would help too.

BebuLamar

SharpShooter wrote:

I’ve always been a bit of a problem child, and that’s all that I’m going to say!! LoL
SS

Can you change your nick name?

canon Lee

sploppert wrote:

what does it take to be a great portrait photographer and take great portraits?

A great Portait photograher captures the character and essences of the person... Lighting, makeup, props all tie together who the person is.. To be great you need recommendations from clients.... You are great when you are busy and making a good living... The look of your work is very subjective, that is why each client has to be photographed to show the original persons personality.....
Aside from knowing your equipment, great portriats have much to do with the photographer knowing the person and creatively capturing the look... Its about knowing your subject and how to relate to them.... Portraits are unlike landscapes in that the photograher has the ability to create change & capturing more than a static image but one that has many moods...

canon Lee

sploppert wrote:

If you don't talk to your subject how do you know ... (show quote)

To assure the client will be happy with the shot, I use a wifi unit from the output of my camera to an iPAD, ( http://camranger.com) that the client can see each shot as I am shooting and communicate with me as to what they like and dont like... If you do studio shooting then this unit will assist you with your lighting, also this unit can operate with 2 iPADS,so that you can see the shot as well as the client having her own iPAD.....

marty wild Loc: England

sploppert wrote:

what does it take to be a great portrait photographer and take great portraits?

an 85 mm @ F 1.4 on a full frame is bang on the money

jdedmonds

sploppert wrote:

what does it take to be a great portrait photographer and take great portraits?

Same as everything else: practice. It is said that any subject on which you spend 10,000 hours will thereby be mastered.

marty wild Loc: England

jdedmonds wrote:

Same as everything else: practice. It is said that any subject on which you spend 10,000 hours will thereby be mastered.

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😄😄

JosephSF Loc: Sonoma County CA

I really appreciate this response and IMO you have captured the nuance of the "soft" skills required to be a good portrait artist. It seems like many people default to equipment, lighting, metering, etc. in explaining the process of creating great portraits. I believe that is just a small part of being a distinctive and unique portrait photographer. I have been taking online classes hosted by Annie Leibovitz and during the 15 modules she discusses technology once and that was only in passing. I find her portrait photography mesmerizing. She had a showing in London's National Portrait Gallery at St. Martin's Place for an entire year and it was absolutely spectacular. I highly recommend the Master Class series not only for Annie's photography classes but for countless other expert led classes as well.

https://www.masterclass.com/classes/annie-leibovitz-teaches-photography

[quote=E.L.. Shapiro]“Great” portrait photography is a rare combination of talent, technique and people skills.

I have been intimately involved with photographic portraiture on and advanced and professional level for most of my life and career. Portraiture was my first love and entry into photography and although my business has taken many other directions, portrait photography has remained my first love. I still take on many portrait assignments, teach master classes in portraiture and advocate for many issues on the part of portrait and wedding photographers. So let's break things down to brass tacks, at least the way I see and approach it:

Talent: I can not TEACH talent, I can only help folks discover, asses and develop their own innate vision, abilities and attributes. I can encourage them to utilize and maximize the potential of their gifts and further encourage their stick-to-itiveness and work ethic required to complete their studies and master their art. Some of the enumerable attributes would be a good sense of form, design and line, an appreciation of various visual arts, a proclivity for attention to detail, a sensitivity to textures, tactility and dimension and a whole lot of patience. All the photographic equipment and technology in the world can not supply or replicate theses attributes- we gotta find them, feel them and apply whatever we have. ........

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Being able to find the beauty in your subjects, and being able to "see the light" and how it might highlight that beauty, and maybe help disguise some of the "less" beautiful features.

If you aren't literally "in love" with finding the beautiful in everyone, then you'll never truly be a "great" photographer. You can be really good, but those like Cliff (Captain C) Lawson are few and far between.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Brent Rowlett wrote:

If the OP did not already have his answers, this might be a good post to help beginners. That being said, none of the responses are specific enough to help anybody. Just using your experience or some so called talent, whatever it is, is not helpful to anyone. Talent is developed with practice. Nobody starts out being able to play a hell of a guitar, or run the 100 yard dash in 9.1 seconds. Takes mentoring from pros, and lots of practice to develop a talent that one can market for good money.

Reading a lot of books as a beginner, probably the most difficult phase of portrait photography is posing. You are the director, be it still or video photography, and much of what you do, including using your personality, can greatly affect the outcome. Assuming you are well versed with your camera's features and lighting to compensate for your subjects flaws or features, you need to learn how to pose your subjects and be comfortable in directing them. If you do not display confidence you may get lucky if your client cannot take a bad picture, but your chances of success are greatly enhanced if you are comfortable and confident from the outset.

I started by buying "500 Poses for Photographing Women" and "500 Poses for Photographing Men" both written by Michelle Perkins published by Amherst Media. I scanned several examples of what I thought would make a good pose and laminated them on a ring. You have to be able to communicate your pose instruction, and one good way is to show your client a visual. From there, I developed more, but being able to quickly communicate to the client what you are looking for is key.

And then there is the marketing end of the venture. Very few people today are willing to pay enough money for portraits to allow you to survive. Past successful portrait photographers are folding left and right. Today they are renting space for just the session, or setting up in their homes or the homes of the client. People will spend $200 for a box of cigars, but very few will shell out $250 for a portrait. Pretty sad.

However, there is a real calling for head shots, which seem to be holding up with business professionals. Peter Hurley's book "The Headshot" is a great read...finished it in a day. Of course he does not tell you in the book that dating a well known casting director in NY contributed much to his success furnishing him with a plethora of famous clients to get him going. Nevertheless, I learned some important points to study a persons face, the fact that rarely do people have eyes that are symmetrical, how to compensate for large noses, etc. Hurley states that 70%-80% of taking a good head shot is the ability to get into a person's head with personality to draw out the clients best qualities and relaxed presence. The "squinch" was an interesting posing tool.

