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Professional

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Techniques and Images from Master Photographers

Amherst Media ®

PUBLISHER OF PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS

LouJacobsJr.

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

O ne of the first historic photographs on record is a

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.

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

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

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

Offbeat Portraiture

Beautifulpeoplearenotguaranteed.Thoughphotogenic

facesarealwayswelcome,plainonesareoftenachallenge.

Softlighting,carefulangles,andartfulposesarecoolso-

lutions.Involvethehandsomeorthehomelyandyouwill

reap rewards. Vary posing, lighting, or background op-

tionstoincreaseyouroddsofphotographicsuccess.Off-

beatsubjectscanamazeyou.

RichardAvedonenjoyedarecognizablephotographic

style. He was an artist who often shot stark portraits of

people staring pensively into the lens. He once took a

white photo tent and an assistant on a trip around the

UnitedStates,photographingoftengrim-facedsubjects.

I feel some of his images are depressing and static, but

theyarealsoriveting.

Celebrity shooter Annie Leibovitz has had a notable

portrait career. Remember her pictures of a naked John

Lennon curled around Yoko Ono? Or Demi Moore,

nudeandpregnantonthecoverof Vanity Fair? Youwill

find these and more in her book, A Photographer’s Life:

1980–1995 (RandomHouse,2006) . Anniehasanotable

styleandaflairforcapturingsubjectswithhumorousor

offbeatattitudes.

It’shealthytoseektheunconventionalforprintexhi-

bitions and for some types of clients, to expand your vi-

sion. But beware of offbeat portraits made primarily to

attractattention.Icallthemleg-pullart.

among my subjects were Man Ray (who then lived in

Hollywood, CA) and Edward Weston (at home near

Carmel,CA).Theirimagesplusothershaveappearedin

mybooksandexhibitions.

As You Read This Book

Each photograph in this book was made with a point of

view about people (of various ages) and their personali-

ties. Consider what you can learn from their examples.

Eight photographers work from studios or their homes.

Two, Josh Kessler and Steven Begleiter, are mainly edi-

torial photographers who do portraits for publication.

They all offer personal information and viewpoints, and

theirpicturesareevidenceoftheirenthusiasticexpertise.

Big bucks depend on your skills, dedication, business

acumen,self-esteem,andrapportwithpeople.Whentact

and talent are paired, it’s amazing how much coopera-

tion you receive and how much some clients are willing

topay.Enjoyyourself!

Personal Projects

“Thereisnothingmoresatisfyingthantakingpicturesfor

yourself,” says Steven H. Begleiter, author of The Por-

trait Book: A Guide for Photographers (Amherst Media,

2003).Stevenadvocatesshootingportraitsforyourown

pleasure,withoutthinkingaboutpleasingaclient.“It’sa

timeforvisualgrowth,”headds.“Findathemeandsuit-

able subjects and let your intuition guide you. A collec-

tion of personal portraits with your signature style may

encourage you to modify your other work.” Steven’s

workandworkinghabitsareprofiledinchapter1.

In the mid-20th century, I undertook a personal se-

riesofenvironmentalportraitsofCaliforniaartistsintheir

studios.Twonewspaperartcriticssuggestedsubjects,and

afewartistsrecommendedmetoothers.Alltwenty-five

werepatientasIshot4x5-inchblack&whitefilm,with

mostly ambient light. The series spread over a year, and

6 PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

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