Media What Makes a Portrait “Great”?
What makes a great portrait in the digital—or any—age? By looking at the works of Richard Avedon and Andy Warhol we learn that it's not enough to create just another pretty face.
In Your Face: Portrait Photography
A Moonshot@Home Digital Activity
In Your Face: Portrait Photography
A Moonshot@Home Digital Activity
Lesson Content
A portrait is an image, usually of a person. A portrait tells the viewer a story about the person in the image by the choices the portrait’s creator makes. In this media activity, we’ll explore the impact of those choices, focusing on the subject, setting, and story of your portrait.
In Your Face Video
In Your Face Video
In Your Face: Portrait Photography
In this activity, we are going to:
- learn about portrait photography and see examples
- explore subject, setting, storytelling, and equipment
- show how you can create your own portrait photography
What is a Portrait?
A portrait is an image, usually of a person. A portrait tells the viewer a story about the person in the image by the choices the portrait’s creator makes.
Have you ever taken a selfie? That’s a self-portrait!
While portraits can be created by drawing, painting, and collaging, this activity covers portrait photography.
Your Subject
Your subject is the person whose portrait you are creating. And one of the most important parts of that person is their face.
A face includes eyes, a nose, a mouth...but also ears, a chin, a neck, a forehead, wrinkles, eyebrows, freckles... Not everyone has all of these, and some people have all of them and more!
Every face is different. Think about what features make your subject unique, and what they can tell the viewer about your subject.
Next, think about how your subject’s head is positioned.
- When we are sad, we often hang our head low.
- When we are happy, we tend to lift it up in confidence and curiosity.
- What about when we are frustrated? Confused? In love?
How your subject is posed also helps tell the portrait’s story.
Finally, think about what your subject is wearing. Hats, glasses, scarves, and jewelry all create an impression, and tell the viewer something about your subject.
Your Setting
Next, think about setting. Where is your subject? Indoors? Outside? How is the location significant to your subject?
What other items, if any, can be seen in the portrait? What do they tell the viewer about your subject?
Is it morning or night? How can you show that in your photo? Lighting can have a very big impact on the story your portrait tells.
Finally, what colors are visible in your portrait? What do those colors make your viewer feel? Or is your portrait in black and white?
Your Story
Sometimes, your photo just needs to capture what is naturally occurring to tell the story. This is called a candid portrait. Photo journalists often take candid portraits to help capture important events and stories.
But if you have control over what is in the portrait, what your subject is doing, and how they look, it’s called a posed portrait. Artists who create posed portraits make a lot of choices to create the story they want to tell.
It’s also important to keep in mind who is telling the story in the portrait. Is it the subject? Or the artist?
Equipment
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to take great portrait photographs.
Obviously, you’ll need a camera. Really, any kind of camera. If you have a smartphone, or can borrow one from a family member or friend, you’ve got a great camera!
The best light of all, the sun, is absolutely free! All you need to do is learn how to create a setting that makes the sunlight work for your vision.
But if you need more light, there are many inexpensive options that will give you great results. Lamps, flashlights, car headlights—pretty much anything that creates light can be used to light your portrait.
Now you have lots of information to start taking your own portrait photographs. Just remember that you get to decide what story your portrait tells and how it tells it.
Un retrato es una imagen, usualmente de una persona. Un retrato le cuenta a, quien le observa, la historia de la persona en la imagen, basándose en las decisiones creativas de quien creo el retrato. En esta actividad, exploraremos el impacto de esas decisiones, enfocándonos en el sujeto, el ambiente y la historia de tu retrato.
In Your Face Video
In Your Face Video
En Tu Cara: Fotografía de Retrato
En esta actividad vamos a:
- aprender sobre fotografía de retrato y ver ejemplos
- explorar sujeto, ambiente, equipo y el contar una historia
- demostrarte cómo puedes crear tu propia fotografía de retrato
¿Qué es un Retrato?
Un retrato es una imagen, usualmente de una persona. Un retrato le cuenta a quien le observa la historia de la persona en la imagen, basándose en las decisiones creativas de quien creo el retrato.
¿Alguna vez te has tomado un “selfie”? ¡Eso es un auto-retrato!
Aunque un retrato puede ser creado con dibujo, pintura y collage, esta actividad cubre retratos por fotografía.
Tu Sujeto
Tu sujeto es la persona cuyo retrato estas creando. Y una de las partes más importantes de esa persona es su cara.
Una cara incluye ojos, nariz, una boca…pero también incluye orejas, mentón, cuello, frente, arrugas, cejas, pecas… ¡No todo el mundo tiene todas estas características físicas y algunas personas las tienen todas y más!
Cada cara es diferente. Piensa que características físicas hace que tu sujeto sea único/a/x, y que pueden comunicar sobre tu sujeto a quien le observa.
Próximo, piensa como la cabeza de tu sujeto está posicionada.
- Cuando estamos tristes, tendemos a tener la cabeza baja.
- Cuando estamos contentos/tas/txs, levantamos la cabeza con confianza y curiosidad.
- ¿Y que tal cuando estamos frustrados/das/dxs? ¿Confundidos/das/dxs? ¿Enamorados/das/dxs?
