What's the difference between an everyday photo and a fine art portrait?
When I began as a photographer I didn't know the difference, and I don't expect others to inherently know this! Somewhere along the way I came across fine art portraits and I was in awe.
Put candidly, it's like a painting and a photograph had a baby and fine art photography was born.
My tendencies as an individual lend themselves to this style of photography because I am meticulous. I also have an obsession with vintage things and will frequently include props or elements that build an emotional connection between generations. Like every true passion, it's personal for me as it builds a tangible connection between myself and my grandparents or great-grandparents. I have/had priceless relationships with my grandparents and miss them dearly. Incorporating things they've handed down to me feels like a way to honor their memory and legacy. I love to be able to provide that same meaning and nostalgia for others by incorporating their personal heirlooms in their children's portraits.
But to further answer the question "What's a Fine Art Portrait?"...it's easiest to begin by showing you an example of both a standard photo and a fine art/heirloom portrait. The photos below were both taken with the same camera. But the difference between them is noticeable, and it's not simply the fact that one was taken indoors and the other out. Below I note some of the key differences within my own work, but each photographer may vary in their preferences and techniques.
Fine Art Portrait
- Styling. You'll notice a lot of fine art subjects/models are often wearing vintage, boutique, or otherwise simply timeless neutral clothing from shoes to accessories. They seldom wear graphic tees, clothing or shoes with logos or branding, or trending styles or bold nail polish. At times they're very eccentrically styled to tell a story, but every detail is planned with careful attention to color palette, texture and style. I have wardrobe options available exclusively to fine art clients and work closely with them on styling.
- Location/backdrop. Often kept very simple in order to maintain focus on the individual, it's rare for modern architecture or themes to make their way into fine art portraits. You won't see Cocomelon or Paw Patrol in an heirloom/fine art children's portrait.
- Fine Art studio portraits are captured in the comfort and convenience of my clients' homes, ensuring a familiar environment for the child. As a photographer this means I transport, set up, and tear down lighting equipment and backdrop stands. I also iron or steam client wardrobe clothing and backdrops, eliminating the stress and cost of styling for my clients.
- Props are simple, usually coordinated carefully with the rest of the image for cohesion. Often they're of personal meaning to the client as an heirloom item or article of clothing.
- Editing is incredibly in-depth and always utilizes Photoshop. One fine art portrait typically takes me a minimum of 1 hour to edit. Editing includes layer after layer applied to the image. Take the below image as an example. I carefully selected the color of the backdrop and applied the color and texture in Photoshop by digitally painting it onto the background. I applied techniques like dodging and burning (which are essentially digital contouring and highlighting) to add depth, dimension, and that painting-like effect. I used brushes to apply sharpening to some areas and softening to others, and removed temporary blemishes on the skin or distracting wrinkles on clothing, etc.. Fine art portraits also often involve a photoshop technique called compositing, which put simply means combining photos or adding elements to an image. Below is a black and white profile composite of my boys. They were photographed individually and then the individual photos were combined as a composite in Photoshop.
- Posing. These portraits are often more posed, and sometimes intentionally more serious. The line here is blurred at times, but it's true as a general rule.
Standard Photograph
- Styling is up to the client to choose and provide. I always offer guidance but my standard portrait session clients ultimately decide on and provide their own styling for shoes, hair, makeup, nails, accessories, outfits, etc..
- Location: I photograph lifestyle portraits in-home or on location for standard sessions but I do not provide backdrop options. These are photographed using natural light, most often outdoors and typically have a more lifestyle/candid vibe.
- Props are either not used at all or provided by the client.
- Editing is basic. Overall adjustments will be made to things like exposure, contrast, sharpening, etc. Temporary blemishes are removed as requested but things like contouring, wrinkles on clothing, object removal, or anything involving brushes is not guaranteed as part of the process. Composites and head swaps are not included but can sometimes be done for an additional fee to account for the additional editing time.
- Posing. These sessions may also be posed as the example below but typically include a combination of posed and candid. I often use prompts like "Go run and kiss mommy's cheek!" to guide clients during family sessions as opposed to strictly posed portraits in one spot.
By now the differences between a standard portrait session and a fine art/heirloom portrait session should be more evident. Fine Art Portraits are far more involved from planning to execution and require significantly more time and effort, but they're often less candid and more formal. There's no right or wrong style, it just depends on your needs and preferences!
I include fewer digitals, and always include prints in my fine art package. There are also printing upgrade options to add even more visual interest and a painting-like effect. Textured prints are one of my personal favorites for this style!
