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FT Pro, Mem SOG,'08 Cert Excellence PSA, '02 Schroeder Portrait Award Copley Soc, '99 1st Place PSA, '98 Sp Recognition Washington Soc Portrait Artists, '97 1st Prize ASOPA, '97 Best Prtfolio ASOPA
Joined: Jun 2001
Location: Peterborough, NH
Posts: 1,114
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Candid snapshot vs. formal photo
"Candid snapshots," unless the photographer gets lucky, seldom have an overall "plan."
Such as: Shadows seldom have any pattern and do not necessarily flatter the subject. Hands and feet are often "clunky" looking and aren't paintable as posed. Camera angles cause distortion. No care is taken to shoot the model at eye level. The clothing is often boring and not very paintable. The background does nothing to enhance the figure, etc., etc., etc..
"Formal Portraits" are posed with some overall design in mind. The lighting is set up to enhance the figure and shadow patterns tend to be thought out in advance. The clothing is carefully selected and arranged to be "paintable."
There is a book by David Seidner called "Portraits" that is chock-a-block full of "paintable" photographs. Each one has been carefully thought out and it shows. The cover photo appears below, and as you can see, it is NOT a "candid snapshot."
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