Portraiture

A Portrait is a photo that focuses on one or more people and their personality.At first, Portraits were painted and only affordable for the rich and powerful. But when technology improved and cameras got more portable, it became easier to take photos and thus, easier to make portraits.

The relation between artist and sitter

Painting
In a painting, the subject has control over how the finished painting will make them look.

Photograph
In photography, the photographer has control over how the subject appears.

Diane Arbus
She was a famous portrait photographer who look pictures of people that society called "freaks" such as dwarfs, giants, transgender people, nudists, circus performers or just people who seem ugly or odd. As a result, she was referred to as the "Photographer of Freaks". Like a few other famous photographers, she took photos of the subject when they are unprepared to "show their true nature".

Photo taken when child lost his patience with Diane

One day she got an unusual request from the wealthy Matthaeii family to make portraits of them. When doing this, she focused on the children of the family to expose what they thought about their rich lifestyle.

Marcella Matthaei

Fashion Photography

Fashion Photography is an industry about advertising designer outfits. It is the job of the photographer to make the clothes seem as appealing as possible with the right use of background, model, lighting and sometimes even photo manipulation. With the right budget and photographer, it can also be a very creative medium when it comes to sets, lighting and angles. Usually there are hundreds of photos taken but only a few of them actually make it in.

   1. When is an image a Portrait when is it a fashion photograph?
A Portrait is a photo that focuses on the person themselves and they usually reflect on the personality of the subject. Details like clothing is aren't the focus of the photo and usually have a mundane background, like a plain white background or their living room. A portrait is normally made for private use while some magazines may use one in an article about someone.

However, in fashion the focus is on the clothing the model is wearing. These are also usually set up with a scenario where the outfit looks it's best so the audience will consider buying the outfit that it is advertising. These photos are primarily taken for fashion magazines. While the model can also be a large part of the photo (and necessary for the actual clothes), the model is never the main  focus.

   2. To what degree should an image be manipulated to go into a fashion magazine?
While it is fine to do things to the background or add a filter, I personally think manipulating the model simply makes a standard that some women think should be the norm. Manipulating the outfit itself is ultimately lying about the product. It is also fine to edit the photo if there are any problems with the photo and there's not enough time to re-shoot it. While most don't mind their photos being edited (or shopped), there have been cases of people not being too happy about it.

According to Apelbaum, there aren't any guidelines or rules that photographers have to follow. Plus, models sign a contract that allows their image to be edited. Olstad says that the designer that send over size zero of the latest line of their fashion are just as responsible as the editors.

   3. Is there a clash between the creative and commercial side of fashion Photography?
Just like all other industries, the commercial side always have the final say in what goes out because they are the ones with the resources that the creative side need to publish what they make. This can sometimes be a good thing as it can make the creative side think more creatively but at the same time it can also backfire if the commercial side are wrong. Because of this clash, most of the photos that the creative side likes don't make it through because the commercial side thinks it won't fit in with the theme or they don't think that is what would sell.