The Art in Portrait Photography

There is a lot of difference between being good with a camera, and being a "Professional". Portrait Photography is an art. It can, if done correctly, make an ordinary looking subject, amazingly striking. Eye appeal is key to a great portrait. Planning the picture is the starting point. There really is no ending point. There is always another picture. The human face has so many different expressions and features that it would be impossible to shoot every one. In addition to finding that particular angle or pose, there is also lighting to consider. Lighting affects the mood. It can enhance the scene, or kill it. The right lighting will work wonders. A good, experienced, knowing Professional Photographer will have the lights in the best positions for lighting you portrait. He or She, may move them around a little allowing for shadows made by facial features, but using lights in this way can disguise unusual or unattractive features, soften or harden the edges, add mood or romance or mystery. Digital Photography has really been a boon to photography. One of the best things about digital photography is the speed in which images are available. There is no film to process, No prints to scan to make a digital image, or worse yet have to be retouched by hand to remove blemishes or enhance the photo. Can you believe that color prints at one time were hand colored with oil paints. Then all the photos went to color and some of the Black and White art was gone. Digital has eliminated much of the time and hassle involved with film and allows the creative edge to work in B&W or color with the click of a button. I can't tell you all about photography here, but I want to relate that as simple as it seems to take a portrait, to take one that displays the art of Photography doesn't just happen. It takes skill, it takes, talent, it takes knowledge, and it takes imagination. A little luck doesn't hurt either. Sometimes the shot that is the most beautiful, the one that actually shows your soul in the photograph was just a lucky shot.