Portrait Photography for Sale
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Sans titre 4, de la série Un été sans fin
Irène Jonas
Photography - 10.8 x 8.8 x 0.2 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 x 0.1 inch
$202
Je pense trop
Nicolas Le Beuan Bénic
Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$314
Back lighting, Black, Red and Green .Triptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 304.8 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 120 x 0.1 inch
$7,500
Back lighting, Green, Red and Yellow. Triptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 304.8 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 120 x 0.1 inch
$7,500
Back lighting, Blue, Green and Yellow. Triptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 304.8 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 120 x 0.1 inch
$7,500
Back lighting, Blue, Red and Yellow. Triptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 304.8 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 120 x 0.1 inch
$7,500
Back lighting, Blue, Red and Green. Triptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 304.8 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 120 x 0.1 inch
$7,500
Back lighting, Black, Blue and Yellow. Triptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 304.8 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 120 x 0.1 inch
$7,500
Back lighting, Black, Blue and Green. Triptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 304.8 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 120 x 0.1 inch
$7,500
Back lighting, Black, Blue and Red. Triptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 304.8 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 120 x 0.1 inch
$7,500
Back lighting, Blue, Red, Green and Yellow. Polyptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 406.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 160 x 0.1 inch
$10,000
Back lighting, Black, Red, Green and Yellow. Polyptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 406.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 160 x 0.1 inch
$10,000
Back lighting, Black, Blue, Green and Yellow. Polyptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 406.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 160 x 0.1 inch
$10,000
Back lighting, Black, Blue, Red and Yellow .Polyptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 406.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 160 x 0.1 inch
$10,000
Back lighting, Black, Blue, Red and Green. Polyptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 406.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 160 x 0.1 inch
$10,000
Back lighting. Polyptych.
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 508 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 200 x 0.1 inch
$12,500
Marie Agnes Gillot - Opera National de Paris
Philippe Robert
Photography - 87 x 120 x 2 cm Photography - 34.3 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$14,014
You can do what she would want
Joana Choumali
Photography - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$16,817
Serie Anna. Moscow
Stanley Greene
Photography - 10.8 x 8.9 x 1 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 x 0.4 inch
$10,090
Serie Anna. Moscow
Stanley Greene
Photography - 10.8 x 8.9 x 1 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 x 0.4 inch
$10,090
Serie Anna. Moscow
Stanley Greene
Photography - 10.8 x 8.9 x 1 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 x 0.4 inch
$10,090
Wrapped Series Untitled #4
Robert Mack
Photography - 96.5 x 45.7 x 3.8 cm Photography - 38 x 18 x 1.5 inch
$6,000
David Bowie Aladdin Sane Neg
Brian Duffy
Photography - 61 x 61 x 0.01 cm Photography - 24 x 24 x 0 inch
$4,927
Wrapped series untitled #1C
Robert Mack
Photography - 106.7 x 71.1 x 2.5 cm Photography - 42 x 28 x 1 inch
$6,000
Wrapped Series Untitled #1A
Robert Mack
Photography - 106.7 x 71.1 cm Photography - 42 x 28 inch
$6,000
2153. From The ONE Series
Salvatore Arnone
Photography - 89.9 x 69.9 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.5 x 0.1 inch
$2,165
2148. From The ONE Series
Salvatore Arnone
Photography - 99.8 x 81 x 0.3 cm Photography - 39.3 x 31.9 x 0.1 inch
$2,380
Baby brings peace
Thomas Dellert
Photography - 100 x 70 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$3,139
Untitled III. From The Balance Series
Salvatore Arnone
Photography - 127 x 88.9 x 0.3 cm Photography - 50 x 35 x 0.1 inch
$2,500
Untitled I. From The Balance Series
Salvatore Arnone
Photography - 127 x 88.9 x 0.3 cm Photography - 50 x 35 x 0.1 inch
$2,500
Nancy with cans, from paranoia series
Salvatore Arnone
Photography - 100.1 x 69.9 x 0.3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 27.5 x 0.1 inch
$2,200
Le portrait rouge
Nicolas Le Beuan Bénic
Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$314
Shark portraiture II
Nicolas Le Beuan Bénic
Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$314
Shark portrait I
Nicolas Le Beuan Bénic
Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$314
Rod Stewart, Small Faces
Jean-Pierre Roux
Photography - 30 x 40 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 inch
$549
Johnny Thunders and friend
Jean-Pierre Roux
Photography - 40 x 30 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
$549
Black Beauty III
Léa Bon
Photography - 72.4 x 48 x 0.3 cm Photography - 28.5 x 18.9 x 0.1 inch
$6,000
Bruno Mars, Portrait intervened by the artists
Hunter & Gatti
Photography - 187.9 x 132 x 3 cm Photography - 74 x 52 x 1.2 inch
$7,500
Architects Anonymous
Alexander Benz
Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$516
Harsha, Protrait. From The Series The Third Gender of India
Jill Peters
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$7,000
Shreya, Protrait. From The Series The Third Gender of India
Jill Peters
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$7,000
