Portraiture

The subject's expression, pose, gaze, and distance from the setting are legible, with a person or animal tending to occupy the image's center.

Visual traits

• One clear subject or a small group
• A viewpoint that makes expression or pose legible
• A setting that supports rather than displaces the subject

Expected changes

• The subject is more likely to read as the center of the image
• Gaze
• expression
• pose
• and distance from the setting are more likely to support the subject
• The setting is more likely to remain at a scale that supports the subject's presence

Definition

Portraiture places a person or animal at the center as an identifiable subject and conveys expression, pose, relationship, or presence. A setting may be included, but the subject remains primary. It is distinct from a face-only close-up, a standalone clothing product image, and a landscape with a small incidental figure.

In more detail

Portraiture builds a subject's presence through gaze, expression, pose, hands, clothing, and distance from the setting. It includes individual human portraits, animal portraits, and small group portraits. It does not prescribe region, period, occupation, emotion, medium, or capture method; an unoccupied interior or an expanse of terrain as the subject belongs to a different genre.

Includes

• Portraits that present a person or animal as the image's subject
• Group portraits centered on the relationship or expression of a small number of people

Excludes

• Works centered on an unoccupied interior or landscape itself
• Product images showing only clothing or objects without an identifiable subject
• Medical or cosmetic close-ups of only part of a face

What this does not imply

• A particular person
• age
• gender
• ethnicity
• or occupation
• A particular emotion
• clothing
• region
• or era
• A medium or production method such as photography
• oil paint
• or watercolor

Variability

Subject scale, frontal view, and amount of setting vary with the desired intimacy and group size. Portraiture remains possible without a setting when expression or pose reads as the subject.

Usage

• Keep a person or animal as the subject rather than showing only the setting
• Specify era
• clothing
• emotion
• or medium separately when needed

Distinguish similar expressions

• Use landscape or cityscape when the expanse of terrain or city is the subject
• Specify a deliverable format separately when requesting a poster or cover

Typical uses

• Structure a finished image around a person's or animal's expression and pose
• Create a small group portrait that foregrounds relationships over the setting

Possible failure modes

• Making the person or animal small in the setting so landscape becomes the subject
• Cropping to only part of a face so presence or pose cannot be read
• Centering only clothing or accessories while the person is absent