The Portrait Project at Huntington High School
February 10, 2023
Huntington High School photography students are engaged in a portrait project. Veteran teacher Pamela Piffard presented a comprehensive lesson on the topic which including detailed examples, explanations and helpful advice.
“What is a portrait?” asked Mrs. Piffard. “A portrait is a pictorial representation of a person. It can be a drawing, painting, collage or photograph.”
Students were told “what a portrait should do” and shown examples. “Most people think a portrait is a photograph of a person that only depicts them from head to shoulders,” Mrs. Piffard said. “But a portrait can also be on your model’s feet on a skateboard. It should say something about the person you are photographing.”
Students were given an assignment that involved taking an entire roll of film of one person. “Start thinking about who you want to photograph,” Mrs. Piffard told students. “Ask yourself: Who would you like to have photos of? Who will be a good model? Who will be comfortable with you taking pictures of them? Who will be available when you are?”
Mrs. Piffard went on to discuss at length the different types of portraits, including traditional, lifestyle, conceptual, environmental/location, close-up, prop, fashion and mood, to name a few.
“Yes, a lot of the categories overlap,” Ms. Piffard said. “Which categories caught your eye more than others?”
Students were given 11 different ways of helping them make their model comfortable, including suggestions such “give them something to hold” and “ask them to fake laugh) or “ask them to recite the ABC’s.”
“Portraits can be candid,” Mrs. Piffard said. “Portraits can show whimsy and be dreamlike.” Dozens of photos were shown to students as examples.
Students were asked to complete a portrait project proposal, including who they will photograph and when, where they will do the photoshoot and what portrait style it will take, what the model will wear and what props will be used, if any. They were required to include at least four image examples of photos that can be used as inspiration for the photoshoot.
