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 and boudoir, maternity sessions and so on. View the portraits and other photos we’ve zeroed in on this week and read the backstories on the how they were created.

Portrait of a Fashion Designer: LaQuan the Icon

Photographed by fashion and beauty photographer Andrew Day for Forbes, this image of luxury fashion designer LaQuan Smith was taken in Day’s downtown NYC studio back in October as the pandemic continued to impact how photo shoots get conducted these days.

“It was a very weird time to be getting back to work and having people in the studio,” Day admits. “I took this shoot as an excuse for LaQuan and I to catch up and hang out. I asked his team to carve out a few hours in his afternoon to step away from his design studio. This way we could take some time, talk about life and family and slowly work our way into a portrait session that we could both feel like we were contributing to.”

For the shoot, Day asked LaQuan to bring a garment he designed that is near and dear to him. “These images were meant to be personality portraits,” Day explains. “I figured that since the article in Forbes would speak further on LaQuan’s career, his challenges and successes, I wanted to focus on the LaQuan that I knew. There aren’t really many people that excite me like LaQuan does in his work.” Day says he especially loves this image from the shoot because “LaQuan loves wearing these pants bunched up on his legs. But as he was putting them on, I saw that they were extremely long and I asked him to hold them up for a size comparison. That was such a graphic comparison, we both agreed that would make an interesting image.”

The photographer was also aware of the recent changes in workflow because of the pandemic. “Before COVID, everyone wanted everything to be rushed and it was always, ‘Get this shot, you have 3 minutes, go here, get this, don’t miss that.’ I’m very good at working that way, but of what use is it? This year has taught me how to make the time to create something of more meaning. In the end, my goal is to get one image that someone would want to keep with them long after the press and fame. And hopefully, a memory of a nice afternoon together.”

The High School Athlete

Normally, California-based photographer Amy Wellenkamp would take an image of high school senior and diver Jaydon Martinez as he is actually in the pool… “To me, this image encapsulates the current state of the high school athlete,” says Wellenkamp. “Jaydon is sitting on the diving board at his school where he has practiced and competed. He is fully dressed because he is at a stand still. He is not allowed to work out or practice, and the future of his sport is unknown. This being his senior year, he may never set toe in this pool again for his high school career.”

As for the actual composition itself, Wellenkamp explains that her perspective not only includes the subject, background, lines and structure, but also color. “These red shoes are a statement piece selected by Jaydon. I wanted to play off of them, so leaving the lane lines hanging up behind him was the perfect pop and engaged the eye just a little longer in the frame. I was pleased there was no wind this day so the pool was completely still, with no movement. Just waiting, like this athlete is.”

The Essence and Spirit of a Child

Renè Treece Roberts, of Luxe House Photographic in Asheville, North Carolina, says her goal with a portrait like this is to always capture the spirit and essence of a child. This particular image was taken during a family portrait session at the Asheville Botanical Gardens. “I thought the profile worked so well with the shape of the fern and the pattern it created against her skin,” says Roberts.

The family of the girl shown won Roberts’ donated shoot at a local benefit for Mama Maisha, which is a non-profit two of her friends in Asheville started. “I give to the organization every year in the form of a portrait session and prints to help raise money for the cause—to aid maternal health in Tanzania, Africa.”

Roberts says she often likes to do a mix of traditional poses and then add in her own, more creative ideas when doing portraits. “I want the client to have what they thought they wanted captured and then be wowed by the more creative shots that we typically end up printing.”

In between shots she often asks subjects to close their eyes and breathe into their stomach, hold it, and slowly let it go. “It’s magic,” Roberts says. “I usually do the breath, too. We both usually relax exponentially and drop deeper into an harmonic flow.”

Home is Where the Heart Is

Another image from photographer Amy Wellenkamp, this one with a holiday spin.

“Every year, my kids and I collaborate to put together a creative card for Christmas,” she explains. “This year I was racking my brain to see what we could do. It gets more difficult as my kids are now young adults,—Claire is a freshman in college and Jack is a senior in high school. They each have strong opinions about what is a good idea, or not, and rightly so. I proposed the idea of binding them together with vintage ceramic Christmas lights since we have all been sanctioned to be together so much this year. They agreed and then I tossed in the Home (and certainly not) Alone idea. They were huge fans of those movies in their younger years.”

The next step, adds Wellenkamp, was to decide how to add in the pets, which they do every year. “This year we have a new addition—our cat, Rocky. He is a feral cat who adopted us earlier this summer and it took 6 months to get him comfortable enough to come inside the house. Figuring out how to get him to participate in this shoot was our main challenge. I first strung the unplugged lights (vintage lights get hot real fast) around Claire and Jack and then added the dog, Hannah, then plugged in the lights and grabbed Rocky Then I took a bunch of test shots and outtakes.”

When it was time to cull the images, Wellenkamp saw this one and felt it told the story she wanted to tell the best. “We have all been together, not home alone, during the pandemic. We are better together. This cat has been a gift. Our other cat passed away two months ago, I had decided not to add another cat after we discovered she had cancer. Well, Rocky decided he needed us, and we most certainly needed him. He has been a joy and a welcome addition to our family.”

A Dreamy Elopement Photo

This couple dreamt of a moody Washington coastline elopement and that is exactly what photographer Stephanie Keegan gave them with this image taken at Olympic National Park.

“The fog was so heavy that day, that the visibility was maybe only a half a mile,” says Keegan. “This made for a dramatic scenery and the rock formations were barely able to peer through the haze. But, the tide was gracious that day, providing us with ample room to play and wander along the smooth sand.”

Amidst the chaos of 2020, this photo, adds Keegan, represents the “calm. steady and persevering love between this couple.” 

Planner/officiant: Greatest Adventure Weddings (Erika)
Florals: Rusted Vase
Hair & Makeup: Angie Evans
Dress: Grace Loves Lace 

Dig into our Photo of the Day archives for even more compelling imagery.