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And I promise, regardless of who wins, I won't question the outcome, ask for a re-vote, storm the offices of the Washington City Paper, or try to overthrow their management.

So click the green, square "Best of DC 2023" graphic and vote for the Sam D'Amico Photography Classes in the Washington City Paper's Best Art Class category.

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Hello , 

I appreciate this quote by photographer Patrick Demarchelier regarding portraiture. 

"The dog is the perfect portrait subject. He doesn't pose. He isn't aware of the camera." 

That's our job when it comes to outstanding portraiture, to make the subject, at least for a moment, forget they are being photographed. 

Because at that moment, they visually show us who they are. 

Here's the problem with most portraiture.

Most portraiture is formulaic.

Think of those department store portrait studios.

The lighting is all set up, and all that needs to be done is to sit the subject in a chair or posing stool and have someone, usually someone who's inexperienced in photography, press the shutter release on a camera that's on a tripod.

These aren't the best portraits.

Because while these pictures may be great for passport pictures or headshots for ID/security cards, those pictures all look the same except for the person's appearance. 

In other words, I wouldn't recommend that approach for a picture someone might use on a dating site. 

Another example of formulaic portraiture is the type of photography on location where the families all wear the same clothes. 

I get why they do it.

But these aren't the best portraits either.

Because they're formulaic and don't show the uniqueness of each person in the family or how they interact and bond. 

Body language plays a vital role in good portraiture because it gives us an idea of what a person is like.

The problem usually is that we try to pose people.

Remember when someone would tell you to say "cheese" or "smile"?

The smile was forced, and our bodies struck a pose that we believed made us look our best.

But it didn't. 

It made us look stiff and fake. 

Because we are aware of being photographed, and when posing people, we make them aware that they are being photographed, and on top of that, we pose them to make them "look better." 

But what's better than looking like our unique selves? 

When we pose people, we not only make them aware of the camera, we stifle the unique gesturing and body language that visually gives us a feeling of what people are uniquely like.  

To make a unique portrait, a different approach is to make sure our exposure and ISO setting are appropriate for the light and compositional intent of the portrait and have the subject momentarily forget that they are being photographed.

For example, for individuals, we can engage them in conversation, and while they are speaking, we can observe them.

Then, when the moment is right, when they momentarily forget about the camera,  we can raise the camera and make the picture because we have our camera settings ready to make the picture we want.

And for groups, let them fall into a natural order of their group dynamic. 

These approaches to portraiture result in pictures that show what people look like and give us a sense of what they are like.

But these approaches to unique portraiture require a good understanding of light and camera operation. 

These emails come with the intent of helping you be a better photographer. Here's an archive of them at the "Newsletter Hub." 

Ways To Learn Photography With Sam