Customer Reviews

The Portrait: Understanding Portrait Photography

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most photographers take pictures of people. What is it that transforms these images from snapshots to portraits?

Glenn Rand and Tim Meyer offer their ideas on how to make this transformation in "The Portrait: Understanding Portrait Photography." In clear, textbook-like language they explain most of the subject. Chapters range from descriptions of equipment, through lighting ratios, to posing and facial analysis. The authors break down each topic covered into the simplest components. For example the chapter on light dynamics includes a series of illustrations that shows the effect of moving the key light around the subject from a location on the camera axis to one almost directly behind the subject. The authors show us both a photograph of the lighting set-up and the effect on a bust. The illustrative portraits are not just those of the authors, but of a number of successful portrait artists, like Melvin Sokolsky and Joyce Tenneson.

There are many good books on portrait photography and authors must introduce a different way of looking at the genre to add something to the field. Here the authors often call attention to the "Light Dynamic Edge" which is the transition between the lit and shadow areas of a portrait. Following this concept throughout the book can provide a new way of thinking about portraits.

Although I found this book helpful, I was a little disappointed to find that several of the ideas were mired in the past, like extensive reference to lighting ratios. In the world of digital imaging, the ratios themselves seem less important than the effects of different light positioning. In fact, one of the faults I found was that while most of the rules and calculations of portrait photography were explained, an over-arching view of what one might try to accomplish with a portrait seemed lacking.

In addition, it seemed to me that the authors were presenting information in an approach to portraits that was a little removed from the needs of an audience that was seeking fundamental information. In the discussion of artificial lights there was reference to large strobe lights, but not to the more affordable and convenient speed lights that many will use, although a translation to such equipment is not difficult. Similarly, priority was given to the use of the incident light meter, which might be ideal, particularly in a studio setting, rather than the in-camera meter that the average photographer will rely on. I suspect this approach follows their syllabus for students at the Brooks Institute where the authors are currently employed. Individual interested in a simpler form of portraiture will probably be more interested in the books of Joe McNally.

Ultimately this book will probably prove most useful to the photographer interested in learning and articulating the rules of portrait photography rather than just moving beyond the snapshot.

This book is good to begin with, but I believe it would do better if you do indeed have the required tools to try out the technical aspects mentioned in the book.
In many occasions there are some descriptive terms for some tools without any diagrams or pictures explaining the tools or other things, and there a lot (a lot not all) of portrait images with no caption except of the photographer, frankly I didn't know what to study and understand precisely from these photos. There are other photos however with some explanations.

The book does explain the basics however, but you might have to cope with it and reading it slowly (might useful to keep some notes or stick-it notes to put some remarks). The book at the end includes some tips for the portrait photographer when it comes to attitude and relations with clients, but it's not a large portion of the book, only few pages.

After all, it is a good book and can be kept as a reference, but surely it can use more diagrams and less words.

I've been waiting for this book to be published by RockyNook since they first advertised it when the image from pg. 126 was going to be the cover image (about 8 months ago). I wanted a comprehensive resource for portrait photography. This is it.

There is a real problem in the world of photography references and technique guides - many books discuss too much information and therefore discuss no one topic thoroughly, and many photographers are privileged enough to right books because they have a strong portfolio but they are not good writers.
Rand and Meyer's "The Portrait" is a photography technique book worth buying because it is a book worth reading - twice. Twice, because it is so filled with information and because it is written with fairly precise language.

Although this is a technique book the language used in it is very thoughtful too, here is an example "Photography is a powerful language. However, the strength of the language has no meaning if you have nothing to say" (pg. 157). Now, that is a well known fact in professional portraiture but it is written fairly well. And again and again in this book well known facts among professional portrait photographers are explained here in a very clear manner.

This book is tailored primarily toward digital photographers but Rand and Meyers go out of their way occasionally to discuss film (since much good work is still done with film).

Unlike most photography technique books, Rand and Meyer go out of their way to place these techniques in their historical context.

Most authors of photography technique books use only their own portfolio as examples in their books. But Rand and Meyers have gone out of their way to include famous photographs worth reviewing for inspiration (like the Marilyn Monroe images on pg. 16 or the profile of Twiggy by Douglas Kirkland on pg. 144).

