A true portrait
The wait, originally uploaded by Fadzly Mubin.
Taken with a Pentax K100D and Tamron AF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro lens
To me a true portrait is a portrait of character - not so much of looks. If the photo tells something correctly about the person, his/hers character then it is a successful portrait. Then of course there are sub-genres.
Fashion portrait is a fashion photo of a face with the what ever commercial message. In a true portrait, yes, I too find it important that it is honest, direct. It is not about amking someone look, sexy or handsome as good as possible but rather tell about the life of the person.
Sometimes one can find nude or glamor photos in the portrait category. To me it's rather tasteless regardless how good the nude or glamorous photo is. Only in the case where the person is a real cougar in real life the photo is a good portrait. A female acting something else she really is - can be a good glamor photo but not a good portrait.
Labels: People, Philosophy of Photography, Photography, Portrait
