Portrait photography is to capture a person`s face, ideally or the likeness of a group of people in a flattering manner. Although the entire body of a person is shot, the main focus remains the face of the person being photographed. Many people enjoy having professionally made family portraits to hang in their homes, or special portraits to commemorate certain events, such as graduations or weddings. Photographers in studios practice portraiture. Photographic studios prefer their subjects; say men, women children or pets to be brought to the studio for portraits so that they may get the benefit of proper lighting and background. However, there is an increasing demand for portraits in home, garden or workplace, especially in the case of children`s portraits. Photographers working on portraits have to attempt to capture the most natural expression. A portrait photograph should embody some element that reveals the true character of the individual. Portrait photographers need the ability to help people relax in front of the camera.

Portrait photography has been around since the invention and popularization of the camera. Earlier kings and queens used to have artists to paint their portraits but with the invention of the camera the long work was reduced to a few minutes and one had the portrait of their full family. It is also a cheaper method that portrait painting. Earlier the subjects were generally seated against plain backgrounds and lit with the soft light of an overhead window and whatever else could be reflected with mirrors. As the equipment became more advanced, the ability to capture images with short exposure times gave photographer more creative freedom and thus created new styles of portrait photography. Contemporary portrait photographers strive not only to capture a person`s likeness, but also the person`s mood and thoughts in an instant in time. With the development of photographic techniques, photographers took their cameras to war fields, across oceans and also in wilderness to capture the various essence of portrature.

Lighting plays a vital role in portrait photography as the subject has to be lit properly to bring out that particular kind of emotion. The photographer has complete control over the lighting of their subject and can adjust direction, temperature, quality, and contrast to meet any requirements. The basic lights used are key light, fill lights, kicker lights, and background lights. The photographer has to be careful about shadows and has to work accordingly.