Portrait photography can run the gamut in type and style—everything from the traditional “head and shoulders” shot to lifestyle and environmental, candid and street, glamour, boudoir, maternity sessions and much more. Discover some of the eye-catching portraits and photos that stopped us in our tracks this week—images filled with dreamy, out-of-focus effects, quiet reflection and more.

How did this eye-catching, triumphant image come about? Photographer Laura Grier explains that on February 7th of this year, she and seven other women summited the highest point in Africa—Mt. Kilimanjaro at 19,341 feet—after 51 hours of hiking, 42 miles, numerous emotional and physical struggles, blizzards and rain, epic scenery, 10 fashion photo shoots (including this one), 8 days in tents and no showers!

“I love doing ‘goddess shoots’ where we do dramatic portraits in hard-to-get-to locations using cultural fabrics,” says Grier. “It has been a signature shot of mine from all over the world.” On this trek, she adds, they had an all-female climbing guide team, wardrobe and photo equipment porters for the photos shoots, chefs to prepare the meals, people setting up the tents and helping to “practically carry us when we were sick from altitude or just too exhausted to take another step. They became our family after 8 days on that mountain and I will never forget this experience! It literally took an army of 50 people to support us 8 women summiting safely!”

Grier says she and the other women bought a bunch of African fabrics and beaded jewelry at the market in the Maasai Mara to pay homage to the local fashion, art and culture. “Our female porters showed us how to do their traditional head wraps and helped us get dressed. We quickly realized that women are women no matter what language barrier or culture they are from. We had to carry our heavy fabric and costumes up the mountain for 8 days to get this shot, but it was so worth it! Every woman wants to be seen and feel beautiful no matter what culture you are from, so attempting to do a portrait of every woman along the way at high altitude, in difficult weather conditions, was definitely worth the challenge.”

Sharon Pye says that this couple had to cancel their destination wedding to New Orleans due to COVID lockdowns. Two years later, they traveled from San Francisco to celebrate in New Orleans as originally planned. “Here, we were just taking a side street in the French Quarter and stumbled upon these bubbles shooting out from a local bar.”

Adds Pye: “They donned their wedding attire and we hit the town. This image represents their resilience, their ability to move forward and celebrate their love no matter what and to be joyful in the present moment. I’m just so glad I caught this image. This is the type of photo I would blow up huge and frame on a wall.”

Jyo Bhamidipati of Making Beautiful Memories Photography is known for her eye-catching images filled with light and love. The photographer loves taking her daughter for bike rides along the trails in their neighborhood in Sacramento. “The evening light is always so pretty at this place, especially with the way the trees surround the walking path,” she says.

“I loved the way the light was falling through the trees here and decided to step back about 10 to 15 feet from my daughter to get that nice curvy lens haze in the image that’s typical of the Edge 35 Lensbaby when you shoot it wide open,” Bhamidipati explains. “Stepping further back to observe the light also helped me get that golden, dreamy bokeh in the scene as well. I also loved that her bike was red and her outfit was standing out as well in that beautiful flow of light. My favorite part of the image is how she’s walking the bike and calls it her friend!”

UK wedding photographer Patrick Newnham of Wildly In Love says his approach to pre-ceremony bridal shots is to convey a sense of real calmness. “The lead up to this point is normally fairly manic for all involved, so to be able to catch a moment of peacefulness is visually interesting to me and, I believe, helpful to the bride.  I don’t normally arrange their dresses or overly pose them; I want the image to be a natural reflection of the moment,” he explains.

This photo, he adds, has a real art deco feel to it and is eye-catching in its simplicity and quietness. “You can tell from the building to the gardens outside that the location was a grand house and the elegance of the bride’s dress and pose fit perfectly into the surroundings. The shadows on either side of the image help create a sense of solitude and calmness as the bride has a moment to herself before the wedding ceremony begins.”

Past Rf 30 Rising Stars Roberto Panciatici (2017) and Barbara and Federico of Studio Fotografico Bacci (2020) recently collaborated on a wedding shoot for couple Katie and Aiden that was filled with old-world beauty and charm. The ceremony took place in the city of Lucca at Henraux, a famous marble quarry, and the reception dinner was held at Galleria Romanelli, an exclusive art gallery in the heart of Florence. The wedding had eye-catching moments everywhere!

Says Barbara Fabris of Fotografico Bacci: “What I love about this image is the dream-like atmosphere and the pictorial mood given by the out-of-focus effect. The look of the bride and the way her dress ‘surrounds’ her gives the feeling of being suspended on a cloud. I find this kind of picture so romantic.”

Adds Panciatici: “With this collaboration, we each gave the space to express our own style and mood. Everything was very natural, because we all share a very similar mood and attitude during a shoot like this. We were able to create a perfect cooperation between our studios, creating a single story empowered by our point of views.”

Dig into our Photo of the Day archives for even more compelling, eye-catching portraits and creative imagery you won’t want to miss out on!