Best Photos for a Portrait — Kristen French Portraits

Selecting the Best Photos for a Portrait

For many clients, one of the more challenging aspects of the commission process is selecting the photo to use for the portrait. Only certain photos will make for a good portrait. Below are the different elements that a photo should ideally contain. The objective is for the photo to have at least 2 of the 4 elements listed below to be considered. However, the more of these qualities the photo has, the better the portrait.

1. Eye Level

For the best portrait, my recommendation is to have the sitter at eye-level. This vantage point drives greater engagement between the viewer and the painting, holding the viewer's attention longer. With this said, having the sitter below eye-level and even above eye-level, if done right, can prove to be an interesting dynamic.

2. Facial Angles

Traditionally, there are 3 facial angles in traditional portraiture. They are 1) the profile 2) the full-face view 3) the 3/4 view. Any of these facial angles will work in a portrait and they will each create a different effect.

Profile

The profile is the least engaging of the facial angles. It conveys a passive nobility, but when applied to the right sitter, this facial angle can be the right approach.

Full- faceThe full-face view is the most likely to engage the viewer. This is because the sitter is looking directly out of the painting at the viewer which creates a dialogue. — **Full- face**
The full-face view is the most likely to engage the viewer. This is because the sitter is looking directly out of the painting at the viewer which creates a dialogue.

3/4 ViewThe 3/4 view creates a sense that the sitter has just looked away from the viewer. So engagement with the viewer is diminished, but if the expression on the sitter's face is an active one, the painting can be a powerful one. — **3/4 View**
The 3/4 view creates a sense that the sitter has just looked away from the viewer. So engagement with the viewer is diminished, but if the expression on the sitter's face is an active one, the painting can be a powerful one.

3. Natural Lighting

Light defines colour and shape. Of the three types of lighting: 1) sunlight, 2) diffused natural light and 3) artificial light, sunlight is the preferred lighting for my portraits. It offers the richest colours as well as the best defined shapes and greatest visual impact.

The second best is diffused natural light (non-direct sunlight like natural light through solid cloud). This type of light offers a softer portrait but maintains a recognisable colour palette for the sitter's fur. As a result, photos with this type of light can be used for as the basis for a portrait.

The type of lighting to avoid is artificial light (lighting from lamps). The type of bulb in the lamp will change the colour of the sitter. When this is captured in a portrait, the effect often makes the sitter appear quite altered and in some extreme cases look unrecognisable.

4. high resolution photo

High resolution photos of >1 MB allow for the detail to be seen, down to the individual hairs. This helps inform how the painting is built and executed. Without this information, an educated guess needs to be made during the painting process, possibly leading to an end portrait that may not look exactly like the sitter.