Portrait Photography

Latest about Portrait Photography

The silhouettes of an adult and a child stand before a vast black-and-white projection of Nelson Mandela's portrait at FRAMELESS London, with floating abstract symbols scattered across the image.
The one photo of Nelson Mandela the world needed: why Jillian Edelstein went against the grain to shoot this portrait of the South African icon

By Tom May Published

The story behind the Mandela portrait that defied expectation, now brought to life at a new immersive London experience

Portrait Photography
Left: A close-up self-portrait of Richard Avedon grinning broadly, both hands pressed against his temples, the image slightly soft-focused and full of manic energy. Right: A young man in black sits casually across two ornate chairs before a white studio backdrop marked with a large red painted X.
Ron Howard's new documentary movie, Avedon, reminds us why the greatest photographer of the 20th century didn't care what camera he used

By Tom May Published

Premiering at Cannes this week, the film shows us how the greatest images come from reading people, not mastering f-stops

Portrait Photography
Female policewoman standing in front of police car
The long road to being seen: one photographer's 90-day quest to portray what Muslim America really looks like

By Tom May Published

News British photographer Mahtab Hussain is setting out to discover what it truly means to belong in the United States

News
Dave and Philip Sharkey talk in the cramped darkroom at Passport Photo Service in 1978, with a Kodak Versamat processing machine and a Beseler enlarger visible among the equipment around them.
No stylist, no lighting rig… but passport photos make some of the best celebrity pictures. This new book helps me understand why with its mugshots of Joan Collins, Mick Jagger, Mohammad Ali and more

By Tom May Published

Opinion It documents how a modest Oxford Street studio, open for 66 years, assembled an astonishing archive of famous faces

Opinion
Woman looking to the side in edited portrait photo taken in a cafe
This $5 coffee shop trick beats a $5,000 studio shoot and it's perfect for building your portrait photography career

By Ariane Sherine Published

Opinion Photographers spend hundreds or more on studio time, but relaxing a client – and getting better results – can cost a lot less...

Opinion
Clients love it when I use AI – until they find out it's AI

By Ariane Sherine Published

Opinion Some photography clients don't like to know that you've used AI. But there is a solution...

Opinion
A composite of two black and white photographs: the left side features two fashionable women in hats and suits seated at a cafe table with cigarettes, while the right side shows two young people standing together outdoors in coats against a brick wall.
Did we all get Diane Arbus wrong? These three overlooked photos suggest we might have

By Tom May Published

International Women's Day Her true subject was never deviance; it was dignity.

International Women's Day
Cuzco Children; Irving Penn (American, 1917 - 2009); United States; negative 1948; print 1978; Platinum-palladium print; 49.8 × 51.4 cm (19 5/8 × 20 1/4 in.); 2025.124.1; Gift of The Irving Penn Foundation, made possible by an anonymous donor; In Copyright (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/)
Three days, a Rolleiflex camera and 2,000 frames: the shoot that defined master photographer Irving Penn

By Tom May Published

News How an impulsive detour to the Peruvian Andes produced one of the 20th century's most important portrait series.

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News
A line of black and white school photos with the faces blank
“Lifetouch is not named in the Epstein files.” US school photography giant Lifetouch issues statement after Epstein investor ties create parent confusion and panic

By Hillary K. Grigonis Published

LIFETOUCH “Lifetouch does not – and has never provided – images to any third party,” the company said after online parent panic

LIFETOUCH
A high-contrast, black-and-white portrait of Melania Trump seated in a modern white chair against a stark white background, wearing a dark tailored suit and looking directly at the camera.
Ellen von Unwerth's photo of Melania Trump highlights the enduring power of the 90s fashion aesthetic

By Tom May Published

Opinion The Amazon film may be controversial, but the portrait is a masterclass in a bold, graphic style that defined an era.

Opinion
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