John Hedgecoe's Practical Portrait Photography

by John Hedgecoe

Covering a range of portrait styles, this book combines technical photographic know-how with a creative approach to portraiture. The styles include candid shots, formal groupings, children at play and celebrities and others at work. Among the topics discussed in the technical sections are types of cameras, lenses, studio lighting and flash, make-up for studio models and special effects. The author emphasizes that photographers should think about the effect they want to create and about how to reveal the character of their subjects. He offers tips on composition, evoking mood and atmosphere and making the subject feel at ease in front of the camera.

John Hedgecoe's many books on photography include "The Book of Photography", "The Photographer's Handbook" and "The Complete Guide to Photography".

Genres: Photography

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

John Hedgecoe (24 March 1932 – 3 June 2010) was an award-winning British photographer and author of over 30 books on photography. He established the photography department in 1965 at the Royal College of Art, where he was Professor from 1975 to 1994 and Professor Emeritus until his death. He was also Pro-Rector of the college from 1981 to 1993. His photographs appear in permanent collections at the New York Museum of Modern Art and London's National Portrait Gallery.

"Professor John Hedgecoe was a photographer who took the portrait of the Queen which is used on British postage stamps; as such he is credited with the planet's most reproduced image, which has so far sold more than 200 billion copies." (The Telegraph)