What are portraits
Portraits are in important skill to master in photography. Portraits are a main element in photography and a lot of famous photographers made their name (and indeed paying their mortgage) by taking portraits. Portraits are an essential skill for weddings, as well as being a competent studio photographer.
Portraits are not something that can be completely taught in one session. It takes a long time to completely master doing portrait photography, but getting a few of the essentials is incredibly important, and a budding photographer can get themselves started very quickly.
There are different types of portrait image, it isn't just a simple head and shoulders shot! To be an effective photographer, a working knowledge of all different portraiture is important. I will go through a basic overview of different portraiture.
Headshot
This shot has a tight crop of the head, and doesnt have much of a background or anything else in. This is a simple portrait, and cab be very effective when done correctly. Like most portraits, black and white can lend itself greatly to this type of photography.
Portrait with props
A really useful image type. This can add a lot to a portrait, and are great fun to try. By using a prop and a high aperture (a low f number, see article on aperture for more info) you can focus on the item, and have the subject behind the item. This makes extremely interesting imagery, and is often used to send messages like in advertising. You can of course play with this, and focus on the person, with the prop behind if it is substantial enough.