What Exactly Is Contemporary Portrait Photography?

What defines a contemporary photograph? Well, we've all seen the same portrait hundreds of times of a stiff-looking family, standing in uniform rows, smiling uncomfortably at a photographer they met minutes ago. Typically, the smiles on their faces say, "Are we done yet?" These are not contemporary portraits.

Contemporary photographers break new ground. They challenge old ideas, break the rules, and incorporate unique, fresh portraits in settings that are new, exciting, and fun. A modern, contemporary gallery of photographs is one that evokes unexpected emotions, and makes its viewer stare a while. Contemporary portrait photography enlists unique elements, such as backgrounds or foregrounds of colorful glass, painting, or flowing fabrics that accentuate the characterization of the portrait's subject. They may use silhouette or a vignette rather than a more 'traditional' composition.

A contemporary wedding photographer, for instance, may choose to bypass the standard standing on the beach in tux and gown, gazing past the lens at the glorious sunset while the bride nestles in the groom's loving embrace pose. She may instead choose to capture that quick moment in time when the members of the wedding party let their guards down and act more naturally. (Who walks on the wet shore at sunset in a wedding gown, anyway?) For example, when the bride takes a moment to brush a bit of lint off the groom's shoulder, or when a bridesmaid squats down to reassure a timid ring-bearer a moment before walking down the aisle.

Tips for Modern Portrait Photography

For any style of portrait photography (wedding photography, family portrait, self portrait, etc.), the most au courant photographers will, first and foremost, get to know their cameras. As much as some of us hate to read instructions, sometimes a camera offers many more options and settings than we ever bothered to learn. If you have ever stared at your camera or photographic equipment and wondered "Hmmm... what does that button do anyway?", it's time to break out the manual. Then, after learning about your camera's white balance options, scene modes, ISO options, and flash modes (to name a few), also take some time to do hands-on work, to test your camera out. Why? Because, what the book says (theory) isn't always right for what you want to create (application). Maybe the directions for your camera advise you to set your camera's white balance on "sunny" when you are outside in daylight. But if you just try "fluorescent" or "tungsten" modes, you may get an unexpected but desirable effect in the colors of your image. Many photographers also find it useful to experiment with different types of lenses, such as a wide-angle lens or fish-eye lens, and filters to create different effects than what a camera alone has to offer. Rules are simply guidelines to help you understand what your camera has to offer; it is up to you to then make your pictures contemporary and unique.

One of the most important components of contemporary portrait photography is that the image is a "captured moment in time," rather than a stiff, posed, or awkwardly staged setting. The setting may be unnatural, but it should absolutely reflect your subject's personality.

One of my favorite pictures from my childhood is one where my mother and two sisters are standing and sitting, smiling at the camera, and I am hunched over and face-down, arms sprawled out in front of me on the sidewalk, throwing one of my famous childhood tantrums. Years later, I can look at that picture -- or even think of it -- and in an instant I'm taken back to my 4-year-old self... the day that I didn't want to get my picture taken... so I insisted on hiding my face and pouting while my sisters urged me to sit up and smile. My point is, this is certainly not an image that would have been selected by a traditional portrait photographer as one to present to the client for selecting desired prints. But it's a picture that I remember well, that still brings a smile to my face.

Embarrassing? Yes. Memorable? Absolutely.

Granted, this example is referring to a snapshot, which differs from a professional portrait, but it's important to point out that most of us have some sort of stunning or amusing portrait that is imprinted in our minds... a shot that brings back strong memories.

When considering the creation of unique and contemporary images, remember what it was about that photograph that left an impression; capturing the essence of a personality.

As far as modern photography is concerned, don't get too caught up in what you're supposed to photograph. Instead, capture a child's tantrum. Snap a photo of the dog snatching food off the table and soda coming out of a youngster's nose as she tries to stifle her laughter. Capture the close up image of a natural pout or a look of utter surprise. Capture the out-of-the-ordinary; contemporary photos should not look like everyone else's.

Capturing the Moment

To better capture the moment, there are a few different options or techniques a photographer may want to try. Bracketing is a good way to ensure that at least a few high-quality shots are captured. Bracketing entails taking numerous photos of the same subject, using different camera settings, such as changing the white balance, adjusting the aperture, the scene mode, the f-stop, or the ISO. Instead of taking the time to figure out the best technical lighting ahead of time using a light meter, and making the models hold a pose for a long time before the shot is taken, a photographer who brackets just keeps aiming in the direction of the subject(s) while quickly changing the camera's dials and buttons between shots.

For a photographer using a film camera, bracketing requires plenty of film, since instead of taking just two or three shots of the same posed subject (most likely with the same settings on the camera that have been selected before the images were captured), the bracketing photographer may take dozens of shots of the same scene/pose/subject. For photographers using digital cameras, it is easier and more cost-effective to bracket, since it simply requires having multiple memory cards on hand that can easily and quickly be popped into the camera. In the last few years, memory has not only become quite affordable, but it has also increased tremendously in storage capacity. Currently 2 gigabyte memory cards, or even 6 gigabyte microdrives, are very affordable (according to what your camera accepts).

Another way to effectively capture a moment is to utilize your camera's continuous shooting mode, which will take multiple frames with one press of your camera's shutter release button. The Nikon D80 DSLR camera, for instance, can shoot up to 3 frames per second for up to 100 consecutive JPEG images. Needless to say, the more frames you are able to shoot in quick succession, the better your chances are of creating that one-of-a-kind portrait.

A Relaxed Environment

In order to capture the most natural image, a photographer will want those being photographed to be as much at ease as possible. One way to do this is by taking some time to get to know your models. Learn about their hobbies, their favorite places, what they admire aesthetically in a photograph and what they don't. One of the defining attributes of a portrait is that it somehow reflects one's personality. Some of the best contemporary portraits are extremely close-up. In order for your models to feel comfortable with you getting up-close, and capturing a moment in which they are being themselves (opening a doorway to their emotions and lives); they need to know it's a safe area in which to do so. In other words, the subjects of a contemporary portrait should feel comfortable with you and truly trust you as the photographer. This may be achieved by making the day of the photo shoot about them. Take them to a place where there won't be so many distractions and you will have plenty of time in an environment in which they feel at home.

Even though a photographer's schedule can be a busy one, try to consider the fact that the happier your clients are with your skill at portrait photography, the more referrals they will send your way in the future, and it's more likely you will feel satisfied with your work. The bottom line is, you can spend all your time getting to know all the technology behind a camera, the perfect lighting techniques, and all the ins and outs of your camera... This is all good information to have, but unless you can get into the heart of a captured moment in time, your work will likely lack the unique, ground-breaking, or touching effect of that of a contemporary portrait photographer. So, if you want to create your own nouveau, contempo style, delve into the art and soul of photography just as much as you study the rules, regulations, and equations formed by others before you.