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. View some of the eye-catching portraits and photos that stopped us in our tracks this week for the way the photographers were inspired by others as well as themselves. In some cases, their creative imagery also resulted in written expression.

This shoot of MMA fighter and trainer Tom Taylor by Matt Marny of MattzPixz Photography took place at the gym Tom works out of in Currumbin, Gold Coast, Australia.

“Tom had contacted me to arrange some promo photos for his website and social media to highlight his skills and to attract more clientele,” says Marney. “He wanted some images that would show power, strength and intensity, and some aggression.”   

Marney adds that what he loves about the image is how “Tom’s fierce aggression has been captured. You can feel the power of his flying knee. The lighting works well for the shot as it’s quite edgy to fit the mood, and the kicker light separates Tom just enough from the background. We also applied some oil to his skin to give a bit of a sheen.”

This timeless holiday portrait was taken by Natalie Licini of Je Revele Fine Art Photography in Highland Park, New Jersey.

“This beautiful five-year-old has a big bold personality,” says Licini. “She’s an old soul. We did three different luxe shots for the holiday portrait and this was a special dress for the child that we shot at the very end of the shoot (since it didn’t coordinate with the rest of the family); she wanted something special just for her.”

[Read: How Judges’ Critiques Motivate Photographers in WPPI’s Photo Competitions]

When it comes to photographing children, Licini ask her clients to arrive at their appointment early and she gives them at least 20 minutes to settle in. “I give them time with me get to know me and feel comfortable at the studio, and then they start to get dressed. I find that children typically need a little more time to settle in!” 

Victor Marti of El Marco Rojo says this wedding took place in Toledo, Spain, in the Palacio de Galiana.

“I love this image because it is made unlike those that are normally made at the party from afar, at a distance that is not usual,” says Marti. “I like to take these photos when I can because I have to have a space to see the characters portrayed and it’s not always possible. Of course, the work of my assistant is fundamental, raising the light as much as possible and directing it from above.”

[Read: How to Add Very Personal Touches to Your Wedding Client Experience]

When it comes to creative imagery, Andrea Calvery tops our list for most original. She says the inspiration for this self-portrait started with the “plague doctor mask” she found while antique shopping in town [in Waxahachie, Texas].

“I used my camera on a tripod and connected my iPhone to the Imaging Edge app to trigger my camera,” she explains. The image, titled “Adieu”, also inspired Calvery to write this:

The hand black with the soot of sickness and strength. 
Time…stood still, ran together, ran away…. 
A heart broken and put back a million times tougher, numb, new…
We have lost much,
We have gained much, 
…here we are still standing.
Adieu Covid, leave. 

Photographed in Barnardsville, North Carolina, the purpose of this image, says photographer Renè Treece of Luxe House Photographic, was to “get a group of people together and see how they can interact with each other in ‘containers’ made by nature. Also, it was a way to mark a significant growth stage of my own life.”

When asked what she loves about this image, Treece says, “The feeling I get when I look at it. It feels like caring. It inspired me in many ways, writing being one of them:

What if 
We laid like rocks
On the shore
Stacked up sweetly
Like nature intended 

What if
We took long walks 
into the wilderness 
Arms hooked around our people
Uncaring who was watching 
Timeless 
Weightless of worry 
and only there 
for the Growing

What if nature 
was our Grandest Grandmother 
and she held us like a newborn 
in the crevice of her neck and shoulder 
and when the curve of our bodies 
was held just right by the bends 
Made by her and the river
We could finally breathe
all the way down to our toes 

What if we put down all the shoulds
Heavy and stunting
and replaced them with coulds
Light and prolific
and walked 
Shoulders Back 
into the deep Unknown

Dig into our Photo of the Day archives for even more compelling and eye-catching portraits and creative imagery.