Introduction to portrait photography

What is portrait photography?

Simply put, portrait photography is the art of taking pictures of people. However, there is a lot more that goes into great portraiture than just pointing the camera at someone and pressing the shutter release.

As well as capturing the appearance of a subject, good portrait photography goes deeper to capture emotions, personality and tell a story.

Throughout our Portrait photography course, we will teach you everything you need to know to take great portrait photography. This lesson serves as the foundation for the course, introducing portrait photography’s history, key sub-genres and essential camera settings.

A brief history of portrait photography

The act of reproducing someone’s likeness in an image was around long before the invention of the camera through the sketches, paintings, etchings and prints of those talented enough to create them.

However, this meant that the luxury of being able to hang an encapsulation of yourself on your wall was reserved for those wealthy enough to afford to commission an artist.

When photography arrived in the mid-19th century it completely revolutionised portraiture, making it accessible to many more people. As technology has evolved, this accessibility continued to increase.

Today, portrait photography spans countless genres, from environmental portraits to high-concept fine art and has been democratised to the extent that the vast majority of the world’s population now carries a camera in their pocket.

An old man with a long beard and hat standing in a dim room painting on a canvas. There is an arched window behind him

Portraiture has been around far longer than photography, but the advent of cameras made it much more accessible.

Types of portrait photography

Traditional portraits

Traditional portraits are often staged with controlled lighting and formal poses. Examples include corporate headshots, family portraits and school photos.

A photo of a woman wearing black, standing in front of a brown background. She stands at a diagonal and looks directly at the camera

Example of a traditional, posed studio portrait.

Environmental portraits

In environmental portraiture, the subject is photographed in their natural surroundings, adding context to the image. Examples could be a mechanic in their garage or a musician in a recording studio.

A mechanic stands in a car garage. He wears blue and stands with his arms folded

Environmental portraits use surroundings help tell a story. For example, the above image is clearly of a mechanic in his workshop, but if you remove the background, it is simply a man in a blue t-shirt.

Candid portraits

Candid portraits capture spontaneous, unposed moments. Examples include street portraits, weddings and family documentary photography.

NOTE: When shooting candid portraits, always respect your subject’s comfort and privacy. If shooting candid portraits in public, follow local laws and norms. Communicate openly, ask for consent and be considerate of cultural sensitivities.

A baby in yellow is being held by a man. The baby's arm is outstretched to the camera and they are smiling

By capturing natural moments as they happen, candid portraits usually feel more authentic.

Fine art portraits

Fine art portraits incorporate artistic elements to create conceptual or surreal representations. Examples include editorial portraits and creative self-portraits.

Two women in long pink dresses with flowers in their hair. One sits on the floor holding the other woman who looks down at her

Example of a fine-art portrait.

Essential camera settings for portrait photography

The camera settings used for portrait photography can make a huge difference to the look, feel and atmosphere of the final result.

Below we have listed some recommended settings for different situations. If you need a refresher, check out our Photography Theory Course, which covers many of them in detail.

1. Aperture

What it does: As covered in Lesson 2 of our Photography Theory Course, aperture controls depth of field (the amount of the image in focus).

Recommended aperture for portraits: Use large apertures (e.g., f/1.8, f/2.8) to blur the background, isolating the subject. Small apertures (e.g., f/8, f/11) are better for group portraits to keep everyone sharp.

A woman with curled hair stands in the middle of a sunny path. The background is blurred

The use of a large aperture in this image has helped to create the blurred background.

2. Shutter speed

What it does: As covered in Lesson 3 of our Photography Theory Course, shutter speed freezes motion or captures blur.

Recommended shutter speed for portraits: Use at least 1/125 sec to avoid motion blur for stationary subjects. For dynamic shots (e.g., a child playing or sports), use faster speeds like 1/500 sec.

A man standing in a hall dribbling a basketball

Using a fast shutter speed has frozen the motion in this portrait.

3. ISO

What it does: As covered in Lesson 4 of our Photography Theory Course, ISO controls your camera’s sensitivity to light, but higher ISOs bring with them digital noise, which reduces image quality.

Recommended settings: Keep ISO as low as possible (e.g., 100-400) to ensure the highest image quality. Increase only as a last resort when shooting in low light.

A woman standing and smiling in a busy neon street. She wears a glittery jacket, feather earrings and sunglasses.

Using a high ISO in low-light environments helps to combat motion blur and camera shake from slow shutter speeds – but it can affect image quality.

4. Focal length

What it does: Aside from how zoomed in or zoomed out your image is, focal length also dictates the perspective and compression of your image.

Recommended settings: Lenses between 50mm and 85mm provide natural, flattering portraits. Avoid getting too close with wide angles (below 35mm), as they can distort facial features.

Portrait of a smiling young man wearing a beard and a hat. He stands outside.

Example of a telephoto portrait taken at 85mm.

Practical exercise

Take three portraits of the same subject:

A traditional portrait with the subject posed and framed in the centre
An environmental portrait incorporating a meaningful setting
A candid portrait capturing a natural moment
Review your photos, noting how the pose, lighting and settings affect the story each image tells

Conclusion

Portrait photography is more than just pointing a camera at a subject – it’s about creating a connection and telling a story.

By exploring the history and types of portraiture, experimenting with camera settings and practicing with diverse styles, you’ll begin to lay the foundation for your own portrait photography.

In the next lesson, we’ll dive into the tools and equipment that can give your portraits the edge.

Until then, stay inspired and keep experimenting!

We’d love to see how you’ve been putting what you’ve learned into practice. Share your images with us on social media and you could be featured!