What Makes a Portrait Timeless?
Like most of us, you’ve probably had several professional photo sessions in your life - maybe you think back to your senior photos, headshots, family portraits and more, and as you look back on them, you can probably immediately pick out which of those gave you photos you still enjoy and display today and which ones you haven’t looked at in years. What makes the difference between “just a good photo” and a portrait that’s truly timeless, one that you’ll enjoy for decades? As a metro Seattle photographer, I’m sharing exactly what makes a portrait timeless.
Personal Authenticity
The goal for a portrait isn’t just to take a photo that makes you look beautiful or handsome. The real magic comes in when you have a portrait that really captures you, one that feels like it genuinely represents who you are. That’s one of the trickiest things to create when you’re learning photography, and there are even plenty of pros who have a hard time with it. But at its core, this authenticity comes from your photographer taking the time to get to know you and talk to you about yourself and your vision for the session, and customize the session to suit you.
Comfort and Confidence
One of my favorite aspects of photography is the fact that it brings back so many memories in such a rich way. You can look at a photo and mentally revisit that day, including the experience you had and the way you were feeling. That’s why the way you’re feeling during a photo shoot is so important, and it’s a major reason why my sessions all include professional hair and makeup.
When you feel confident and self-assured in your photo shoot, that joy and confidence comes through in the portrait and it’ll inspire that within you every time you look at the portrait. That’s the photo you want to see every day.
Aesthetics That Accentuate, Not Distract
A great portrait isn’t just about the way you look, but it’s about the look of the rest of the photo too. The key, though, is constructing a portrait (including the background and other details) that draws attention to you rather than distracting the attention from you. For example, you want a classic outfit that isn’t hyper-specific and trendy, otherwise it’ll look dated in just a few years.
It’s all about having a setting and styling that casts you as the main character rather than stealing focus from you, and having an aesthetic that complements you and brings out your beauty, not overshadows you.
Premium Quality
I know that phone cameras keep getting better resolution with each model, but they’re still nowhere near the quality you get from a truly professional camera, and that quality difference really shows up when you want to display your portrait. What’s even more important, though, is the high quality of how the portrait is composed, captured, and edited.
Your photographer isn’t just finding good angles, we’re constructing the perfect portrait for you with so many details that you don’t even see, from camera settings to lighting to positioning and so much more. There’s just no getting around the quality difference you get from a professional Seattle photographer.
Ready to have your own timeless portrait of you or your family that you can enjoy every day? Contact Jaimié Birtel Photography and let’s book it!
