Portraits

This month’s winning image is bursting with character. The little girl is looking out of the window of a tram. We like how the condensation and raindrops are used to funnel the viewer towards her eyes, as well as the fun and very natural pose of her clutching her teddy. The soft light prevents harsh shadows across the face, too. Overall, this is a charming portrait.

This is a clever portrait. The woman’s face lines up perfectly with the younger photo of herself and both expressions are identical. Converting this image to black and white was a good choice, considering the skin tones between the woman’s face and the photo wouldn’t have matched. We also like the textured background, which provides interest without detracting from the subject.

This low-key portrait is an excellent example of studio light mastery. A light behind the model has been used to create a contre-jour lighting effect. Crucially, the subject’s profile was captured so the lighting could pick out details in the face. A great image!

This is a really creative image that breaks with convention, resulting in a striking fine-art portrait. Cropping off the subject’s shoulder by positioning them far over to the right portion of the frame creates tension. While the harsh lighting creates a strong, graphic-art style. An excellent image!

Even very well-made replicas of movie costumes often don’t hold up to scrutiny. The choice to photograph this Batman costume in low-key lighting not only fits with the dark, brooding nature of the character, but also serves to hide imperfections on the costume itself. The smoke adds texture to the background and the blue lighting creates a cool hue, often seen in Batman movies and comics.

This is a great candid street portrait. A 40mm focal length was used to frame plenty of context without distorting the subject and a wide aperture allowed for a shallow enough depth of field to allow the subject to pop against the busy background.

We like how the sunflowers have been used to frame the two children, creating a frame within a frame that guides the viewer towards the focal point of the image. Colour is also a huge component of this image, with yellow flowers, dresses and lighting complementing the greens, since yellow and green are analogous colours (side by side on the colour wheel). The posing is great too. Both children are given something to do so their poses feel natural.

This image reminds us of the work of legendary documentary photographer Martin Parr. It’s not about turning a scene into a technical photograph, it’s about capturing a very authentic moment in time. The characters within the scene are the stars, not the photography. We particularly like how the main subject is gazing wistfully beyond the frame, while the woman in the passenger seat looks directly into the camera and smiles. A fantastic moment.

We like the creative angle used here, framing the woman’s face in the reflection of her wedding photo. What stands out about this portrait is that it has such a strong narrative. The viewer is left to ponder what the woman is thinking as she reflects on her wedding day.

The musician really sells this image as being a moment on stage, while the lighting mimics a spotlight. But it was actually taken in a studio setting. We like how the headstock of the guitar is not cropped off and how the musician’s pose conveys emotion. The mono conversion has also neutralised any clashing colours or distractions.

We like how the wide aperture and shallow depth of field has blurred the hand, directing the viewer right towards the subject’s tack-sharp eyes. Crucially, the hand doesn’t obscure any essential features such as the nose, eyes and most of the mouth. A shutter speed of 1/160 sec was enough to prevent camera shake while freezing the falling water droplets. An excellent creative portrait.

A lot of effort has evidently gone into this photo. The car looks to possibly be a Ford Model T, which places the theme in the early 20th century, along with the subject’s period dress. We like the cinematic colour grading and the mist, which adds mood.

This creative four-image composite is extremely busy, but this works thanks to the fun subject matter. It’s an excellent example of layer-based editing, with the smokey skulls, harlequin and ballerina all added as different layers and combined to form a seamless image. Not only does an image like this require impressive editing skills, but it also requires the foresight to come up with such a creative concept.

A 50mm focal length is a great choice when capturing an environmental portrait, because it’s wide enough to frame plenty of context, without distorting the subject. We like how the reenactor was asked to sit by the window to take full advantage of the window light. Rather fittingly, the Victorian-themed subject was required to sit very still, because the low light meant a 1/5 sec shutter speed had to be used, with the camera on a tripod.