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Professional

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Techniques and Images from Master Photographers

LouJacobsJr.

Amherst Media ®

PUBLISHER OF PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS

Allrightsreserved.

FrontcoverphotobyFrankFrost.

BackcoverphotobyChrisNelson.

Publishedby:

AmherstMedia,Inc.

P.O.Box586

Buffalo,N.Y.14226

Fax:716-874-4508

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher:CraigAlesse

SeniorEditor/ProductionManager:MichellePerkins

AssistantEditor:BarbaraA.Lynch-Johnt

EditorialAssistance:CareyMainesandJohnS.Loder

ISBN-13:978-1-58428-229-7

LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2007942649

PrintedinKorea.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, me-

chanical,photocopied,recordedorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenconsentfromthepublisher.

NoticeofDisclaimer:Theinformationcontainedinthisbookisbasedontheauthor’sexperienceandopinions.The

authorandpublisherwillnotbeheldliablefortheuseormisuseoftheinformationinthisbook.

CONTENTS

Introduction ...........................................4

1. Steven Begleiter ......................................7

2. Marcia Dolgin .......................................17

3. Beth Forester .......................................29

4. Frank Frost .........................................42

5. Suzanne Maitland ....................................55

6. Chris Nelson ........................................67

7. Vicki Taufer ........................................80

8. Carl Caylor .........................................92

9. Joshua Kessler .....................................105

10. Simon Walden ....................................116

Conclusion ...........................................126

Index ..............................................127

CONTENTS 3

INTRODUCTION

time-exposedFrenchstreetscenecreatedin1839.In

the years that followed, imaging art and techniques

quicklyimproved.AphotographIrecallvividlyisagroup

portrait of Lincoln and his generals, created by Mathew

Brady, who operated a popular portrait studio in Wash-

ington,DC,inthe1860s.Professionalportraitsbecame

morepopularviadaguerreotypesandtin-types.Posesre-

quired exposures of up to a minute. Glass plates were

faster, but the processing required was clumsy. You may

recallsomeoftheportraitsbyprominentphotographers

ofthe19thandearly20thcentury,includingJuliaMar-

garet Cameron, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Au-

gustSander,andGeorgeHurrell.

In 1889, George Eastman introduced roll film, 100

exposuresinaboxcamerathatwassenttothefactoryfor

processingandreloading.Thepublicbegantakingthou-

sandsofsnapshots.Professionalsgraduatedtosheetfilm

and roll film. By the mid-20th century, portrait studios

had sprung up everywhere to offer visual memories of

children,families,andfriends.Today’sdigitalcapturehas

made photography even more versatile. Portraiture was

andstillisagratifyingwaytomakealiving.

Fine Portraiture

Likelasagna,notallportraitsarecreatedequally.I’veor-

deredlasagnainrestaurantsfromFlorence,Italy, toSan

Francisco,CA,andeachhaditsownflavor.Portraitsmay

also have individual characteristics in today’s market. As

the images in this book show, the success of an image is

largelyduetoindividualtastes,talent,andtechniques.A

photographer’s personality can also influence the aes-

thetic quality of portraits. Every photographer inter-

viewedforthisbookagrees.

About Portrait Style

Snapshot portraits are mostly forgettable, though some

amateur images can be terrific. However, professionals

can’tdependonhappyaccidents.Weinspireexpressions

and moods, modulate lighting, and adjust composition

4 PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

O ne of the first historic photographs on record is a

as we chat with our subjects. A pro-

fessional photographer can create

magicinportraitsthatclientshappily

payfor.

Portraitstyleishardtodefinebut

easier to recognize. It’s a mixture of

creativeseeing,artfullighting,apre-

cise sense of timing, a good instinct

for posing, and an attitude that

strives to bring out the best in peo-

ple.Moodisalsocreatedbylighting

andexpressions.

It’s worth being influenced by

portrait work you like in this book

andeverywhereyouseeit.Yourown

style can evolve to please clients and

make you proud of producing fine

portraits.

Movie Style. Director Ingmar

Bergman said of Sven Nykvist, a

greatcinematographer,“Hehasbeen

an inspiration for his natural, simple

style of lighting. His work is ex-

tremely subtle. We were both utterly captivated by the

problems of light.” A Los Angeles Times editorial added,

“Nykvistwasabelieverinthepoweroffaces,oftenzoom-

inginforintense...close-ups(“DeathofaSwedishRe-

alist,” Los Angeles Times, September 22, 2006: B12).”

Nykvist won Oscars for JFK and The Aviator, and also

photographed Sleepless in Seattle.

Study cinema faces and magazine portraits. Decide if

thephotographershowedcharacteraswellasbeauty.Ex-

perimentwithfriendswhomodelforyou,oruseaman-

nequin. You will make discoveries that help you please

moreclientsandincreaseprofits.

Style is elusive. I often argue with myself and others

aboutindividualportraitstyles.Ifeelthatmanysuccess-

fulprofessionalsdonothaverecognizablepictorialstyles,

but they prosper. So does style matter? Yes, because if it

emerges,ithelpsyoudevelopportraitindividuality.Peo-

pleskillsalsoimpactphotographicstyle,asdohandsome

prints that generate repeat business. Success may not

bringyouayacht,butitkeepsyourstudiolookingsharp

andfuelsyourcreativity.

Why We Take Portraits

Portraitsaremadetopleaseclients,relatives,friends,ed-

itors, advertising art directors, curators, and potential

lovers.Theportraitbusinessisastimulatingwaytomake

aliving.Fineportraitureisachallengingformofcreativ-

ity.Peoplesaveyourprintsforgenerationstocome,sobe

suretoputyournameonyourportraits.

Portrait Techniques

You and your clients should be a comfortable team for

success. Anticipate how to make a subject look terrific,

because or in spite of their personality, age, and appear-

ance.Subtleorsignificantvariationscanbecapturedwith

slightchangesinapose,acameraangle,and/orlighting.

JaneBrown’sportraitstyleevolvesfromcleverwaysto

avoidusingflash.ShephotographscelebritiesforanEng-

lishSundaynewspaper,almostallonlocation.Janefavors

staircasesettingsbecausesubjectscanbeplacedaboveor

below the camera, walls are usually plain, and window

lighting is available. She shoots in a lot of gardens, too,

and as is evident in her fascinating book, Faces (Collins

andBrown,2000),shecharmshersubjects.

INTRODUCTION 5

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