The Portrait, 2nd Edition

The Portrait, 2nd Edition

by Glenn Rand, Tim Meyer
Released November 2014
Publisher(s): Rocky Nook
ISBN: 9781492016168

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to live online training experiences, plus books, videos, and digital content from O’Reilly and nearly 200 trusted publishing partners.

Start your free trial

Book description

Glenn Rand, longtime photographic educator, and Tim Meyer, Lead Portrait Instructor at Brooks Institute, have collaborated to create a thorough and balanced textbook on the modern techniques and practice of portrait photography. They have crafted a definitive resource for professionals, students, and avid amateurs wishing to advance their skills in this discipline.

Glenn and Tim begin by discussing lessons from the masters and the history of photographic portraiture. They build on this foundation and cover all of the technical and aesthetic components of understanding and producing outstanding portraits. Extensive illustrations illuminate the concepts discussed, and the works of outstanding photographers serve as examples of how to apply the lessons in this book. This second edition offers even more illustrations and photographic examples and an expanded discussion about posing.

Topics include:

  • Quality of light and the portrait
  • Ambient, continuous, and strobe light sources
  • Understanding light modifiers and enhancers
  • Mastering lighting ratios
  • Importance and selection of backgrounds
  • Extensive coverage of lighting setups
  • Understanding light meters and metering in portraiture
  • Lighting patterns on the human face
  • Facial analysis
  • Composition in portraiture
  • Posing for various types of portraits
  • Eliciting appropriate expression
  • The fine art portrait
  • Portraiture for the masses

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Introduction
  5. 1 A Very Brief History of Photographic Portraiture
    1. Styles
  6. 2 Light Dynamics and the Portrait
    1. LD... Light Dynamics
    2. Specular or Diffuse
    3. Intensity
    4. Direction
      1. The Light Dynamic Dome
    5. Color
  7. 3 Lighting Sources and Equipment
    1. Creating Light
    2. Continuous Light
    3. Ambient Light
    4. Window Light
    5. Strobe Light Sources
    6. Power Requirements
  8. 4 Light Modification
    1. Modification Optics
    2. Basic Reflectors and Domes
    3. Soft Light Modifiers
    4. Hard Light Modifiers
    5. Modifying Intensity
  9. 5 Exposure and Metering
    1. Basic Daylight Exposure
    2. Unmetered Electronic Flash Exposure
    3. Light Meters and Basic Metering
    4. Substitution Metering
    5. Tonal Placement
    6. Testing for Exposure
    7. Speed Testing Digital Photography
  10. 6 Lighting Ratios
    1. Fit
    2. Lighting Ratios
  11. 7 Lighting Patterns on the Human Face
    1. Planes of the Face
    2. Approach
    3. Lighting Direction
    4. On Axis Lighting
    5. 3/4 or 45-45 Lighting
    6. Split or 90° Lighting
    7. Lighting Patterns
  12. 8 Lighting Setups
    1. One Light
    2. Two Lights
    3. Three Lights
    4. Four Lights
    5. Clamshells
    6. Form Fill
    7. Walking the Light
    8. Accents
    9. Glamour Lighting
  13. 9 Backgrounds
    1. Seamless Backgrounds
    2. Painted Backgrounds
    3. Post-Production Backgrounds
    4. Constructed Indoor and Outdoor Settings
    5. Found Backgrounds
  14. 10 Mixed Ambient and Electronic Flash Lighting and Exposure
    1. Outdoor Lighting and Exposure
    2. Backlit Outdoor Situations
    3. Expanded Range Situations
    4. Indoor/Outdoor Situations
  15. 11 Portrait Compositional Basics
    1. Balance
    2. Lines
    3. Shape
    4. Similarity
    5. Juxtaposition
    6. Color
    7. Texture and Pattern
    8. Volume
    9. Size
    10. Symbolism, Content, and Meaning
  16. 12 Posing
    1. Posing Basics
    2. Physical Posing
    3. Head Placement and Rotation
  17. 13 Facial Analysis
    1. Analyzing the Face
    2. After Analysis
    3. Round Face
    4. Long and Triangular-Shaped Faces
    5. Flat Faces
    6. Expression
  18. 14 Relating to the Subject
    1. Confidence
    2. Comfort
    3. Fulfillment

Product information

  • Title: The Portrait, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Glenn Rand, Tim Meyer
  • Release date: November 2014
  • Publisher(s): Rocky Nook
  • ISBN: 9781492016168