Portrait photography is a photographic genre where the focus is not only on capturing the protagonist, but also the personality, their most genuine expressions and, in short, their essence. In this type of photography, the main objective is to highlight the physical and emotional characteristics of the model or models. In addition, the photographer has to represent a story in the image through the expressions of the model, the decoration of the studio or the lighting.

Those of you who are involved in portrait photography will already know that, although it may seem like one of the simplest disciplines, the reality is that the person behind the camera has to have a great command of the technique and a lot of experience in portrait photography.

In portrait photography the photographer has to convey emotions in a close-up photo.

What is portrait photography?

Simply put, in portrait photography the idea is to create a visual representation of the models that reflects their identity. This can be achieved through a variety of approaches and styles, ranging from more traditional posed portraits to more spontaneous and natural images.

In this type of portrait images, the author has to know how to represent the essence of the person he is portraying in a simple and straightforward photograph. Knowing how to capture their personality, professionalism if it is a corporate portrait, their versatility in model books or simply the charisma of a child in front of the camera, is a task that requires a lot of practice and mastery of the technique.

To achieve their objectives, photographers usually take into account several aspects, such as lighting, framing, background and composition, among others. In addition, in this type of session, the photographer has to know how to direct the model and play with the means around him or her or those available in the studio to create the appropriate message.

If you are starting to take your first portraits, learn the law of thirds very well. It will help you to centre the subject of your photograph. Or the law of the gaze, which is very useful for profile shots.

Key elements for organising a portrait photography session

Although it may seem obvious, it is important to plan the session in detail beforehand for portrait photography. Depending on the type of model and the purpose of the photographs, the photographer will have to take one approach or another. Below we are going to share with you some of the aspects that you have to take into account when planning a portrait photo session.

Preliminary aspects before a portrait photography session

• Objective of the photo shoot: before the shoot, define the purpose of the shoot and the style of portrait you want to achieve: is it a formal or informal shoot, are you looking for individual or group portraits, where are the photographs to be published, etc. Having a clear concept will help guide all creative and logistical decisions.

• Selection of the location: depending on the purpose of the photo shoot, you will be able to choose the right place (e.g. studio or outdoor) to carry out this reportage, always taking into account the purpose of the photo shoot and the type of lighting you want to play with.

• Time: if you decide to do an outdoor session, take into account the time of day that best suits your lighting and weather needs. The golden hours of the day (sunrise and sunset) are very suitable for this type of images.

• Technical equipment: make sure you have the right photographic equipment ready for the shoot.

• Communication with the model: it is highly recommended that you have a previous talk with the model to be photographed to clearly define the objectives you want to achieve with your portrait photography. You can also take the opportunity to give him or her a series of suggestions about wardrobe, make-up, hairstyle, etc.

• Direction of the photo shoot: if the model is not a professional, it is important that you indicate beforehand how the photo shoot will take place and give him/her some examples of the simple poses that you will show him/her during the shoot so that he/she is prepared for the day.

Different types of portrait sessions

Within the creation of a portrait image, you can find different specialisations. These are some of them:

• Social photography: children’s portraits, family portraits, personal portraits, boudoir or even couple portraits.
• Corporate sessions: professional portraits for employers and employees.
• School images: both university and children’s ornaments, school photographs, etc.
• Fashion and advertising: professional books and advertising photography for different brands, magazines, media, advertising, etc.
• Artistic or fine art style: more creative portraits where the aim is to experiment and create authentic works of art.
• Boudoir: more sensual close-up photography.

And these are just a few of them, because as you can see, portraiture can be present in almost any discipline. Although the most classic portrait photography has always been done inside a studio with a plain background. But like everything in life, portraiture has also evolved and now you can also see some fantastic portraits with more colourful backgrounds or taken on location.

Planning a portrait reportage

When planning the photo shoot, these are some of the aspects to take into account on the day of the photo shoot.