Como posa tu sujeto también ayuda a contar la historia del retrato
Finalmente, piensa en lo que lleva puesto tu sujeto. Sombreros, anteojos, bufandas, prendas de bisutería, todo crea una impresión y le comunica algo a quien observa.
Tu Ambiente
Próximo, piensa en el ambiente. ¿En dónde está tu sujeto? ¿Adentro? ¿Afuera? ¿Qué significado tiene el lugar en relación a tu sujeto?
¿Qué otros elementos, si alguno, se pueden ver en el retrato? ¿Qué dicen sobre tu sujeto a quien le observa?
¿Es en la mañana o en la noche? ¿Cómo puedes demostrar esto en tu foto? La iluminación puede tener un gran impacto en la historia que cuenta tu retrato.
Finalmente, ¿Qué colores se pueden discernir en tu retrato? ¿Cómo hacen estos colores sentir a quien observa? Ó, ¿es tu retrato en blanco y negro?
Tu Historia
Algunas veces, para contar la historia, tu foto solo necesita capturar lo que esta ocurriendo naturalmente. Esto se llama un retrato cándido. Fotoperiodistas típicamente toman retratos cándidos para capturar historias y eventos importantes.
Pero si tienes control sobre lo que va a estar en el retrato, lo que hace tu sujeto, como se ve, esto se llama retrato posado. Los artistas que crean retratos posados toman muchas decisiones para crear la historia que quieren contar.
También es importante tener en mente quien, en el retrato, está contando la historia: ¿es el sujeto? o, ¿es el artista?
Equipo
No necesitas gastar mucho dinero para tomar buenas fotografías.
Obviamente, necesitas una cámara. Realmente, cualquier tipo de cámara. Si tienes un teléfono con cámara, o puedes conseguir uno prestado, entonces ¡tienes una buena cámara!
¡La mejor luz de todas, el sol es totalmente gratis! Todo lo que tienes que hacer es aprender a crear el ambiente que hace que la luz solar trabaje con la visión que tienes en mente.
Pero si necesitas más luz hay opciones baratas que te darán buenos resultados. Lámparas, linternas, luces de carro—básicamente cualquier cosa usada para emitir luz puede ser usada para iluminar tu retrato.
Bueno, tienes ahora bastante información para comenzar a crear tu propia fotografía de retrato. Solo recuerda el que tu decides que historia tu retrato va a contar y como la contara.
-
Writer and Producer
Kenny Neal
-
Video Director and Editor
Joanna McKee
-
Video Hosts
Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
Natalie Fulgencio-Turner -
Copy Editor
Tiffany A. Bryant
-
Updated
October 5, 2021
Related Resources
Media Dorothea Lange + White Angel Breadline
In White Angel Breadline, her first documentary photograph, Dorothea Lange enabled Americans to see the tragic effects of the Great Depression. The image evoked national sympathy, rather than scorn, for the hungry and homeless.
Media Dorothea Lange + Migrant Mother
Photographer Dorothea Lange, whose picture Migrant Mother is one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century. See how Lange used her camera to tell the story of Depression-era Americans
Media Picturing the Presidency
Shadowing the president is difficult, but White House photographers must capture every moment for history
Media Norman Rockwell + The Problem We All Live With
In “The Problem We All Live With,” artist Norman Rockwell took a stand against racism. Learn why a controversial painting became a symbol of the American civil rights movement.
Media Romare Bearden + Empress of the Blues
Can you hear that red-hot trumpet? How about the full, rich tones in the vocals of Bessie Smith? Romare Bearden makes music with his art. Learn how to “hear” a painting.
Lesson Art Show with the Masters
In this 6-8 lesson, students will research information on artists’ lives and works. They will create art based on their understanding of the artist, their time and place in history, and their works. Students will plan and design an art show, pretending to be the artist they researched.
Article Formal Visual Analysis: The Elements & Principles of Composition
Help students build techniques to interpret what they see into written words using art.
Lesson Photography: From Theory to Practice
In this 6-8 lesson, students will examine works of art and learn tools to analyze and discuss photography. Students will apply what they have learned by using cameras to document daily life in their community. They will prepare artist statements and present their work.
Inspire through the arts!
We are so excited that the Kennedy Center is beginning once again to be able to invite you to join us for on-site performances and education activities. We still need your support to develop new in-person and virtual programs.
Your gift today will allow us to use the arts to inspire others and grow stronger during this time of rebuilding and well into the future, together.
Kennedy Center Education
Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; Annenberg Foundation; the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Bank of America; Bender Foundation, Inc.; Carter and Melissa Cafritz Trust; Carnegie Corporation of New York; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; Estée Lauder; Flocabulary; Harman Family Foundation; The Hearst Foundations; the Herb Alpert Foundation; the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The King-White Family Foundation and Dr. J. Douglas White; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation;
Music Theatre International; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; the National Endowment for the Arts; Newman’s Own Foundation; Nordstrom; Park Foundation, Inc.; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Prince Charitable Trusts; Soundtrap; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; and Volkswagen Group of America. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.