Inspirational Photographic Portraits

Our top pick of some inspirational portraits!

Photography Has come a long way in the last 150 years.
And although I would be the first to admit a love of the nostalgic style of early days photography our love of photography today is the capturing of a moment in time when all elements are aligned in such a way as to intrigue and delight who ever looks in to the image.

Here are some inspirational Portraits as picked by our photographers at PPM, some of the Images below are historical from a bygone era while others are very modern flavour but all have a certain something that we love about them. Be it the composition, lighting and mood or retouching that has created a fantastic image that really stands out as a wonderful inspiring and lasting photographic image that have and will always pass the test of time.

Image 1:
Photographer – MIKAEL JANSSON in Los Angeles, January 2012.
Stylist – Karl Templer
Visit photographers Website

Image 2:
Photographer – Eve Arnold, American, 1912 – 2012
Magnum Photographer
Visit photographers Website

Image 3:
Photographer – Arnold Newman,
Portrait of alfred Krupp
Quote by Arnold – “We do not take pictures with our cameras,but with our hearts and minds.”
Visit photographers Website

Image 4:
Photographer – Unknown

Image 5:
Photographer – Joe Mcnally,
Visit photographers Website

Image 6:
Photographer – Julieta Cervantes, Mexican
Studied photography at the International Centre of Photography in New York.
Visit photographers Website

Image 7:
Photographer – yoshi shimizu, Japaness
From show: ex child soldiers in Sierra Leone, Africa
Visit photographers Website

Image 8:
Photographer – Mike Trobee, American located in Memphis
Visit photographers Website

Image 9:
Photographer – John Kenny,
From show: ex child soldiers in Sierra Leone, Africa
Visit photographers Website

Image 10:
Photographer – Unknown,
HDR Boxer

Image 11:
Photographer – Abhijit Biswas,
High Key Portrait
Abhijit’s photographic style is best described as graphic, conceptual and innovative, with a touch of emotion.
Visit photographers Website

Image 12:
Subject – Morgan Freeman,
Photographer unknown

Image 13:
Photographer – Adriana curcio, American, NY
Fantastically bold and graphic in style, you can see the photographer has a true love of B&W Images.
Visit photographers Website

Image 14:
Photographer – Irving Penn , American, NY 1995
1995 Portrait of Al Pacino
Visit photographers Website

Image 15:
Photographer – Irving Penn , American, NY
Fantastically bold and graphic in style, you can see the photographer has a true love of B&W Images.
Visit photographers Website

Image 16:
Photographer – Unknown
Fashion Portrait

Image 17:
Photographer – Unknown
Ultra low depth of field Portrait

Image 18:
Photographer – Unknown
Fashion Portrait (Blue wall)
Exceptional lighting, mood, background and usage of competing colour pallets.

Image 19:
Photographer – Unknown
Mime – Speak you mind
A nice usage of colour and concept

Image 20:
Photographer – Unknown
High contrast B&W Portrait
Wonder full play between light and dark with highlights illustrating form, a super graphic image.

Image 21:
Photographer – Unknown
European Gypsy
Another old image that illustrates a style of image making that is inherently soft yet detailed

Image 22:
Photographer – Unknown
Adventure /landscape Photographer on Iceberg
I personally love this image with the light and shadow reflections evening up the image and the focal point of the shining icebergs and photographer atop.

Image 23:
Photographer – Rasmus Kaessmann
Under water Volley Ball Portrait
A great usage of under water imagery and studio flash to achieve this amazingly structured image!

Visit photographers Website

Image 24:
Photographer – Richard Booth , UK
British Paralympic members in the set of images wit a wonder usage of movement in the images.
Visit photographers Website

Image 25:
Photographer – Unknown
Sitting Bull
There where many photographers during this period of great change and upheaval in the Americas, this image of sitting bull is one that represents many images and the amazing indigenous peoples of north American continent.
Wiki Sitting Bull

While checking out some of these photography greats I came across a video that i thinks help to illustrate the consept of less is more in portrait photography, here is a clip made be Joe Mcnally in 2011.