Portrait Photography

This image is from http://www.free-vectorart.com/portrait-photographer-pictures-2/.

This first thing you notice about this photo is the use of colour. Even though there isn’t any the black and white effect almost makes the picture what it is. It gives the photo a story, a sense of loss and the way she is positioned, crossing her arms over her chest like she is protecting her self in way, shows us that she is fragile. If there was a burst of bright colours I think the photo wouldn’t have the same effect as it does. Her eyes are the main focus. If you look closely it looks like the whiteness of her eyes have been enhanced. Also looking into her eyes, it is showing us that the woman has a soul underneath them and that there is life in her even though it is a still capture.

The background has been blurred, again to focus the picture mainly on her. If you look at the background, no one is there. It looks like she is all alone on a deserted island. You can mainly see rocks; this will connect with the story and also with the theme of the photo. As the photo is using black and white colours, colours which look dull and weary, the colours of the rocks will match with this as they are also dark colours. Even though it is called a portrait photograph it not only has her head it also has half of her body in. This makes the photo more interesting as there is more things to see and more hints to the women’s story, why she is there, what for, ect.

The whole photo is very natural. There isn’t much use of lighting or computer effects. The girl’s hair and make up are all very natural aswell. She hasn’t got no make up on what we can see and her has loose curls and they have added wind blowing through it to give her a sexy side aswell as a fragile one. A lot of the women’s skin is showing almost like she is a new born, adding to the story that she is lost and confused like a mother holding her new born baby.

The 2nd image i have choosen to study is..

This portrait is from http://www.davidjameswilliams.com/portrait-photography/cheltenham-photographer/.

This image is a typical portrait photograph. If you ask someone what a portrait is they would show you this picture. The plain white background makes us concentrate on the girl, giving her the centre of attention. This style of portrait is normally used mainly for casting. E.g. for people how want to be a professional model would normally start of by taking simply portfolio shots like these. Actors will use them for there c.v's to give the agent a glimpse of what they look like. Other uses are for family/ friend group photos, for personal use or just for fun.

This photo looks fun, enjoyable and makes us feel like we want to be there with her. The way the camera is zoomed in her face and the angle in which it is shot at makes it seem like it is her taking it her self, like she wants to share the moment she is having to the world. The expression of her face and eyes, her big smile, the shine in her eyes and the rosy in her cheeks, gives the photo a feeling of happiness like they have captured a good time in this girls life.

The use of lighting and the use of a white background make’s the location look like she is in heaven. The lighting is very bright mainly focused on her face. Nothing in this photo is realistic. It all looks studio shoot and very planed, from the clothing she is wearing to the smile she is putting on. They haven’t used much make up or probs. They have kept it as simple as possible so all we se is her and her smile. If you pan out into a wide shot, the photo called be for a advertisement. A cosmetic product for example. Even though it is shot in a studio with a simple head shot the angle they have taken the photo with gives it dimension and a character, less boring to the viewers and different to other portrait shot's.