Portraits are one of the most popular and challenging forms of the genre. Making a photograph of someone, whether a known person or a stranger, is like trying to unravel their best traits within minutes and show them to the world. As a result, some of the most famous portraits in the world are those that make you think, draw you in, and leave you enough space to make up your own story. An example? A portrait of Al Pacino shot in 1955 by Irving Penn. Here are a few tips that can help you shoot like the great master.
Look at Other Art Forms
Irving Penn’s portraits are distinct because they are different than the works of other photographers. It is pretty evident that the photographer was not inspired by his contemporaries but rather by drawing and paintings. Penn worked with designer and art director Alexey Brodovitch in Philadelphia before he moved to Mexico to pursue painting. But upon realizing that he wasn’t good at it, he moved to photography, working for Vogue. However, it was his practice as an artist that helped him hone his skills. Each of his shots was first etched out on paper, which helped his stark minimalist approach to portrait photography. This is why you must absorb other art forms if you wish to build a voice of your own.
“Intrigue” Your Audience
Penn was particular about the kind of images he wanted to create. For most of his life, his photographs show stark black and white images with details that hook you instantly. As he once said about his approach: “Many photographers feel their client is the subject. My client is a woman in Kansas who reads Vogue. I’m trying to intrigue, stimulate, feed her. My responsibility is to the reader. The severe portrait that is not the greatest joy in the world to the subject may be enormously interesting to the reader.” So, when you make a photo, ensure that your vision and what your viewer wants align. You don’t want to lie to yourself or to the audience, who will be influenced by your work.
Background and Lighting are a Significant Key
Many portraitists forget that the way you light your subject and the background you have can make or break your photograph. A cluttered background with a weak vision is a disservice to the person sitting before you. One of the reasons why many like Penn’s pictures is that the focus is on the subject. Even with his series where people stood in front of V-shaped walls, it only helps you to look at the subject with a careful gaze. Similarly, a little bit of textured but plain background can also add contrast to your scene. As he once said: “Make things manageable enough to record them, to prune away anything inconsequential. Because less is more.”
At the same time, using soft, diffused light can help to enhance the overall mood of the portraits. In close-up shots, the use of catch-light in the eyes of the sitters, with the play of shadow and light, captivates the audience.
Photograph Varying Subjects
Photographers often pigeonhole themselves, repeating the same formula over and over if it has become a hit. This was not the case with Penn. Instead, he often redefined the kind of portraits he wished to make. In addition to shooting fashion and celebrity portraits, Penn also photographed natives, workers, food, and self-portraits. In one of his famous series on small trades, you can see majestic portraits of varied trades, from butchers to onion sellers, to charwomen. Speaking about butchers, Penn famously said: “The butchers in between invigorated the fashions. To me, it was like a balanced meal.” This versatility further helped him to expand his horizons.
Search For Truth
”I am going to find what is permanent in this face,” Penn once said. “Truth comes with fatigue. He displays himself just as he is, just as he did not want to look.” Photographers, whether into fashion or wildlife, have to capture the truth of things around them. Genuineness is what draws people to your work. Beneath all the glamour and facade, we look for security and connection. And if your photographs capture the human essence, your work will naturally stand out from the crowd. While you look for what is real, be patient and continue even when your path becomes challenging.
We hope you apply some of these tips to your next assignment. Do let us know what the result was like.
