Top fine art portrait photography tips

Fine art photography is the art of capturing and presenting what the artist envisions, which is beyond what the lens can see. It is a creative process carried out with intent and meaning with the goal to deliver emotion and impact. Fine art portraits are more than just standard headshots or documentary shots; they are deliberate creations full of individual expression.

Trevor and Faye Yerbury, top fine art photographers, share their expert advise on how to get started with fine art photography.

Tips for fine art portrait photography

Define your idea

What do you want your portraits to be about? Do you want them to present an emotion, mood, or feeling? Consider what your portraits will be representing, and also do some research. Research your themes and take a look at the work of other artists.

Find out more about what fine art photography is and how to find ideas or concepts for your fine art project.

Check model references

Trevor and Faye Yerbury say, ‘Models can be found online via various model pages, but check their references for reliability and punctuality so you will not be disappointed on the day of the shoot. Models, whether male or female, should be made to feel comfortable and relaxed in your company. If you are a male photographer, having a wife, partner, or hair/make-up artist on the shoot is helpful.’

You should also consider whether you need just one person to model, or two or more to put across your ideas.

Think carefully about your model selection and check references. Credit: Faye Yerbury

Get to know your model

‘Spend some time with your subject and find out why he/she wants the portrait taken. This knowledge will allow you to generate ideas. As a portrait photographer, you get to spend time with people you have never met, and this can be an invaluable educational experience.’

Likewise, if you are working with two or more models, allowing them to spend time getting to know each other as well as you, will help them feel more comfortable before the shoot.

Natasha J Bella shares her dos and don’ts of working with models here.

Lighting for fine art portrait photography

Lighting can be kept simple, or you could try using lighting to manipulate the image to create harsh contrasts, for example.

‘In our studio, we work mainly with one large softbox and a gold reflector, or a beauty dish and reflector. These simple setups provide great starting points and allow us to concentrate on our subjects. On location, we work exclusively with natural light.’

Credit: Trevor Yerbury

Use a bespoke background

The background of your photograph will influence the look of your photograph. Simple, solid colour backgrounds can help emphasise a person’s features. Black is a popular colour to create an illusion of depth but you can also try other neutral colours or backgrounds with texture and patterns. What you decide to use should be influenced by concept behind your photography to help put across the message.

If you are working on location, outside of a studio, this still applies! The key thing here is try to avoid distractions.

Trevor and Faye said, ‘For studio work we commission our own backgrounds. We design each of them ourselves. We have never understood the point of having a background that several other people might own. On location we look for several things in a background: texture, solidity, distressed architecture, sand, or anything else that we can place a figure in front of. Our standards are high, though, so many are found but few are used.’

Consider clothing, hair, make-up and props

As with your background, consider the ‘look’ of the model. From their clothing and make-up through to props, poses and expressions – these are factors that can make or break the narrative you are trying to put across.

Credit: Trevor Yerbury

Get creative with different techniques

Experiment with different creative techniques, such as intentional camera movement, multiple exposure, digital manipulation and bokeh.

Create a portfolio

Before creating your photos, consider how if they will work alone, or as part of a series. Once you have your images compile them into a portfolio that you can share online or to others in person. Tracy Calder also shares her guide to creating a successful portfolio here.

Don’t overdo it

Consider how you edit your image in post-production, whether the image is in colour, black and white, sepia and so on. But don’t over do it, as Trevor and Faye warn, ‘We see plenty of images where the post-production has been overdone. Often skin has been softened so much that it has no texture left and can look like plastic. Too much sharpening is also a common mistake, leaving a white line around the blacks in an image.’

See some examples fine art portraits here:

Falmouth students share diverse techniques in Gweles exhibition

UWE students share first exhibition post-pandemic

Westminster graduates demonstrate resilience in degree show

AP readers’ share their powerful portrait project

Pauline Petit’s surreal portraits

Image: Gyorgy Englert, from the project Prologue to a Tango. As seen in University of Westminster graduate degree show 2022.

Fine Art and Portrait Competitions

There are a number of competitions you can enter to share your fine art portraits:

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize

Fine Art Photography Awards

EISA Maestro Photo Contest

Look up more competitions here.

Trevor and Faye Yerbury

Trevor and Faye Yerbury have won awards for portraiture, classical nudes, wedding and avant-garde work. Faye uses a Fujifilm X-T1 with 16mm-55m and 56mm prime lenses. Trevor also enjoys shooting film with a Hasselblad and 150mm lens. www.yerburystudio.com.