REFERENCES: The material contained in this lesson was derived from the following publications:
TM 11-401-1 and STP 11-25S13-SM-TG.
A portrait is a likeness of a person, especially the face. This definition isolates one essential point in
portraiture. A portrait should emphasize the person rather than the person's environment or something
associated with the person. However, a pictorial representation which portrays only a recognizable
likeness of a person is not enough. A portrait must be more than just a photograph. It must have mood,
personality, and characteristics from which the viewer can draw conclusions about the subject. By
manipulating expressions, posing, lighting, and environments, a portrait photographer can portray any
mood from happiness to gloom as well as the personality of a subject. Posing the subject with familiar
objects and environments can produce a more natural expression and pose because the subject will be
more at ease. Articles or props included in the scene can help to tell more about the subject.
Success in portraiture requires a thorough understanding of the techniques involved, an artistic ability,
and a talent for directing the subject of a portrait into the desired expression and pose. The portrait
photographer should have a sensitivity for, and an understanding of people. Portrait photographers vary
considerably in their styles and techniques. The subjects of portraits vary in their likes and dislikes.
Thus, there is no one blueprint or formula which will ensure success.
Of all the subjects passing before our cameras, the portrait subject is the most interesting and challenging
to many photographers. In portraiture, the subject is always changing and challenging the photographer.
If you are to meet this challenge, you must have vision, be capable of good judgment, and have an ability
and willingness to seek out the best in your subjects and show them to their advantage.
How you visualize the picture, how you pose and light the subject, and how you capture the right
expression are more important than the mechanical operation of the camera. What takes place from
behind the lens in no way alters the lighting, pose, or the expression, which are the prime factors of good
Most people have their portraits made because they want someone
else to see how they look. They want others to see them to the