2.

The Big Picture

The portrait

Some photographers have a passion for people and a fascination for faces. Their natural subject is the portrait. We have a very powerful urge to see ourselves and people have always been the favourite subject of photography. We see pictures of people in every magazine and newspaper, in numerous books, galleries and museums. In central London the huge National Portrait Gallery is dedicated solely to pictures of the famous. But what makes a photograph of someone a portrait?

What is a portrait?

A portrait attempts to express the character of a person and pin down the sitter in the hierarchy of their world, socially and physically, showing status, authority and significance. A portrait offers insight into a person ...

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