WHAT’S A PORTRAIT?
In a recent article, I read about the ‘best’ lens for a portrait. Initially, it wasn’t the lens that prompted my interest, but what do we mean when we refer to an image being a ‘portrait’? Traditionally, it has been regarded as a photograph taken within a studio. Not so, it can be taken against any background. I have photographed the great and the good, yes, in a studio, but also in their homes, their places of work, in fact, anywhere they felt at ease. We still have the right to photograph people in a public place, although it has become far more difficult than when I was working. Nowadays I usually ask someone if they would be agreeable to me taking their photograph. So a portrait can be taken just about anywhere.
Next the lens. The writer suggested the ‘best portrait lens’ was a 35mm, which would give you everything you needed for a brilliant final photograph. I didn’t disagree with the premise, but I also disagreed that there is one lens that will do the job of helping the photographer take a great portrait. There is no such thing as a ‘perfect portrait.’
The writer also appeared to miss the fact that: -
Rule number 1 - Photographers make portraits, not lenses.
Rule number 2 - then comes light and composition. The best learning process for any aspiring photographer is to visit one of the museums and study the paintings of the great masters. Here you will find remarkable examples of the use of light, composition and the presentation of great ideas.
For photographic portrait inspiration, take a look at the work of George Hurrell, a studio portrait photographer with MGM from 1930 to 1932. When he left to start his own business, he took with him his lens and the person who was his retoucher. He subsequently worked for many Hollywood studios. He was the master of light and composition and knew exactly how he wished to portray the glitterati of Hollywood.
So, what lens should you use? :-
Rule number 3 - any lens which will enable you to produce an image that matches your vision and idea. Use your imagination
Rule no 4 - Know your equipment and what it can do. Your camera and lens combination are used to achieve the image you want.
Whilst working on a TV series with Hollywood star Shirley MacLaine featuring the life and times of a photojournalist, I was tasked to take the photos that the character would have taken. I made great use of the 400mm, F6.8 Telyt lens, which enabled me to choose some of my subjects without invading their personal space.
One I particularly like is this of the vagrant.
London Series: Homeless man with a dog - here I used a Leica 50mm F2 Summicron lens.
For the headshot of Shirley MacLaine dressed as a clown, I used a Leica 135mm F.2.8 Elmarit, a much underrated lens.
For an ‘at home’ reportage on Joanna Lumley, I used Olympus equipment - the Zuiko OM F2 100mm lens was perfect for the head shots.
My 180mm F2.8 Ziess Sonnar lens, which I was using on the film set of ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ caught the attention of the director Stanley Kubrick, the brilliant American film-maker and photographer, and we agreed it was a gem of a lens. He was a most difficult man to photograph!
For Sophia Loren taking a break during filming, I used the Leica 35mm F1.4 Summilux lens.
Little girl outside Notre Dame Cathedral - shot using a Leica 90mm F4 Elmar lens, interestingly on an old screw mount Leica camera a 3A.
So the message is clear. Be adventurous and think outside the conventional ‘box’. Do not be constrained by one lens and be flexible in what a portrait should look like.
