Fine art portraits are just like any other piece of fine art, they are meant to express something important and be beautiful in their own special way. Because of the nature of their subjects, portraits often make some critic of human society or reveal something about the model. Magazine covers can have the same elements in their portraits, but their purpose is to intrigue consumers and get them to buy the magazine.
I like the difference in age displayed here, as well as the difference in emotion. The use of black and white is very effective at making the photo cohesive and showing the difference between their skin textures.
The reason I chose this photo as an example of a fine art portrait was because of the way this young boy held his kite. It tells of his starvation and poverty, a scrawny arm clutch his one prized possession in front of a desolate backdrop.
One of my favorite portrait subjects are those that show culture. Every portrait reveals a part of the subject, but when their culture is on prominent display, you can see their identity, background, and heritage. National Geographic often has stunning photos of indigenous people and this is why I wanted to include one of their cover portraits in my pre-work. This particular cover caught my eye because of the beautiful pose and excellent bone structure of the model.
This magazine cover taken by Brent Humphreys uses an element of humor to relate to the featured model's personality, and possibly the content that will be seen later in this issue. The text in this cover is at times behind the subject, and at times in front. The wires on Steve Carell's helmet weave in and out of the title of the magazine, giving it a 3D effect.
