Timeless Portrait Photography
Last week the National Photographic Portrait Prize inspired me to revisit portraiture. This year’s winner is again an example of a classic style, with no
frills and - according to photographer Gary Grealy (we go back some thirty-five
years; we had adjoining studios in North Sydney) - a deliberate choice
to depict just the person, without distraction from background or environment; it is the subject matter that is concentrated on, with “the light” doing the
work of “painting” the sitter’s features.
![](/resources/1/4 More BLOG/Gary Grealy Richard Morecroft Alison Mackay 22.5.jpg)
Probably
all serious portrait photographers have in their memory bank as a benchmark
classic images like Yousuf Karsh’s Einstein and Hemingway …
![](/resources/1/4 More BLOG/Karsh Einstein Hemingway 22.5.jpg)
… and
some of us know Bob Martin of South Africa, another master of the genre of
great personal portraits.
Update: And wouldn't you know it, those two - Yousuf Karsh and Bob Martin - do belong in the one sentence; as it turns out, Bob was Karsh's assistant on a film shoot in Africa. Great story, Bob.
![](/resources/1/4 More BLOG/Bob Martin, Nigel Hawthorne.jpg)
the actor Nigel Hawthorne by Bob Martin
I have a
history with the National Photographic Portrait Prize, I entered twice in the
past few years … alas, I never made it to the finals. So my congratulations to
Gary are heartfelt; a great achievement (I’m green with envy, mate!).
![](/resources/1/4 More BLOG/JJ 54 minutes 6-06-2012 - 10-39 AM sm 21cm copy.jpg)
my grandson JJ, age 54 minutes
![](/resources/1/4 More BLOG/C Burmeister Brothers 22.5.jpg)
But my portraits
rarely are of the classic minimalist style that won this year. I guess my
pictures are hybrids of portrait and documentary photos, and for that reason
probably not within the guidelines of the NPPP; i.e. like the above combo of my sons and the shots from the Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras and Christmas Day
![](/resources/1/4 More BLOG/Mardi Gras Fringe.jpg)
![](/resources/1/4 More BLOG/Xmas Day 22.jpg)
... as well as photos from the series Faces at the QVB
![](/resources/1/4 More BLOG/Faces - Saskia QVB 14cm.jpg)
my daughter Saskia at the QVB
![](/resources/1/4 More BLOG/Faces - Michael Preston QVB 14cm.jpg)
retired Sydney entertainer Michael Preston at the QVB
The
greatest portrait I have ever been aware of is by Edward Steichen of New York
banker J.P. Morgan. It is said Steichen had time to shoot just two 8” x 10”
plates, and his photo depicted Morgan as the ruthless business man he was. What
a picture! Indeed a courageous move by the photographer, well beyond just fulfilling a brief (history records that Morgan loved the photo and paid the young Steichen
a handsome fivehundred dollars … the standard rate for a portrait to this day).
![](/resources/1/4 More BLOG/Edward Steichen JP Morgan 22.5.jpg)