Just as David duChemin'sWithin the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision is the best contemporary book on travel photography so too is Rand and Meyer's "The Portrait" the best contemporary book on portrait photography.

A must read for anyone interested in portrait photography. Like other books by Rand, this new book is clear, helpful, and interesting. The authors comprehensively break down portrait photography and cover everything from the fundamentals to subtleties, making the book a valuable addition to any photographer's library. Since it is so well organized and structured, it's easy to read and works perfectly as a reference book. Although the book focusses on portrait photography, the techniques and theories discussed can easily be applied to other genres. This versatile book should be required reading for any photography enthusiast.

I teach photography (portraiture being one area) and graphic design so the first thing that caught my eye with this book was the visual appeal in the layout and the high caliber photos used as examples inside. Photos by photographers like Sir John Herschel and Joyce Tenneson and plenty of images of famous people that you will recognize. The book is visually alluring. The images and the design compelled me to read the book! As far as content, the text is straight to the point of the photographic portrait and full of important information on how to execute and look at the photographic portrait. I recommend The Portrait for anyone who wants to learn about portraiture. It is also well suited as a textbook for a beginning course in portrait photography. There are great examples of the quality of light with different light sources and examples of how the direction of light changes the appearance and communication of the subject. This book isn't an exhaustive study of portraiture but it is essential in what it contains. I would love to use it in a class. I think any seasoned photographer or student would find it as informational and inspirational as I do.

I would like to start by stating that I am primarily a landscape and wildlife photographer who has dabbled in all the other forms of photography. I personally have always found portrait and `human form' photography from both the technical side but primarily the lighting and composition side quite challenging.

This book starts with a history of portrait photography and moves through a lot of the technical aspects of the craft which is always a worthwhile review. From there the book spends a lot of its attention on the types, techniques and uses of all types of lighting. THIS SHOULD BE MUST READING FOR ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS! It is easy to read and quite lucid in its technicality. From there the authors move into portrait composition, which basically is the same as any compositional study.

There is also a lot of information on color, tint and toning, which is quite important in rendering portrait subjects.

The book is easy to read, well written and produced and is a valuable addition to any photographic library; but a real most if you are thinking of improving your portrait photography.

Rand and Meyer have written an excellent text on understanding and creating portraits. My copy is now well marked, highlighted and bruised - all signs of good use. Each section was thoughtfully presented, concise and concentrated with very good examples. I appreciated the inclusion of photographs from multiple artists and feel that they added depth and insight. I enjoyed the history section and find that the more I learn about art and the masters - the better I photograph. Much of photography is complicated and counter-intuitive, yet the authors dealt with this complex subject in a simple and understandable way. The lay out and flow of the book is logical with each subject leading into the next, following the entire process of creating a portrait. I found each chapter to be valuable and was immediately able to utilize many of the concepts - many of which apply to all types of photography. From gaining understanding of lighting, equipment, set ups, exposure, posing, and relating to the subject, this book is an enjoyable read and an excellent learning resource. I will continue to refer to "The Portrait" and use it in my workshops. This book will have a long "life-span"!

My first reaction was, "Where are the studio diagrams?" However, as I read on, Rand and Meyer introduce the Light Dynamic (LD) Edge. The LD Edge becomes the focal point in defining and understanding the quality of light. If you are looking for a "how to" book this is not for you.

Nevertheless, if you want to gain an understanding of light and exposure in the studio and on location (with or without natural light), I assure you that this will give you a better understanding of the lighting elements that make a good portrait.

Coming from the landscape and textual-detail fine art photography I found Dr. Rand and Mr. Meyer?s book to be a great transition to moving into more portrait photography. The fundamentals discussed in the book formed a great base. While I personally already knew some of the principals of portrait work, I learned a great deal to fill in my technical gaps. The writing style flows easily for a reader regardless if one starts at the beginning or just opening to a specific chapter. The organization I found to be very helpful in looking for specific topics. In addition, the high quality of images in the book compliments the theories discussed and also allows a causal viewer to enjoy some great photographic works.

This book is exactly what I was looking for. Easy to understand and nicely illustrated, "The Portrait..." can be a learning tool for the beginning photographer as well as a great reference tool for the seasoned professional. It covers all of the many facets of portraiture which tend to be forgotten in this world of digital instant gratification. It's nice to find a book that gets back to the basics of creating fine portraiture.