Portrait photography can take many forms from candid to posed portraits. The document discusses various types of portraits including candid, posed, formal, couple, environmental, sporting, children, and group portraits. It also provides tips for taking better portraits such as choosing the right background, focusing on the eyes, using lighting effectively, changing the format or perspective, experimenting with expressions, and using techniques like movement or reflection.

1. Portrait Photography “ A portrait! What could be more simple and more complex, more obvious and more profound. ” - Charles Baudelaire “ Portraiture is a window to the soul ” Holding Virgina - Sally Mann

2. Types of Portraits Candid Posed Formal Couple Environmental Sporting Children Group When we speak of portrait photography in general terms there's a tendency to overlook the sub-categories. From the strictly formal to the candid street shot. Here is a range of the more common types of portrait photography.

3. Candid un-posed and unplanned photo

4. Posed Communication between photographer and the subject about the body position and expression

5. Formal Communication between photographer and the subject regarding clothing, location, style and mood

6. Couple Interpret ation of a relationship between two people Hiroshima, August of 1945

7. Small Group Interpret ation of a common bond between members of a group

8. E nvironmental An environmental portrait shows the subject(s) in their own territory.

9. Sporting shows the subject with their uniform, equipment in their sporting environment. The important factor is to let the equipment and location tell part of the story.

10. Children

11. Portrait Tips Choosing the Right Background Focus on the Eyes Lighting, Lighting and more Lighting Change the Format Framing Alter Your Perspective Experiment with Subject Expressions “ Play” with focus Give Your Subject Space to Look Into Reflection & Shadow Movement Get serious

12. Choosing the Right Background

13. Focus on the Eyes “ the eyes are the window to the soul”

14. Lighting, Lighting and more Lighting Lighting is the most important element in any photo composition and sets the mood, feeling and character of your photo.

15. Change the Format Framing Mix your framing

16. Alter Your Perspective completely chang e the angle that you shoot from

17. Experiment with Subject Expressions

18. Same shot+different focus =different story

19. (UN)F ocus It adds some mystery to the image

20. Give Your Subject Space to Look Into

21. Reflection & Shadow

22. Movement Use movement to show action, even if it blurs out the subject entirely.

23. Get serious Not all portraits need to have a smile, capture the serious emotions too

24. but not too serious….