Ephemeral, always changing, portraits are all about capturing a person or persons in a precise moment of time. Portraits were once only about facial expressions, but creative photographers look for much more than that now such as personality or mood. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but pictures can lie. They can be staged. Masters of portrait photography build their picture down to the tiniest detail to relay that moment of time to viewers. Here are 13 creative portraits and 12 portraiture photographers.

Firestarter by David Roth

(image credit:issuu)

Photographer David Roth captured this image. His focus was on the little girl’s face, her expression, and her eyes tell a story. He did not, however, get stuck in the middle of the frame. His subject is not centered. The unfocused background shouts important details. In this case, he labeled the picture Firestarter. She’s just an innocent bystander. Or is she?

Traditional VS Non-traditional

(image credits:V.I.P.,Luster Studios)

Weddings and engagements are an important time to record the moment. Some photographers like from V.I.P. use more traditional means to capture what the subject wants remembered, the dress, the moment, the play of light. In creative portraits, the photographer can think out of the box. If a couple particularly enjoys a certain setting like the woods, then photographers from Luster Studios record the moment there. Portraits can be as varied as the people in the pictures.

Creative Portrait

(image credit:Wedding Photojournalist Association)

Some portraits are stunning due to the creative photographer changing the the angle of attack and the setting for a shot. This unique portrait of a Mexican wedding by Sol Tamargo clearly considers what the photograph says. The wedding couple has an affinity for doing things differently and a great love for the water. What the photo says is even more important than the picture itself.

Boudoir Photos — Annie Leibowitz

(image credit:Lost At Eminor)

Annie Leibowitz is famous for her creative portraits which show a close collaboration between her subjects and her ability to capture the moment. In this case, Johnny Depp and his wife will forever have this image of intimacy recorded. The visual interest here is less on the background settings than the subjects, however the sparse background speaks volumes in this scene. Leibowitz’s claim to fame comes about by her selecting subjects to photograph who “Open their hearts and souls and lives to you.”

Valley of Regret

(image credit:Leah Johnston)

When an image so perfectly captures an emotion, this is great creative photography. In this case, Leah Johnston uses her photos as an illustration to her poetic verse. This portrait is titled Valley of Regret. She has assembled a collection of her uniquely stirring photographs and touching poems on Flickr.

Fairy Tales Do Come True

(image credit:abc news)

A true versatile master of photography, Annie Leibovitz got her start at Rolling Stone. She has been commissioned by hundreds to tell their tale through a portrait. She snapped this shot for Disney to celebrate their famous fairy tales. The play of light upon the glass slipper and the background setting need no written words to evoke a memory of Cinderella.

Drama

(image credits:ferenc bizSimon Green Photography)

Drama has been captured on film for more than a hundred years. There are times when the picture mixes a lighthearted jest with a more serious meaning. Photographer Alicia Nicole gives us humor with the mustache about a sometimes serious subject of a woman surviving in a business world. Commercial Advertising Photographer Simon Green paints a vivid image with his camera of this princess dressed in red but resting as if dead upon the rocks.

Individual

(image credit:Pippin Design,Dreamtime Studio)

Photographers use their creativity to show their subject’s individuality. Julie Pippin snapped this shot of her subject in the ocean. Many women might not choose this, but many would love to display their individuality in this way. Advertising Fashion Photographer Shane was inspired to take this portrait to not only show off the black gloves but to also illustrate her own individuality, talent and artistic ability.

Fantasy

(image credit:Nina Pak)

Nina Pak takes fantasy portraits that embrace symbolism yet likes to keep an element of mystery in her work. Instead of depending upon the background, she pulls texture into the picture along with the subject. Since a portrait is about the subject, she zooms in and fills the frame with all the emphasis on her subject.

Photojournalism Portraits

(image credit:Iris Photography)

Lead photographer for Iris, Jane Shauck, is a world-class photojournalist. She takes series of portraits to record more than a moment, but the entire event such as a wedding. In classic style, she focuses in this picture on the subject’s face, her hands, and her expression while the background is unfocused yet important enough to not completely center the subject in the frame. The element of enigma remains while the story, the photograph, tells the event like daguerreotypes of old have since 1839.

