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8 Portraiture

Introduction to Portrait Photography

In this image, I photographed an art student in his studio. Instead of focusing on the person, I chose to highlight his brushes, which are integral to his creative process. The blurred background subtly suggests the presence of the artist and hints at a painting nearby. I believe portrait photography is about storytelling, and sometimes capturing more than just the subject’s face is key to conveying the narrative. Photo by Eric Demattos CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution Non Commercial ShareAlike)

Portrait photography is a powerful way to capture the essence of a person, telling their story through images. It requires a combination of technical skills, creative vision, and people skills to create compelling and emotionally engaging portraits. In this chapter, we will explore how to use both natural and studio lighting to illuminate your subject, discuss essential lighting tools and configurations, and provide practical exercises to help you master portrait photography.

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Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Learning Digital Photography Copyright © by Eric Demattos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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