Portraiture and Representation
A portrait is a photograph that is composed to convey information about a personʼs appearance, identity, and mood. Studio portraits rely on details such as clothing, hairstyle, facial expressions, and body language to teach us about a subject. Environmental portraits present a person in a context or setting that contains details that add to what we learn from their physical appearance. Choices made by the photographer including use of soft versus hard light or framing and vantage point can also influence our perception of the subject.