Post your favorite horizontal orientation portraits

[Ernicus]

Glad you posted this/these. It shows it can be done and works well when it's done correctly (for lack of better words). Even the chopped off heads and body parts work in these submitted. So, hopefully, it will give great examples of how and why this sort of artistic approach can be utilized effectively.

 

[Seefutlung]

These aren't really portraits, anymore than most of the others posted, but they are primarily of a single person and the horizontal format fit the image (I think)

Very nice Lew. Yes, these are definitely portraits, you can call them candid portraits or environmental portraits, but they are still portraits.

Gary

 

[cgipson1]

My other issue here is that the TITLE was Horizontal PORTRAITS... there are several posted that I would not call portraits! Yes.. they are horizontal... but are they portraits?

 

[Robin Usagani]

 

[Alex_B]

My other issue here is that the TITLE was Horizontal PORTRAITS... there are several posted that I would not call portraits! Yes.. they are horizontal... but are they portraits?

Agreed, some are horizontal images, with people in them, but not what I would call a portrait.

In my understanding a portrait to a large extent excludes the surroundings, and has a strong focus (content wise) on the person / face.

 

[janineh]

Yay! Horizontal portraits complete with chopped off heads!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/forkie/5764873309/
Me by Forkie, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/forkie/5512175921/
Untitled by Forkie, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/forkie/5512157537/
Untitled by Forkie, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/forkie/4674891286/
Fabiana by Forkie, on Flickr

Love the last one! Fabiana...

 

[mhk1976]

Photography hobby is very nice learning.

 

[Forkie]

Yay! Horizontal portraits complete with chopped off heads!


Me by Forkie, on Flickr

Untitled by Forkie, on Flickr

Untitled by Forkie, on Flickr

Fabiana by Forkie, on Flickr

Love the last one! Fabiana...

Thanks! She's my very much better looking half!

My other issue here is that the TITLE was Horizontal PORTRAITS... there are several posted that I would not call portraits! Yes.. they are horizontal... but are they portraits?

Agreed, some are horizontal images, with people in them, but not what I would call a portrait.

In my understanding a portrait to a large extent excludes the surroundings, and has a strong focus (content wise) on the person / face.

For me a portrait is a deliberate photo of a person, where the person is not just the main subject, but the only subject. But a portrait should also seek to capture the character, mood, appearance etc, of the person at the time the photo was taken.

It's more than just a picture of a person, but more of a study of the person in that moment.

A painted portrait should seek to do the same and even a written portrait should convey as much detail.

Which means, I guess, that at least one of the ones I posted probably don't fall completely into my own definition.

 

[12sndsgood]

I have always thought this was a neat shot.

 

[cgipson1]

Agreed, some are horizontal images, with people in them, but not what I would call a portrait.

In my understanding a portrait to a large extent excludes the surroundings, and has a strong focus (content wise) on the person / face.

For me a portrait is a deliberate photo of a person, where the person is not just the main subject, but the only subject. But a portrait should also seek to capture the character, mood, appearance etc, of the person at the time the photo was taken.

It's more than just a picture of a person, but more of a study of the person in that moment.

A painted portrait should seek to do the same and even a written portrait should convey as much detail.

Which means, I guess, that at least one of the ones I posted probably don't fall completely into my own definition.


[/QUOTE]

Nice description.. I like it!

 

[480sparky]

Portraiture isn't really my schtick, but I do take a lot of shots of my "adopted family's" grandkids.

I took this one back in 2009:

We repeated the idea last fall:

 

[mjhoward]

#4

Nikon F w/ Nikkor 20mm - Tri-X @ ASA 400

Gary

Very solid shot Gary!

 

[o hey tyler]

For me a portrait is a deliberate photo of a person, where the person is not just the main subject, but the only subject. But a portrait should also seek to capture the character, mood, appearance etc, of the person at the time the photo was taken.

It's more than just a picture of a person, but more of a study of the person in that moment.

A painted portrait should seek to do the same and even a written portrait should convey as much detail.

Which means, I guess, that at least one of the ones I posted probably don't fall completely into my own definition.

Nice description.. I like it!

Do the photos I posted not qualify as portraits because they're wedding related? Last time i checked, there were "formal portrait" sessions, as well as just capturing the B&G in their natural element. Such as the way with lifestyle portraits. I don't think any of the photos here are unable to qualify as portraits.

Maybe you don't see things that way, because the only portraits Ive seen you shoot are of bugs? But then again, it's all a matter of interpretation and no one is right or wrong. In my opinion you have a very strict idea of what portraiture is for someone who doesn't actually do portraits.

 

[Robin Usagani]

That is a different one. Thank you!

I have always thought this was a neat shot.

 

[Forkie]

Do the photos I posted not qualify as portraits because they're wedding related? Last time i checked, there were "formal portrait" sessions, as well as just capturing the B&G in their natural element. Such as the way with lifestyle portraits. I don't think any of the photos here are unable to qualify as portraits.

Maybe you don't see things that way, because the only portraits Ive seen you shoot are of bugs? But then again, it's all a matter of interpretation and no one is right or wrong. In my opinion you have a very strict idea of what portraiture is for someone who doesn't actually do portraits.

Not sure if you were talking to me or Cgipson. So I'll just cover my own back and let Cgipson comment separately.

But I didn't intend to suggest that photos in this thread didn't qualify as portraits. I also conceded that perhaps, on second thoughts, that a couple of the photos I posted probably didn't fit neatly within my own definition of a portrait.

But I do think that there is a difference, albeit perhaps a subtle one, between a portrait of a person and a photo of a person.

I think the original intention of the OP of this thread was for people to show photos that don't conform to the tradition that "portraits should be shot in portrait orientation". I'm pretty sure it was a compositional exercise rather than a semantics one, although it just so happened that someone questioned the definition of the word portrait (this is TPF, we shouldn't expect anything less!). I don't think the comment was intended to single out anyone specific's photos.