• Preliminary aspects: if you have done your homework and planned your portrait photo shoot in advance, you will have a script of the most important information that you will need to take into account in order to make a good photo shoot.

• Lighting: depending on whether the shoot will take place in your studio, in another indoor location or outdoors, you will need to have the most appropriate lighting equipment ready.

• Photographic equipment: whether the shoot will be indoors or outdoors, you will need to have some equipment ready.

• Other accessories: depending on the approach you want to give to the portrait, you can add a background, props, tripod, shutter release, reflectors, flash, flash diffuser, etc. to the session.

• Direct your model: in portrait photography it is essential, unless you are dealing with a professional model, to know how to direct the client in order to achieve the desired result. Remember to discuss this before the shoot with your clients.

• Post-production process: once the session is finished, you can make a series of retouches and adjustments to achieve the desired result.

• Presentation of the photographs: so that you can increase your client’s initial budget, you can use the private galleries to present the final work. This way you will get them to buy more photographs, Arcadina Labs prints, printed copies, product packs, etc.

>> Strategies to sell my photos online without paying commissions to third parties

5 practical tips for doing business with portrait photography

When it comes to marketing your portrait images, you can use a number of strategies to make the most of each portrait session.

Here are 5 ideas that may come in handy:

1# Resolve all doubts on your website

Explain the way you work on your website so that undecided visitors can not only enjoy your latest portraits but also get an idea of what you have to offer.

And if you want to have all the information hidden and share it only with those who contact you, the ideal is to create a Landing to share it with your contacts by WhatsApp.

>> Learn how to create Pages and Landings on your photography website

2# Create a unique portrait photography gallery

Organise your portrait portfolio by theme in different galleries. This way, visitors to your digital business will be able to appreciate the different styles you can master within the portrait discipline.

3# Leverage your blog to gain more exposure

Create blog posts talking about your latest portrait sessions. Here you can give recommendations to all those future clients who are looking for information. Some ideas you can talk about are: wardrobe, how to pose if you are inexperienced, locations near your studio, portrait photography utilities, etc.

>> 9 perfect blogs for photographers to inspire you for 2024

4# Continue to do business through your private galleries

Create multiple customer galleries so that in addition to being able to select the photographs they like best, they can also buy more images, prints, Arcadina Labs prints, packs, extra photographs, etc.

>> Increase your sales through customer image delivery

5# Facilitates bookings through Booking service

Activate a booking calendar on your website where visitors can directly book a portrait session. With this option you will be able to create a campaign called “Portraits” and within it you can configure different types of sessions, for example: studio and outdoor sessions. This way your clients will be able to choose the day and time that best suits them for the session and leave the booking paid for. All from your website.

>> How to get the most out of the Arcadina Booking Calendar?

10 photographers who take amazing portrait photography

There are many photographers who have their digital business with us who also do portrait photography, either exclusively or as one of their specialisations. That’s why today we wanted to highlight 10 of these colleagues who are dedicated to portrait photography in different fields. We hope you like and are inspired by this selection of portrait websites in equal parts.

1# Fotografía Márquez: corporate portraits for professionals

fotografiamarquez.com

We begin this compilation of portrait photography with the website of Fotografía Márquez. At the head of this website is José María, a photographer from Granada with a traditional photographic studio that does social reportage (communions, pregnancies, children’s photography), corporate sessions for companies, books and portrait photography.

On his website you will be able to discover what his portrait sessions and corporate portraits are like on his services pages. And in his biography you will discover that he has also held workshops, congresses and has even created his own training.

Did you know that Arcadina has also launched a training programme for photographers?

>> Get to know Arcadina’s most comprehensive training for photographers

2# Zona Zero: fashion and black-and-white portraits

zzfotoh.art

Zona Zero is a photography website run by a team of photographers from Guatemala who are dedicated to making fashion and black and white photographic reports with portrait photography as a reference.

On their website you can enjoy a sample of their work in their image galleries and get to know them a little better in their biography.

