Famous Portraiture Photographers to Inspire

Photographers to Inspire.

Since the inception of the craft, Photography has become a medium with so many ‘greats’. Photographers who explored the very early stages of photographic practice, to those of modern times. I have selected a few Photographers who have created captivating portraits. You don’t need to be a photographer to admire their work – it speaks for itself.

Each image here links back to the photographer’s website or archive when clicked on.

Yousuf Karsh:

https://karsh.org
One of my favourite portrait photographers. Yousuf Karsh photographed some of the greats, and in an astounding manner. These black and white images of icons and celebrities do more than just document a person, they each tell a story and truly show the character. The use of lighting and tone is used in a really interesting way, that make his work some of my favourite I have come across ever.

Steve McCurry

http://stevemccurry.com/galleries/portraits
Steve McCurry is renowned for his travel photography and portraits taken all over the world. He is an American Photographer, but has worked on various assignments for Nat Geo. His most famous photograph being ‘Afghan Girl’, which featured on one of National Geographic’s covers in 1985.

Richard Avedon

https://www.avedonfoundation.org/the-work
Richard Avedon created captivating portraits and fashion photography that still inspires people today.

Philippe Halsman

http://philippehalsman.com/images/
With an impeccable talent to capture character, the Latvian born Philippe Halsman’s work captured the strange and unusual aspects of people. Known for his vast captures of people jumping. These images are full of life and imagination.

Looking For Inspiration:

It is really inspirational to view some of the famous portraiture of history and of course that of today. I believe a portrait does more than capture or record the appearance of a person. It should inform the viewers a little about them, their character and personality too, or convey a story or mood.

The artists above proved versatile in their skill. You can see how their work grew and changed throughout their careers. This is a really big part of photography and portraiture – the ability to keep pushing for skills and interaction is what can really help a photographer develop.

Do you have a favourite photographer or a favourite portrait?

When you book in for a session, it’s a great idea to collect some work that you love to serve as inspiration, and to show your photographer.