Portrait Photography

Portrait photography, called portraiture, is the business of photographing people. Portraiture includes many levels of photography, from photographers who travel between schools, talking student and faculty photography, to those who own private portrait and wedding studios, to photographers who specialize in fine-art celebrity photography. Portrait photographers’ fees vary greatly depending on their reputation and location. Portrait photography may be used for business brochures, in company directories, or as keepsakes for personal enjoyment.
     
Advertising photography is designed to sell products or services by capturing a viewer’s attention. It can be found in magazines, newspapers, and catalogs. The portrait photography may stand alone, or they may be combined with words to sell a product or illustrate a concept. Typically, an art director or advertising agency determines the content of the picture and hires a photographer to create the image. The image may be a still life of a company’s product, or the photograph may try to elicit an emotion the advertiser wishes to associate with a product. Male and female models are often used to create moods, especially in fashion photography. The photographer visually translates the idea into the final image using a variety of tools and techniques. He or she charges a daily rate for taking photographs, plus expenses, including the cost of hiring freelance assistant, stylist, and makeup artist when necessary. Some of the technical elements a photographer must skillfully control, include sharpness, exposure, lighting, composition, and color reproduction.   
      
Stock photography refers to existing photographs that may be purchased for a fee and reproduce in an advertisement, book, magazine, or other medium. Freelance portrait photography usually take time, with the hope that they may be purchased. Stock photographs can be of any subject but are often broad in theme, so they can be applicable to may situation. The best stock photographs usually evoke general moods and ideas rather then specific things or place. For example, a photographer may take a picture of a thunderstorm or tornado in the hope that a textbook or encyclopedia uses it to illustrate an article about weather. Likewise, a car dealership could use the same photo in an advertisement to symbolize the power of their automobiles. A stock agency acts as a library and marketer for the work of its photographers by cataloging their photographs and renting them to customers. A stock photograph costs much less than a commissioned  photograph. Users pay a rental fee based on the scope of distribution of the picture. Users can see exactly what they are getting, and deadlines are easier to meet because the pictures   are readily available.