3# Xavier Olavera: a life story through portraits

xavierolavera.com

Xavier Olavera is a photographer and videographer from Madrid who has part of his work visible to the public who visit his website.

In his image galleries you will be able to enjoy some of his portrait images both in black and white and in colour with inspirations from the world of fashion and cinema. In this type of images Xavier’s intention is to capture a unique and genuine story.

4# Alejandro Sanchis: portrait photography for models and advertisements

alexandrosanchis.com

Alejandro Sanchis is a Valencian photographer who specialises in product photography, advertising and portraits for models. In addition, Alejandro also does social and boudoir photography sessions.

On her website you can enjoy some of her work. As a curiosity, you can visit her Studio / Make-up gallery and you will discover some of the most inspiring portraits.

5# Wodshots: sports portraits

wodshots.com

Another portrait photography website that we would like to highlight is Wodshots, a website dedicated to the world of sport that has managed to fuse a style of photography more related to the world of fashion or business with the fitness sector.

On his website you will be able to see a sample of his sports images with portrait influences, learn about the career of Ramón, the photographer behind this website and discover all his services (sports photography, product and social portrait).

6# Sergio Sardá Foto: portraits of artists

sergisardafoto.es

Sergio Sardá is a photographer from Barcelona who specialises in portrait photography, couples, family, pregnancy and cultural and sporting events.

On his website you can get to know this photographer a little better and explore his different image galleries, such as the portrait gallery, where you will find many show business celebrities that this photographer has had the pleasure of portraying.

7# Guille Escalante: social portraits

guillescalante.com

In the city of Apóstoles (Argentina) you can find Guillermo Escalante, a photographer who does wedding photography, advertising campaigns and 15 years old photos, among others.

In her photo gallery on her photography website you will be able to enjoy social portraits with an advertising touch that her quinceañeras are sure to love.

8# Vicent Santos: ethnographic portraits

visaes.co.uk

Visaes is a website created by the photographer Vicent Santos, a Valencian photographer who is dedicated to doing social photography sessions such as communions, fallas, weddings, concerts, etc.

On his website you will also find a section on portrait photography and a series of more ethnographic images where he also takes advantage of the opportunity to take more personal photographs such as portraits.

9# Rubén Mefisto Photography: groundbreaking, creative portraits

borntoshootwild.com

A portrait photography website that will not leave you indifferent is that of Rubén Mefisto Photography, or Born to Shoot Wild.

If you want to be surprised with portraits out of the ordinary, you will love Rubén’s photographs. Shocking, original and very creative are the portrait photos of this great photographer.

10# Yoly Bermúdez: corporate portraits

yolybermudez.com

And to finish this small compilation of portrait photography we go to the website of Yoly Bermúdez, a photographer who specialises in corporate photography, interior architecture, product, gastronomy, fashion and events.

If you want to enjoy some of her work and especially her corporate portraits, you can do so through her galleries that you will find on her website. If you are interested in her services, you will be able to consult her packs and rates and get to know her a little better in her biography.

And those who are already their customers will be able to access their photographs and continue to buy products through the private sales galleries.

>> Increase your sales through customer image delivery

Portrait photography is about conveying the essence of your model

As you have been able to see within portrait photography there are a multitude of styles and intentions where the aim of representing the model with strength and personality coincides in all of them. Ideally, you should look for your own portrait style that suits your way of photographing life.

In Arcadina we help you to give visibility to your portrait photography and to get more sales in this type of reports. Try all our business solutions free for 14 days.

Today we would like to share with you the interview with family portrait photographer Luis Bañeres.

>> Meet Luis Bañeres, portrait, children’s and stock photographer

Luis also does other types of portrait photography in addition to children and family portraits. In his studio he also offers sessions for models, personal, for artists and other professionals. In addition, some of the photographs he takes are used for the sale of stock photography.

>> Do you want to multiply the sale of free photos with download?

And to say goodbye for today, we would like to ask you a question: What do you think is the most complicated thing about doing portrait sessions? We would love to read your experience in the comments.

 

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