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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Ideas and inspiration for generating a portrait series?
Alex Witkowicz, Photographer
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Denver | Co | USA | Posted: 2:24 PM on 12.18.09 |
->> I've always wanted to put together a cohesive portrait series. By virtue of being a photographer, I've naturally shot a lot of portraits. Some for magazines, some for newspapers, some for wedding work. But when I pick out my best 15 portraits and put them all together, I'm disappointed. There's no cohesive vision or style that comes through. The collection looks disjointed, and I don't feel that it represents my photography very well.
SO, I want to start a personal project on portraiture, but I'm not quite sure where to begin.
Where have you found inspiration for portraiture? I know a lot of the big names out there, but I'd love to see websites from unknown photographers that you admire. Editorial, documentary, fashion, sports, whatever.
I'd also love hearing from anyone that has attempted a project like this, and what your experience has been.
Thanks!
-Alex |
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Patrick Murphy-Racey, Photographer
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Powell | TN | USA | Posted: 10:34 PM on 12.19.09 |
->> OK, I saw your post and was shocked to find no one had responded to it so far... So let me start by saying that you just have to rip people off and see what strikes a chord with you. What do I mean by that? Well, do you like hard light with grids? Soft light with a ginormous light bank? Do you like to shoot tight with a pan-light? You want to look at other peoples' work to discover what really gets you to respond to it. Then, make your own mark and begin.
What kind of series do you think will really hold your interest? WWII vets still living? Hard light might work best here to show every wrinkle.
Pet owners and their animals? Then you're going to need to light the people separate from the pets which means maybe a grid and a main soft light source.
Above all you need to find something that will hold YOUR interest as a shooter for the length of time you plan on doing the project. Once you have your subject-matter down, then you need to figure out what lighting to use... In my opinion, this is the easiest way to keep the images cohesive. Consistent light and interesting composition will do that for you... You need to think ahead and ask yourself, "inside, outside, rainy days, sunny ones, people with glasses (again hard light is better for reflections), etc...
Above all, the subject needs to keep you fascinated and it will help if your subjects are really interesting in some way. Composition will also come into play but be sure to understand your composition in terms of lighting and not something separate. |
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