Portraiture

Application

At it's most basic a portrait is a picture of a person. The emphasis of the subject is usually on the face. A portrait can be a literal physical representation of a subject:

Other than the lighting, this is a true physical representation of Che Guevara.

Or a metaphorical representation:

The man in this picture is being portrayed as a lying business man due to the "pinocchio" style nose and business suit.

One thing to keep in mind is that the interpretation of a portrait is subjective and as such the observer's perspective can differ greatly from the photographer's or artist.

The origin of the portrait was a way for those in power to be represented in a positive light (perhaps it was also an egotistical persuit) and for the artists at the time to earn a living. As the patrons of a portrait were wealthy and powerful, the artist would understandably try to capture them as positively as they could. The power remained firmly with the subject. With the advent of the camera the balance of power has shifted more towards the photographer and they tend to represent their subjects as they see fit. Some portait artists/photographers choose to convey a very honest view of a subject.

Good examples of this are photographs taken by Larry Clark from 1963 to 1971. Clark would take pictures of his friends injecting drugs or indulging in sexual activity. This left a shocking impression on the Americian nation as it was an intimate look into the social preferences of suburban youths. The previous beliefs that only urban youths did such things was shattered with but a few photographs.

A photo from Teenage Lust. A revealing look into the social world of American suburban youths during Clark's teenage years.









Context

Portraits are used for the reasons stated above but also for a various of purposes in everyday life, some of which are quite subtle.

One example of a subtle application of a portrait would be ID cards. The emphasis of an ID card is on the face so that the person is instantly recognisable. Even coins or banknotes tend to have a portrait of a VIP on them.


Portraits are also important for maintaining brand recognition to consumers. KFC has Colonel Sanders on all of their packaging and the spines of DVD cases often feature a portrait of the protagonist so that consumers instantly know who they are. The list is almost endless, as portraits influence us in a vast number of ways.


Technique

The ideal way to capture a portrait varies depending on the purpose of the portrait. If it is for advertising purposes then it is usually a matter of directing a model as necessary until you have the desired look, angle, etc. When it comes to taking a portrait of a subject at ease or how they are normally, the best way to go about it is to make the subject feel relaxed and be patient in order to capture the decisive moment. Tony Vaccaro took this approach when Picasso invited him to take his picture for a portrait. At first Picasso was nervous and posed in a number of ways that he had been instructed to in previous sessions with other photographers. It took Vaccaro to lie that his camera was not working in order to make Picasso relax. It was then that Vaccaro took the picture.