When a photographer creates a picture that matches the creative vision of the artist, successfully tells the story the artist needed told, the photograph is considered fine art. However, there is not one standard and universally accepted definition of fine art; what achieves satisfaction for an artistic photographer can be as diverse as tastes in art by people in all cultures.  Fine art photographs are often one of a kind, from an era long past, and taken by photographers made famous previously in the world of photography.  As the years progressed, photos considered fine art have evolved as the photographers and technology changed the way pictures are taken. So too has society’s perception changed regarding what is considered fine art. Thus photography that is fine art is now decided upon by each individual and what that person considers to be beautiful. It is the photographer and the beholder of the picture that decide if the photo is treasure or trash. Here is a collection of fine art photography: the work of 24 famous photographers.

Ansel Adams

(image credits:The Ansel Adams Gallery)

Ansel Adams was a master of fine art photography. He would pour 18 hours a day into his labor of love, his art. Neither he, nor his camera, knew the meaning of a day “off.” He loved his work though, and it shows. His photographs are legends and some of his classics include Mt. McKinley, Wonder Lake (top left), Half Dome, Merced River, Winter (top right), Rose and Driftwood (middle left), Jeffery Pine Sentinel Dome (bottom left) and Moon and Half Dome (bottom right.) He was a huge activist for the environment and the wilderness.

Robert Mapplethorpe

(image credits:Robert Mapplethorpe)

Robert Mapplethorpe was another epic fine art photographer. As often as not, however, his photos stirred controversy and would be banned from an art gallery. Mapplethorpe sometimes used a Polaroid and stated, “it was more honest.”  A true artist, he snubbed his nose at social acceptance and conventional projects in favor of nudes, provocative S&M photographic documentation, or whatever caught his fancy. He caused ripples in the artistic community and was a powerful force in shaping fine art. The upper right photo is his self portrait.

Andrew Prokos Architecture and Landmarks

(image credits:Andrew Prokos)

As in all arts, fine art photography can be broken down into specific genres as well as photos that blur the lines and mix categories. Andrew Prokos is one such photographer. Although he has captured many black and white traditional fine art photos, his skillful shots include architectural and landmark collections such as: Interior of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City (top left), Spires of Gaudi’s Church of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (top right), Rockefeller Center Atlas and St. Patrick’s Cathedral at Night (bottom left), and Grand Central Station Mercury Clock at Dusk (bottom right).

Andrew Prokos Landscapes Cityscapes, Skyline

(image credits:Andrew Prokos)

Prokos also specializes in skylines, cityscapes, and landscapes. He is based in New York City and the top picture is a panorama of Midtown Manhattan at dusk as seen from Queens. Also in NYC, he captured willows trees reflecting on the Loch in Central Park. In DC one fine Spring day, he snapped a panoramic view of the Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin which is beautifully framed by cherry tree blossoms. From the sea and facing toward Greece, he captured the colorful cliffs of Santorini. In another panoramic landscape (bottom left) is the Japanese bridge in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Back in NYC, he photographed a view of Hearst Tower at dusk (bottom right), showing his great range and artistic eye.

Architecture

(image credits:Blaine Ellis,D’Arcy Leck,Michael Rauner,Michael Rauner)

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder when it comes to fine art design and photography of architecture. Blaine Ellis visited Caravansarie in Central Turkey and visually captured Where Light Dwells (upper left). D’Arcy Leck concentrates on architectural, resort and travel photography such as of the Carlson Companies Headquarters building (upper right). Michael Rauner snaps shots that blend architecture and landscape like Salvation Mountain (bottom left) during his visionary state: A Journey through California’s Spiritual Landscape. Rauner also captured a what he calls a Meditation hut in Druids Heights during his same visionary journey (bottom right).

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Fine Art Photography Work Of 24 Famous Photographers