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[DanOstergren25]

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[smoke665]

I'm surprised and somewhat disappointed in the lack of comments on this excellent set. Subject, location, and processing spot on. Not knocking other genre, but it seems like portraits in general of late take a back seat to birds & bugs in comments.

 

[TJMcG113]

Just sharing a few more that I've finished from this session. This is one of my very favorite sets of 2025. I love doing photo shoots in abandoned locations like this, and this one is one of the coolest, right next to The Laugh Factory in Chicago. The Midwest has certainly provided me with some of the absolute best abandoned locations every time I visit.

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These are great. What are you going to do with these other than post them here? Is this for some kind of paid gig?

 

[DanOstergren25]

I'm surprised and somewhat disappointed in the lack of comments on this excellent set. Subject, location, and processing spot on. Not knocking other genre, but it seems like portraits in general of late take a back seat to birds & bugs in comments.

Thanks!
Honestly I think nature photography is a more popular genre than portraits. I'm not knocking the genre or anyone who does it, but in my humble opinion it's a genre that is friendlier to a beginner's skill set than portrait photography is. It's not a surprise to me that it's what I personally believe to be a vastly more popular genre of photography than portraits.

 

[DanOstergren25]

These are great. What are you going to do with these other than post them here? Is this for some kind of paid gig?

Thank you! These were made purely to scratch that creative itch, as I have a huge love for creating portraits of men, and also meant to bolster both his and my own social media.

 

[smoke665]

Honestly I think nature photography is a more popular genre than portraits. I'm not knocking the genre or anyone who does it, but in my humble opinion it's a genre that is friendlier to a beginner's skill set than portrait photography is.

To shoot good landscapes requires a specific specialized skill set just like portraits, but the difference lies in the fact that portraits require the additional specialized skill of posing the subject. There's no interaction with trees, mountains, etc....it's there, no communication required. Portraits require the photographer to interact with the subject not only placing them in a flattering position but putting them at ease such that you bring out the inner emotion. That's why your set works. You matched the gritty atmosphere with the subject, used poses appropriate and processed it accordingly.

Photographers are people, personal interaction with a subject make many uncomfortable, also with portrait photography the availability of subjects is often limited for the hobbyist.

 

[TJMcG113]

Photographers are people, personal interaction with a subject make many uncomfortable, also with portrait photography the availability of subjects is often limited for the hobbyist.

I studied portrait photography back in the day, and thought it might be a good way to make a buck in a 2nd career. That didn't happen, but I did a lot of family pictures and volunteered at the zoo to take pictures of the Zoo Boo volunteers in costume for about three years running. That was a sort of cattle call situation, where I set up a couple of lights on a seamless background, and they stepped in for one take. It was fun, but required no particular skill.

 

[DanOstergren25]

That was a sort of cattle call situation, where I set up a couple of lights on a seamless background, and they stepped in for one take. It was fun, but required no particular skill.

I would respectfully disagree about this taking no particular skill. Setting up studio takes skill, and so does using the lighting equipment properly.

 

[smoke665]

Setting up studio takes skill, and so does using the lighting equipment properly.

No doubt, but with cattle calls its not as critical and once set, you can can run them through pretty fast. Stand here, turn this way, chin up, smile, click, next.

 

[cgw115 141]

I'm surprised and somewhat disappointed in the lack of comments on this excellent set. Subject, location, and processing spot on. Not knocking other genre, but it seems like portraits in general of late take a back seat to birds & bugs in comments.

Amen...I shoot people who are as willing to give me a portrait as I am to take one. I sometimes wonder if a degree of uneasiness shooting people doesn't explain the bird/bug imbalance.

 

[TJMcG113]

No doubt, but with cattle calls its not as critical and once set, you can can run them through pretty fast. Stand here, turn this way, chin up, smile, click, next.

Olan Mills made a fortune off that kind photography.

 

[DanOstergren25]

No doubt, but with cattle calls its not as critical and once set, you can can run them through pretty fast. Stand here, turn this way, chin up, smile, click, next.

Honestly in my experience many of my studio sessions feel like this.

 

[DanOstergren25]

I sometimes wonder if a degree of uneasiness shooting people doesn't explain the bird/bug imbalance.

I think this is definitely a common reason. Even after almost 20 years photographing people I still feel a lot of unease before and usually during the start of a session. Over the years I've conditioned myself to it, and loving making portraits makes it much easier too, but I'm naturally introverted and my nerves would probably thank me for stopping.

 

[DanOstergren25]

Olan Mills made a fortune off that kind photography.

I used to work at The Picture People, and they definitely made a killing, especially during holidays. That type of photo studio seams to be nearing extinction now though.

 

[smoke665]

Even after almost 20 years photographing people I still feel a lot of unease

You'd be an exception if you didn't. 50 years in business I dealt with a lot of people, some became friends, some I could tolerate, and some better we didn't meet. In portrait photography the chemistry between the photographer and subject takes the image from technical perfection to art.

Olan Mills made a fortune off that kind photography

People remember Olan Mills but his union with wife Mary is what gave them the marketing edge that got them going. Mary hand painted oil accents on the portraits, giving them a distinctive style.

Today in our area the "Mom's with cameras", fill the low end portrait niche, studios are far and few between. However i did watch one rake in some serious money in a short time. She managed to get a school gig as the dedicated photographer at a father/daughter dance. Flat lightning, one octabox, just off camera axis. Camera on tripod. Three digital images with little to no editing, (mediocre at best) for $25. Judging by the line, I'd say she raked in close to $3k for less than 3hrs.