The photographic portrait is a photograph that has a person as the main subject. In making a photographic portrait the photographer strives to capture the personality of the individual (or group of individuals) in a variety of settings. Photographic portraits can be used in many contexts, from professional to personal and artistic ones.
What the books on photographic portraiture are about
Books on portrait photography are, in most cases, manuals and guides aimed at photographers (or aspiring ones). In this sense they can cover topics such as lighting, composition, posing and post-processing. They can also provide advice on how to work with subjects, build rapport with them, and create a comfortable environment for shooting – attributes that amateur photographers often don’t even consider when shooting a portrait.
Among the other topics are those related to the use of equipment, especially lenses and those dedicated to lights, as well as the various techniques for capturing moods and emotions precisely through portraits.
Books to read on photographic portrait
Among the most interesting books and among the most useful guides on photographic portraiture on Amazon is Photographs by Sarah Plater, a book that addresses the basics of photographic portraiture also through many useful photos as an example. Also Understand the portrait by Bryan Peterson explains how to capture the intimate and personal moments when shooting a photographic portrait and how to make portraits with great impact.
Among the must-read books on this subject is also Educate the eye by Roswell Angier, published by Zanichelli in 2008. The volume deals with the theoretical and practical aspects, in particular the technical ones, focusing in particular on the characteristic of the gaze which becomes an integral and fundamental part of the same depicted subject.
The perfect portrait by Chris Knight is a manual that provides lots of advice on how to make the best photographic portraits through the modeling of lights and shadows and how to improve a portrait with the most appropriate equipment and through color control and post-production.
List of the best books on portrait photography on Amazon
And now the “ranking” of the 10 best books on photographic portrait that are present on Amazon:
FAQs on photographic portrait books
What are the top three books on portrait photography on Amazon?
What is the best portrait photography course?
What is the best book to understand photographic portraiture?
What is the best photography portrait manual book?
What is the best photography manual on photographic portrait?
What is the best book on male photographic portraiture?
Summary table of the best books on photographic portraiture
| Title | Author | Edition | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portraits. Complete course of photographic technique | Plater, Sarah; Wilkinson, Paul (photographer) | 2017 | 176 |
| Understand the portrait | Peterson, Bryan | 2021 | 192 |
| Educate the eye. Practical and theoretical introduction to photographic portraiture | Angier, Roswell | 2008 | 224 |
| The perfect portrait. The art of creating with light and shadow in photography | Knight, Chris; Poli, Paolo (translator) | 2018 | 238 |
| Photographs | McCurry, Steve; Ribacchi, C. (translator) | 2015 | 496 |
| The male portrait. Posing, lighting and shooting techniques for portraits and fashion photography: 1 | Rojas, Jeff; Postinghel, P. (translator) | 2016 | 242 |
| Photography course: the portrait | Jenkinson, Mark | 2012 | 224 |
| Photographic portrait. Stopped | Marè, Alex | 2021 | 220 |
| The photographic portrait. The equipment, the light, the background, the composition: 1 | Meyer, Tim; Rand, Glenn; Maselli, Giulia (translator); Cortese, Luca (translator) | 2016 | 199 |
| The portrait and the instant | Mark, Mary Ellen | 2017 | 128 |