What the Mona Lisa Can Teach about Taking Great Portrait Photos


	What the Mona Lisa Can Teach about Taking Great Portrait Photos

abailart

7-23-2008 1:21 PM

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portraits, photography, art

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7-27-2008 1:39 AM

housebg

Wonderful post, really nice way of analyzing a masterpiece from another medium for tips to improve our photographic skills.

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<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://www.clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/a840e367-77a5-46cd-8af2-51daba4be434/1D1B9CFB-C019-4F29-B6B5-43D19438DFFC/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/" href="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/" style="font-size: 11px;">digital-photography-school.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><div align="center"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/digital-photography-school.com/img/410BDCAF-FB61-4E7C-91A3-75D1F8DF9516" alt="Mona-Lisa" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><H3>Lessons from the Mona Lisa for Photographers</H3>
<P>Today I want to explore some of the different aspect of the Mona Lisa and point out some things that Leonardo did in painting this image that I think we could take away as portrait photographers today.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><div align="center"><img src="http://content7.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/digital-photography-school.com/img/B158314C-1BC1-42F2-8057-10B661E10C81" alt="mona-pyramid.png" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><P>
One of the compositional elements that the portrait is known for is Leonardo’s use of a pyramidal composition which shows the subject with a wider base at her arms and her hands forming the front corner and everything is in place to draw the eye up her body to her eyes and her infamous smile.
</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><P>The same form of composition can work for us. While I wouldn’t dare suggest that this is the only or best way to set up a portrait shot - the pyramidal composition is one worth trying.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><div align="center"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/digital-photography-school.com/img/96C53500-ABD1-484C-B0CB-F8985E786267" alt="mona-hands.png" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><H3>The Pose</H3></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><div align="center"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/digital-photography-school.com/img/451F3F59-087A-45B1-966F-17C428A3614F" alt="mona-background.png" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><H3>The Background</H3></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><div align="center"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/digital-photography-school.com/img/56AAB0E2-24B5-47CE-A6B0-F2BBBDC711A4" alt="light-1.jpg" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><H3>Light</H3></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><div align="center"><img src="http://content7.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/digital-photography-school.com/img/BF6D6BAD-C869-454D-8786-3042B6A762BA" alt="mona-lisa-clothes.jpg" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><H3>Clothing</H3></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><div align="center"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/digital-photography-school.com/img/742BB2A9-7064-453C-8E70-5791A2277105" alt="mona-lisa-framing.jpg" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><H3>Framing</H3></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><div align="center"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/digital-photography-school.com/img/C011A66B-C4EA-402D-A966-6491CC4134D4" alt="mona-smile.png" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits/"><H3>Mystery</H3></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/1D1B9CFB-C019-4F29-B6B5-43D19438DFFC/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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