Poll - Do you like shooting...

[Damien_Demolder]

...portraits?


There is no other photographic subject that interacts with the camera quite in the same way as a human being. Portraiture is the only photographic genre where the target thinks and talks, and where whatever you are photographing can look completely different as soon as the camera is pointed away.

You can treat your human as a still life, or a landscape, concentrating on light, shade and shape, but you’ll probably miss out on the most important aspect of any person – the personality. I suppose it is the wildlife photographer that will most easily slip into portrait mode, capturing the subject at its daily routine and displaying its identifying characteristics.

But what portraiture is about is telling the viewer not only what a person looks like, but also what they are like to know. A portrait should convey personality and emotions, and hints and clues to what kind of person we are looking at. Communicating all that sounds complicated, but it’s easier than you might think. So long as your subject is relaxed you might find that they do all the work for you. You just have to concentrate on capturing what happens.


Head to the home page to take part in this week's poll

Do you like shooting portraits?

Thanks for taking part

Damien

[Fen]

You need another option...

"Yes - But I feel uncomfortable doing them"

[Benchista]

And a fifth - "No, I can't stand shooting them, but I do anyway from time to time, even if they make me feel uncomfortable, and I'm tolerably OK at it."

[Nod]

No. I don't feel comfortable getting people to pose and can never seem to be able to put them at their ease to pose naturally. I've managed a few candid portraits but not sure they really count (and sneaking candids always seems a bit rude to me).

[parisian]

Depends how we define 'portrait' really.

[Steve]

I voted "Yes, but I’m not that good at it"...

I enjoy candid portraits...but as has been said, I'm not sure they count in this context?

Not really tried to do a "proper" portrait...

[benji]

I find portrait photography difficult to shoot, mainly because of my own shortcomings. So I tend to shoot other things.

Having said that, when I do do it -occasionally- I find it the most interesting and most worthy thing to shoot. So, I hope I do more of it in the future (natural shots with available light in particular).

My big, big regret is not to have been into photography earlier in my life because i wish I'd captured good essential portraits of my grand-parents when they were still around us.

Portraiture would have to be one of the major genres of photography, IMO.

Benji

[Fire_Monkey]

I've never tried it, but I'm not that interested anyway!

[Barney]

Yes, and I shoot loads, but not enough, so I'm going to be trying to shoot more once spring's sprung.

[AlanW]

sneaking candids always seems a bit rude to me

sneaky candid portraits

Yes, formal portraiture is something I avoid if at all possible

[Ian_A]

Portraiture is what photography is all about for me.

If I didn't get the opportunity to shoot portraits from time to time, I'd pack in photography and take up another hobby.

[Tickhiller]

I don't feel confident enough to do portraits. I will photograph my dog all day - but give me a human subject and I am intimidated by my perception of their expectations. It is worse with an SLR in hand because people think I know what I am doing.
Landscape and animals any day.

[APchris]

Not often enough to justify one of the 'yes' answers but the solitary 'no' seems a bit too final as I have done very occasionally and don't mind doing it.

I've never really been pleased with the results though but as it's a genre I want to get to grips with and good portraiture is all about the quality of your light, I'm working on it

[Hotblack]

Definitely a 'No' from me. I feel very uncomfortable for both myself and the sitter on the odd occasion I've tried. Not a good combination really. I'm not really a 'people' person.

[Bettina]

Yes, it's the easiest thing in the world.

I'm a cr@p landscape photographer.

[snowqueen]

Yes i like doing portraits but im not very good at it....

ive only shot a few at college in the studio and i found im not very good at making the person feel at ease .... im also not comfortable talking to the person .... and trying to get them to express themselves.

[gollum]

Absolutely loath it, I couldn't think of anything more boring!

[Bettina]

Absolutely loath it, I couldn't think of anything more boring!

Still life, perhaps?!

[gollum]

Absolutely loath it, I couldn't think of anything more boring!

Still life, perhaps?!

Maybe

[velocette]

A definite no from me, steam engines and industrial buildings don't stare back. A club I used to belong to had a couple of model evenings each year one at least with a professional model. I found both most embarrassing and only went because being a very small club if members were missing we couldn't have afforded the models. Not my scene at all but I have to say that some of the professional models we had were very good and needed very little direction, thankfully.