CONTEMPORARY PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Contemporary portraiture is the exact opposite of classical. It focuses on capturing the models personality and mannerisms so the images often depict movement. Early contemporary portraiture tended to be very much directed by the photographer in order to capture expressions of happiness and have a somewhat staged feel about them 

I much prefer more modern contemporary portraiture, where the photographer tends to take a more voyeur approach, letting the models express themselves, rather than asking them to smile or pose for the photograph. This allows for more diversity in the images and captures the true personalities of the models.  It is especially good when photographing babies, children and teenagers.

My favourite contemporary portrait is one I call "From the mouth of babes". I love it because it shows just how relaxed the baby was during the photography shoot and how totally under-whelmed he was by the shoot!

The images are high key; dominated by mid-tones and highlights with lots of contrast and few shadows. Digital photography has enabled more post production effects; both in terms of perfecting the models features (although I try to keep this to a minimum) and adding effects to the images

I've also included some photographs of  pets as it is becoming more popular