Getting the most out of your portrait

I am pretty interested in the fact that you can make a request for a “composite” portrait to be painted from the elements of two or more photos.  For example, you can designate that the background is different than what is originally in the photo.  You can choose a photo with poor lighting or closed eyes as your basic framework for the portrait, and then ask that the artist extrapolate elements or details in that framework by giving them visual information from other sources, the reference photos.  This is one great benefit of having a live painter who can follow your instructions in order to see and re-create your vision of the perfect portrait.

As an aside, when you are ordering a portrait, it is important that you specify things such as – “please make the eyes look the way they do in Reference Photo #1, and make the chin look the way it does in Reference Photo #3, etc.” – since although the artist would be able to pick out those elements and combine them to make a pleasing composition, it is important that he paints it according to your taste and what you are looking for.  Remember, the more detailed all the photos you provide can be, the better.  Most likely, you intend to create a family heirloom, something that truthfully portrays the subject(s) as they will be remembered over time.  The only way to do that is to allow the artist to see the subject(s) captured with a number of pleasing facial expressions, under a couple of different lighting conditions, and from a couple of different angles.

Choosing  the best background for your portrait may be as simple as recognizing that the background originally found in the photo is the best one.  Elements, such as the lighting’s effects on the subject(s) and the spatial placement of persons within an environment, are already organically arranged and in balance with the composition as a whole.

However, the background in your chosen photo may not always be the most successful one, or what you have in mind artistically.  Consider how often we “crop” digital photos from some of their background.  The reason we do this is usually because we want the focus to be on the people in the photograph.  Portraits are defined by the fact that the attention is on the people, so the background should be chosen with this in mind.  If the background has too much detail in it, like bystanders at a famous tourist site, or a very busy wallpaper, or half of another painting, etc., then attention will be drawn away from the subjects in the portrait.

Perhaps you want to change the background based on how the people are dressed, to evoke a common theme, or you want to have the people set outdoors even though the picture was taken in air conditioning where makeup, hair, and clothing may be at their freshest.  If that was my approach to a portrait purchase, I would make sure to provide examples of the subjects under sunlight, as well.  Examples of the colors and textures found in successful backgrounds include:  green trees or grass, blue sky, and indoor plain neutral brown or blue tone backgrounds.

Author: Julie Ann

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