What Makes a Good Portrait?

There is more to creating a portrait than people think.  Knowing the purpose behind the portrait is paramount; a business portrait is intended for a different purpose than a fashion photo or lifestyle photo for instance.  Then there is the matter of location, lighting choices, hair, make-up etc.

This portrait was taken as part of a series of photos of the staff in a professional office.  The photos were taken in their office which was rather constrained and it meant that portable lighting had to be used.  I used my Canon 1Dx with the 24-70 lens to give me a little more flexibility in framing the photo.  There was one Canon 580EX flash with umbrella modifier used as the main light with another identical flash placed camera left to provide a little hair detail and to highlight the wall behind the subject a touch.  Both flashes were triggered via Pocket Wizard transmitters.

I converted the image to black and white in Adobe Lightroom; very little extra editing was required.  I'm quite pleased with the outcome; it's a nice balance of a proper professional/business portrait that is just slightly playful at the same time.