01

Portrait
Photography

L3 Photography
Development of the smile
History 02
PORTRAITS IN 19TH CENTURY
For centuries a painted or sculpted portrait was the only way to
record a face, be it a king, a hero, a socialite or celebrity. The
invention of photography in 1839 changed all this, giving many
aspiring photographers the opportunity to earn a good living
recording the middle class in formal studio portraits.

to smile or not to smile?

SMILES - DISCUSSION
Why did people not smile in early photography?
Technology v culture
What technology reasons would there be?
What social reasons may there be?
03 Technology
The first photographs were taken in
the late 1820s, and the new medium
developed throughout the rest of the
century as a practical tool, artistic
form and social activity.

Original Purposes:
Vintage Daguerreotype Camera

Preserving history
Recording criminals (Allan
pinkerton’s national detective
agency) 1870-
Preserving the dead, High
mortality rate
Popularity rose in 1888 when Eastman
Kodak company introduced the Kodak
no.1 camera
Watch this video https://youtu.be/JoxGEymA8ro
 04
Social
POWER, STATUS & NOBILITY
Portraits and portraiture started out as paintings. Usually, these types of
portraits were done to show power, status, and nobility and were typically
reserved for the wealthy. However, once photography became popular in the
late 1800s with the release of the very first Kodak cameras, portraiture
became popular and was more available to the masses.
Portrait and self-portrait photography replaced paintings because of their
convenience and their ability to capture photos of many people, such as a
family, all at once without tedious sitting sessions.

Social
 Say "Cheese"
05
Why Do People Always Look So
Serious in Old Photos?

time.com/4568032/smile-
serious-old-photos/

The few studies of the smile in

Look so serious in photos

photography relate the “Say

cheese” custom to the speedy
camera shutter, attractive faces
in media and politics, and the
rise of dental care which
created the aesthetic of the
teeth.
 06
Item 5 Item 1
20% 20%

Item 4 Item 2
20% 20%

Painting to Photography
Item 3
20%
 07
Check them
out

Marketing Strategy | Fiscal Year 2020

HTTPS://WWW.DIGITALPHOTOMENTO
R.COM/FAMOUS-PORTRAIT-
PHOTOGRAPHERS-HISTORY/
08
Freezing the smile

ADVANTAGE 1 ADVANTAGE 2 ADVANTAGE 3

Freeze the action More control Time - speed

https://mrelectric.com/blog/the-evolution-of-flash-photography
A new era of 09
smiles
A move away from record & document
"Not what you look like... what you are like"
Discuss Venture's style and techniques in
capturing expression and character.

https://www.venturephotography.com/your-

Olan Mills to Venture

gallery/page/3/?group_id=17

2013 gallery https://youtu.be/-ZOPY-53H3A20

2019 gallery https://youtu.be/sF6tgOXYAs8?

t=188
Flash photography in high street studios

10

Freezi
ng the
action
Task
Write an article on the history of photographic portraits
11
Include:

Your own research and notes from class

How have advancements in technology changed the
way we look in portraits (serious to smiles over the
years), consider painters, Louis Daguerre, shutters,

History of the smile in portraits

flash etc.
How have social and economic issues affected the
way we look in portraits and have access to
portraits? consider costs, trends, status etc
How has Venture Studios embraced new technology
(Discuss their style and techniques used to capture
expression and tell stories in their portraits)
Use images from photographers to illustrate your
points and create a well presented article
throughout.