Are you looking for the best books on portrait photography? this selection includes some of the best titles available right now.
Capturing the very essence of someone, or capturing the substance you want to portray, is a challenge. how, in a single moment, can you freeze a living, breathing person? how can you convey the impression of their souls (or, if they’re a client, give the look they want)? Fortunately, you are not the first to face this challenge, and a good number of great photographers have put their finger on the keyboard to share their skills. So many, in fact, that we’ve deliberately narrowed the field down to the top ten books available on portraiture and portrait photography poses.
You are reading: Best books on portrait photography
This selection is deliberately biased towards the practical, making it more useful to photographers than academics. We’re also looking for more formal portraiture here – if candid photography or street photography is more on your mind, we’ve also compiled a list of the best books on street photography (opens in a new tab).
There are also a few titles on our list of the best books on fashion photography (Opens in a new tab) that may well provide useful information for portrait photographers: Lindsay Adler’s Pose (Opens in a new tab ) certainly deserves a place on this list as well.
best books on portrait photography in 2021
With a very practical approach to photography, believing in technique and practice, Canon Explorer of Light Roberto Valenzuela has written a great educational book, with the level of detail an aspiring portrait photographer desires. You can get an idea of that depth from the chapter titles, like “the nose x-factor,” but the real evidence comes from the illustrations of the spine and the discussion of weight distribution early on. the understanding this generates is part of the author’s “picture-perfect posing system.” Sure, it may seem a bit prescriptive, but if he’s looking to move into professional work, this is exactly what he needs. With that in mind, the generous page count is filled with illustrations, sample images, and a good deal of classic business and wedding poses that he can emulate with clients. (If you’re already a fan, check out the companion practice and enlightenment books.)
mark wilkinson is a keen photographer and imogen, the titular “unique face” model, a well-known one. her chance meeting spawned not only europe’s most popular weekly photography youtube channel imogen (opens in new tab), but now this book. the simple premise of it is to offer easy to follow examples that you can use to get as many different looks as possible with the same model. In doing so, he also covers a lot of the basics of photographing all people (and there’s a chapter with non-imogen models). Since many of us start out with cooperative family members or friends filling that role, this light-hearted yet informative guide is a good way to build your confidence shooting people.
See Also: The 30 Best Personality Books – Broke by Books
the series of books on photography by henry carroll is an example of exceptional publishing, and this one dedicated to portraiture is no exception. they show what a little academic knowledge can do when you boil it down to great publishers, skillful illustrators, and an investment in images: many publishers skimp on the use of photographs by famous photographers for books at this price because of the cost of the license, but Not that much. they are also beautifully bound, with matte paper, some glossy lettering (foil), and embossing. that tactile experience and ease of movement is why they ultimately make great gifts. they are inspiring to navigate and contain some useful nuggets of information that any creative person you know should enjoy. the recipient, in other words, will not be disappointed. however, experienced photographers will find all the other books on this list more useful.
This book tells the professional story behind Heisler’s portrait sessions of fifty celebrities. each photo is someone you will recognize; celebrities, stars, politicians and astronauts including al pacino, julia roberts, muhammed ali, hillary clinton. In the unlikely event that you haven’t come across his work, Gregory Heisler is well known for his portraits, which have often graced the cover of Time magazine. For the casual reader, uncovering the stories behind these iconic photos is exciting, but the book goes one step further: the photographer is treated to Heisler’s methodical and detailed “Thoughts on Technique” that are unmatched even by many. photography educators. The book certainly doesn’t miss the story of how Heisler’s portrait of George W. bush, and the analog technique involved, cost him his white house clearance.
It’s encouraging to see that the author’s photography has been featured in Vogue and GQ, but what really makes this book a great book for photographers to learn about is its attention to detail. a few books from the photographer’s catalog are collected, augmented with some vague reminders of how a single final shot was created, like a series of captions. here, however, in the key examples, knight provides a series of samples showing the setup with each light on alone, on its own, so that he can see how they contribute to the finished piece. that’s absolutely fantastic, especially for a photographer who goes beyond the basics, and it doesn’t hurt that the gentleman is also fun to read.
See Also: 7 Books That Can Change Your Attitude toward Life | Ethan Dunwill | The Blogs