Portraits

Portrait of World war 2 nostalgia

In a conventional sense this photograph isn’t a portrait photograph, but in another sense it is.
Portraits are supposed to capture peoples’ moods, and it seems to capture their mood of nostalgia for (the community spirit of) WW2.

World war 2 nostalgia

Sketching out a career in portrait photography

Portrait photographers often make money by photographing babies and children.
Parents who can afford it will pay pretty well for a good portrait photograph of their child.
Portraits can be taken either in the photography studio or in peoples’ homes.

Little boy

Either way, you will need a certain amount of studio equipment.
You will need lighting equipment, It isn’t a good idea to use the kind of lighting that is found in homes for portrait photography.
Photography backgrounds are usually essential, but not always, because some people prefer to be photographed with part of their home – maybe a nursery or study, as a background.
If you’re on a tight budget it’s probably best to buy the lighting equipment first and the backgrounds later.

Teen portrait photography background

Graffiti is a good background for portraits of teens. It’s a little stereotyped – teens are invariably associated with graffiti, but it’s very effective.This is the kind of background that just about anyone can make, as long as they have a backdrop and good supply of spray paints.

Teenager portrait

Portrait photography studio as a toy shop

little boy holding favorite toy in portrait photography studio If the studio uses toys as props the child who is to be in the portrait might become totally absorbed in playing with them.
The portrait photographer might in turn become totally absorbed in wondering when he will finally be able to distract him from them, so that he can start taking his pictures.
It might be a better idea to let him bring his own toys to the studio.
In photo: little boy holding his favorite toy in portrait photography studio, click on the image to enlarge it.

Portrait photographer as a trouble-maker

Portrait photography can raise questions about the people in photographs. Does the teenage girl with the mixed race baby have a problem with this? Are the children in Chinese outfits who were dancers in a show just gossiping or are they criticising the other children who were dancing in the show? Is the Skinhead looking at his badges really violent?

Child dancers

Teenager mother

Skinhead badges