Portrait photography

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An example of a late 19th century family portrait. Note the custom of mourning the dead in a family photo during that era. A shrine to a deceased child is visible in the background. Also, two of the female members are dressed in black; a contemporary mourning tradition. (c. 1894)

A classic example of a contemporary family portrait.

Portrait of Romanian writer Mircea Cărtărescu.

Portrait photography has been around since the invention and popularization of the camera, and is a cheaper and often more accessible method than portrait painting, which had been used by distinguished figures before the use of the camera. The popularity of the daguerreotype in the middle of the 19th century was due in large part to the demand for inexpensive portraiture. Studios sprang up in cities around the world, some cranking out more than 500 plates a day. The style of these early works reflected the technical challenges associated with 30-second exposure times and the painterly aesthetic of the time. Subjects were generally seated against plain backgrounds and lit with the soft light of an overhead window and whatever else could be reflected with mirrors.

As photographic techniques developed, an intrepid group of photographers took their talents out of the studio and onto battlefields, across oceans and into remote wilderness. William Shew's Daguerreotype Saloon, Roger Fenton's Photographic Van and Mathew Brady's What-is-it? wagon set the standards for making portraits and other photographs in the field.

Contemporary artists Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, Mitch Kern and others use portrait photography as a vehicle for cultural criticism.

Portraits need not be posed or formal as seen in this candid portrait of a flower girl.

[edit] See also

Photography Portal

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