And now one has some guides and advice of what works for others, it is time to practice, practice, practice.

If the OP did not already have his answers, this m... (show quote)

I though there were many specification stated- by me and others. The question pertain to the making of a GREAT portrait photographer. The consensus among many of the responders was GREAT talent, education, mastery of the equipment, lighting and related techniques and people skills. The philosophical attributes are love of the craft, seeking the beauty in all one's subjects, patience and empathy.

In terms of the actual skill sets, a discussion of the nuances of lighting and posing can easily consume endless pages. Certainly books, guides, and short courses are helpful, however, there is nothing that surpasses hands-on training and mentorship by an established master over an extended period, continual practice and study.

It can be difficult to properly replicate "poses" in a book or guide without an understanding of body mechanics, posture, weight distribution, line and form. Lighting diagrams illustrate angles and positions but finite techiches like feathering, lighting dynamics and corrective methods need to be demonstrated and carefully explained.

I do believe TALENT is inborn- we all have talents in many areas to different degrees. Some folks have a natural feel for placement and design- the perceive things in MAINLY a visual way as opposed to an auditory or kinesthetic manner. Some people have great mechanica inclinations and manual dexterity. Many skills can be learned but each of us have a natural proclivity in certain areas where we will do better than others, learn faster and eventually perform at a higher level. Most of these talents need to be assessed by ourselves. This requires honesty and introspection and believe me, it ain't easy and is oftentimes painful. Once one knows their own capabilities, the education and development can begin.

The original question did not mention GREAT financial or business success. So many folks mention the "customer" or the "client". Again, the business aspect of operating a portrait studio or business can consume a book- a tome! There are many talented photographer who have the product and the personality but fail miserably in business.

From an educational point of view, imagine attempting to learn, study, practice and master all of the aforementioned skills and learn business management all at the same time. Think about it; generating a business plan, financing, marketing, sales, merchandising, bookkeeping and accounting, banking, pertinent laws, copyright issues, taxation, employee management...there quite a bit to know about running any enterprise. You needn't be an expert in each and every aspect that I have mentioned or has an MBA after you name but you gotta get a grip on all of this and have a good overview and perspective. Again, some folks have more business acumen and savvy that others but theses talents also need to be developed and exploited. I speak from experience- I thank God that my lovely wife runs our office with an "iron hand" and also looks after much of the sales work! She' a lovely gentle lady but in the office she is a "Divisional Sergeant Major" with a whole lotta hitch marks on here sleeve. I'm just a Sp/5 with a camera!

dixiebeachboy

Well said!

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

CO wrote:

I have four books on studio lighting by photograph... (show quote)

Ron Howard's directing class might be better than Leibovitz's for portraiture ! ....

Brent Rowlett Loc: Atlanta, GA

E.L.. Shapiro wrote:

I though there were many specification stated- by me and others. The question pertain to the making of a GREAT portrait photographer. The consensus among many of the responders was GREAT talent, education, mastery of the equipment, lighting and related techniques and people skills. The philosophical attributes are love of the craft, seeking the beauty in all one's subjects, patience and empathy.

In terms of the actual skill sets, a discussion of the nuances of lighting and posing can easily consume endless pages. Certainly books, guides, and short courses are helpful, however, there is nothing that surpasses hands-on training and mentorship by an established master over an extended period, continual practice and study.

It can be difficult to properly replicate "poses" in a book or guide without an understanding of body mechanics, posture, weight distribution, line and form. Lighting diagrams illustrate angles and positions but finite techiches like feathering, lighting dynamics and corrective methods need to be demonstrated and carefully explained.

I do believe TALENT is inborn- we all have talents in many areas to different degrees. Some folks have a natural feel for placement and design- the perceive things in MAINLY a visual way as opposed to an auditory or kinesthetic manner. Some people have great mechanica inclinations and manual dexterity. Many skills can be learned but each of us have a natural proclivity in certain areas where we will do better than others, learn faster and eventually perform at a higher level. Most of these talents need to be assessed by ourselves. This requires honesty and introspection and believe me, it ain't easy and is oftentimes painful. Once one knows their own capabilities, the education and development can begin.

The original question did not mention GREAT financial or business success. So many folks mention the "customer" or the "client". Again, the business aspect of operating a portrait studio or business can consume a book- a tome! There are many talented photographer who have the product and the personality but fail miserably in business.

From an educational point of view, imagine attempting to learn, study, practice and master all of the aforementioned skills and learn business management all at the same time. Think about it; generating a business plan, financing, marketing, sales, merchandising, bookkeeping and accounting, banking, pertinent laws, copyright issues, taxation, employee management...there quite a bit to know about running any enterprise. You needn't be an expert in each and every aspect that I have mentioned or has an MBA after you name but you gotta get a grip on all of this and have a good overview and perspective. Again, some folks have more business acumen and savvy that others but theses talents also need to be developed and exploited. I speak from experience- I thank God that my lovely wife runs our office with an "iron hand" and also looks after much of the sales work! She' a lovely gentle lady but in the office she is a "Divisional Sergeant Major" with a whole lotta hitch marks on here sleeve. I'm just a Sp/5 with a camera!

I though there were many specification stated- by ... (show quote)

Well these are all your opinions of course and if you have all the answers, what is the point of asking the question anyway?

There are so many areas of photography that one can excel and be successful. I learned everything I know by reading books and practicing. Making 6 figures I never needed a mentor. I had the marketing and sales skills to do so. Today marketing is far more important than following portrait mentors that are closing their doors.

u1003074 Loc: Goshen, New York

Learning the skills of 'posing' and 'lighting' are the keys.