Secrets of Great Portrait Photography: Photographs of the Famous and Infamous

by Brian Smith

In this sexy, bold, beautiful book, photographer Brian Smith tells the stories behind the photos and lessons learned in 30 years of photographing celebrities and people in all walks of life. A Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, Smith is the luckiest guy on the planet. He's told Bill Gates exactly what to do for an entire hour, exhibited at the Library of Congress, appeared on The X Factor, dined with the President and 3,000 of his closest friends, shared cupcakes with Anne Hathaway, and gotten drunk with George Clooney . . . all in the service of getting the perfect portrait.

In this juicy guide to shooting professional portraits, Smith shares his insider tips on connecting with people, finding the perfect location, telling a great story through portraiture, getting just the right pose, capturing emotion and gestures, arranging unique group shots, and getting just the right light. Throughout, you'll stay inspired by the breathtaking images included of the famous and infamous-Venus and Serena Williams, Gene Hackman, Cindy Crawford, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, The Bee Gees, Antonio Banderas, Shaquille O'Neal, Anne Hathaway, Ben Stiller, Sylvester Stallone, and others.

You might not be shooting the rich and famous yourself, but after reading Smith's tell-all guide, you'll know how to make every person who makes their way in front of your camera look and feel like a celebrity.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction

255 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tries to be like Joe McNally but without the awesome little needy photo tips. It's great that he's photographed so many people but I'd love to hear more details about setup.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the book is dedicated to celebrity anecdotes rather than practical (or philosophical) photography advice. It's fun to read about some of the shoots, but hasn't been very helpful. Heisler's "50 Portraits" is a far superior book about how-tos of portrait photography.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

93 - 2019

[YS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great portrait book with helpful insights on Smith’s creative process. He provides valuable tips, tricks, and technical guides on how he approaches his work, photo subjects, lighting setups, etc.

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, yes. Helpful to me as a photographer, only somewhat.

Smith presents a wide range of captivating portraits, each with a little background, and many with an anecdote or personal observation. The book is well organized; the information is clearly presented; and the explanations are typically bite-sized, not too detailed. It all makes for interesting reading (and observing), which I enjoyed.

Regarding helpful, my reaction is more mixed. As an amateur photographer, I learned (or re-learned) some useful insights into portrait photography--preparing in advance, building rapport with the subject, selecting lighting, choosing a lens--but many of Smith's experiences are totally foreign to me. As a no-assistant photographer, I never "weigh whether one assistant is enough or if two or three will make the shoot go more smoothly." Nor do I work with "hair, makeup, and wardrobe stylists," and I don't have a production van or provide catering.

So it's all very interesting, but not so applicable to my daily life snapping a few photos.

[Tom Libertiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was referred to this book as a source for advanced lighting tips.

Buried in this book are some useful tips on lighting, particularly toward the end of the book starting with the chapter on "Soft Light." Also, Chapter 12, "Lights, Camera and Lens" was helpful--to the point that it unexpectedly helped me to purchase the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 as our new compact camera and backup to our full-size Nikon DSLR. Useful information is in this book but I had to read through a bunch of topics that I wasn't interested in to find the photography and lighting tips.

The upside: This book compelled me to find a photography instructor/coach. An hour with a good instructor/coach will take you much further than this book.

[Ryan Cee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bad: Purchased through Kobo for my iPad, the photo quality is TERRIBLE. Seriously, very low resolution and it makes me wish I'd spent the extra $10 on the print version as all the pictures look like they were enlarged from a smaller scan to fit the ipad, which causes them to lose a serious amount of detail. Also, I'm reading on a non-retina display iPad, so I can't imagine what it looks like on a 2012 model.

The Good: The knowledge contained in the book is amazing, and well worth the read! If you get it, pick it up in print, and not through the Kobo store if you plan on reading it on anything larger than a phone.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smith has been my favorite photography read of the year. He doesn't tell you how to light, he tells you to read your people. Sharing his experience of years of celebrity portraiture, he uses his experience to create a really light, upbeat, easy read that is highly informative. The book isn't broken down into chapters, it's broken down into photos that further illustrate his points. It flows well and can easily be a five minute page or two a night read or a straight through in one go read entertaining as well as informing you the nuances of portraiture.

[thirtytwobirds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but there are better ones out there.

This book definitely has an advertising slant (as opposed to photojournalism or fine art). That's not necessarily a bad thing if that's what you're looking for.

There are a LOT of photos in here. Some only get a paragraph or two of description. I think it would work better with fewer photos and a bit more about each one. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of good advice, but I'd like to hear a bit more about the thoughts and process behind each photo.

[Gladstone Taylor]

An easy read, each case or image isn't too lengthy, he sticks to the point of how he connected with the subject over came any obstacles faced and gives a hint of how he lit the image. The main emphasis is not on the lighting or technical aspects of photography though he goes beyond that to the interpersonal skills and critical thinking / decision making that sometimes end up in you having a one of a kind image.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good advice in here but I would have liked more portraits of ordinary people, and fewer shots of celebrities.