Week 1- What is a Portrait?

Portraiture can range from a fine art, studio based, location based, candid, and fashion portrait.  Portraiture is the raw understanding of oneself.  For a good portrait, the photographer brings something out of the subject, either by force or just waiting for the right moment to click

 the shutter.  

The photograph to the 

right is done by Corrine Day who is the anti-fashion, fashion photographer.  She likes to take more natural moments, of her friends and models and make them beautiful with out all of the glitz and glamour that many fashion

 photographs portray.  This is a photograph of Kate Moss in her bedroom when she was starting to make headlines. 

The photograph is done naturally with using window light and it is done perfectly.

This photograph is done by Alexandra Boulat.  She is one of the best documentary photographers.  This is a portrait because it can be considered a moment that is captured that shows the truth of others.  She focuses mainly on Afghan women and the struggles that they face that most people will never understand.  This photograph is done when these children's mother was killed.  Alexandra doesn't believe in exploiting people but to tell a story that most people will never live. 

The next portrait photographer who is big right now is Rankin.  He is based out of Art and Commerce and photographs celebrities, fashion editorials, advertisements, beauty and personal work.  His work could be compared to Chris Buck but for me, Rankin's lighting and ideas are better then Chris Buck.  He looks for something in the sitter and knows when to take the photograph.  This is a portrait of Kirsten Dunst.  He is definitely someone to keep watching as the years roll by. 

Steven Klein is one of the most famous fashion photographers of our time.  His style and lighting is perfect and he knows how to get the right mood from each subject whether they are a model or a celebrity.  This photograph is of Hilary Swank for W magazine.  The styling for this portrait looks simple but was intensely thought through.  Steven Klein will spend two hours on perfecting the lighting and hours with the subject to get the best photograph that can be made.  He is a legend.