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  Photography Tips
  
When producing portraits from a photograph, it is important to have a clear, well-lit likeness from which to work.  It is impossible to draw what you cannot see.
  
Portrait photos should never be made using a flash or strobe as these tend to remove or flatten the shadows that give the face definition.  Unless the background is to be part of the portrait, try to pick a backdrop that contrasts to the subject's hair color.  The photo to the right illustrates good lighting and background choices.
 
Facial contours, the shape and placement of features, skin texture and expression all contribute to the unique combination that results in a good likeness.
 
 
Walt
  
  Some are concerned that a good sharp photo will shed an unkindly light on features they would prefer to deemphasize.  It is probably true that none of us is entirely happy with our own appearance.  That fact notwithstanding, I believe there is a form of alchemy which takes place when an artist begins drawing a portrait.
 
The object of portraiture is not to slavishly reproduce a photograph.  That is easy enough to do in a photo lab or on a computer.  An individual is much more than just a physical appearance. 
 
Through the artist, a portrait becomes more than a mere reproduction - it is an interpretation processed through the living filter of the artist's eyes and brain.  In a good portrait that process results in a likeness that is both accurate and aesthetically pleasing.