Muskan, Portrait. From The Series The Third Gender of India
Jill Peters
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$7,000
Sangita, Portrait. From The Series The Third Gender of India
Jill Peters
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$7,000
Danseuses floues
Pierre Boillon
Photography - 42 x 42 x 3 cm Photography - 16.5 x 16.5 x 1.2 inch
$426
John Travolta
Francis Apesteguy
Photography - 60 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
$549
No Gluttony Here
Philippe Shangti
Photography - 114 x 120 x 3 cm Photography - 44.9 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
$18,431
Karl & Brides, Haute Couture 2010, Rue Cambon, Paris
Simon Procter
Photography - 120 x 216 x 3 cm Photography - 47.2 x 85 x 1.2 inch
$14,574
Jour de marché
Jean-Guy Nakars
Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$391 $353
Les Tirallés
Willow Evann
Photography - 110 x 110 x 4 cm Photography - 43.3 x 43.3 x 1.6 inch
$8,969
Lutambi meshe
Pamela Tulizo
Photography - 84.1 x 59.4 x 0.2 cm Photography - 33.1 x 23.4 x 0.1 inch
$7,848
Mechi light
Pamela Tulizo
Photography - 59.4 x 84.1 x 0.2 cm Photography - 23.4 x 33.1 x 0.1 inch
$7,848
Lutambi
Pamela Tulizo
Photography - 59.4 x 84.1 x 0.2 cm Photography - 23.4 x 33.1 x 0.1 inch
$7,848
Untouchable Light
Deana Nastic
Photography - 101 x 76 x 1 cm Photography - 39.8 x 29.9 x 0.4 inch
$5,942
Silhouette Portrait
Deana Nastic
Photography - 101 x 76 x 1 cm Photography - 39.8 x 29.9 x 0.4 inch
$5,942
Untouchable Light II
Deana Nastic
Photography - 101 x 76 x 1 cm Photography - 39.8 x 29.9 x 0.4 inch
$5,942
Monks XVII
Sven Pfrommer
Photography - 80 x 100 x 3.5 cm Photography - 31.5 x 39.4 x 1.4 inch
$2,007
All the others in me (New York)
Maria Jose Arjona
Photography - 69.9 x 100 x 0.3 cm Photography - 27.5 x 39.37 x 0.1 inch
$9,000
Les gens du lac. Pêcheurs relevant leurs filets.
Marie Dorigny
Photography - 22 x 22 x 0.1 cm Photography - 8.7 x 8.7 x 0 inch
$392
Les gens du lac. Mère et fille.
Marie Dorigny
Photography - 22 x 22 x 0.1 cm Photography - 8.7 x 8.7 x 0 inch
$392
Les gens du lac. Portrait de groupe.
Marie Dorigny
Photography - 22 x 22 x 0.1 cm Photography - 8.7 x 8.7 x 0 inch
$392
Memory insect 2
Shilpa Joglekar
Photography - 59 x 41 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.2 x 16.1 x 0.1 inch
$504 $454
Memory insect 1
Shilpa Joglekar
Photography - 44 x 44 x 0.3 cm Photography - 17.3 x 17.3 x 0.1 inch
$504 $454
Movida Massala
Sarah Caron
Photography - 80 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0 inch
$2,803
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Portrait Photography for Sale
In the 1830s, Nièpce discovered the process for setting images onto pewter plates. In 1833, upon Nièpce's death, Louis Daguerre and François Arago continued his experiments and invented the daguerreotype, a process which created a printed image on a silver plate that had been exposed to light. Photography was born.
Similarly to how portrait painting had dominated artistic output in previous centuries, portrait photography was to become the pillar of the Second French Empire's photographic industry. Lenses with a shorter focal length, which enabled reduced exposure times, gradually appear on the market. The required equipment was expensive and difficult to handle. Some photographers, called daguerreotypists, decided to open their own photography studios to make a profit from their endeavours. The daguerreotype process was temperamental, and photographers had to take their pictures with great precision and attention to detail. They welcomed many people into their studios and customers choose how they wished to be photographed from catalogue of poses. Originally only accessible to the bourgeoisie, lower prices resulting from the growing number of studios eventually attracted a wider customer base. This phenomenon infuriated the poet Charles Baudelaire who was frustrated by the sense of narcissism sparked by the daguerreotypists.
Despite his protests, the egotistical trend only grew with the emergence of 'carte de visite' portraits (small photographs, the size of today's business cards). These were the brainchild of Adolphe Eugène Disdéri came up with the idea of producing portraits akin to visiting cards in 1859. He printed eight portraits in a variety of poses onto a single plate and once developed they could be cut up into eight distinct “visiting cards". Very popular with the bourgeoisie, they highlighted the sitters' social status. 'Carte de visite' portraits featuring celebrities were also sold to customers, who could subsequently add them to their albums.
The photographer Nadar was one of the first to demonstrate a conscious artistic approach to producing these portraits. He emphasised facial expressions and ensured the sitter was comfortable and at ease before taking the photograph. He photographed the era's greatest thinkers and artists, including Honoré de Balzac, George Sand, and Victor Hugo. He even managed to reconcile Baudelaire with portraiture.
At the end of the 19th century, the art of photography started to enter the mainstream, with the arrival of the Kodak company. The use of the camera, and the taking of portraits, became everyday occurrences. A century later, it was the invention of the digital camera which challenged the status quo. Whereas before alterations could only be made to photographs when they were being taken or developed, with the digital camera editing became easier, quicker and more convenient. Digital photography has given photographers much more freedom when it comes to editing and new methods and techniques are constantly being explored.
Some of the photographers who have left their mark on the last century include: Cindy Sherman, who excelled in self-portraits, Annie Leibovitz, who captured celebrities, the wacky duo, Pierre and Gilles, as well as Diane Arbus, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Bettina Rheims.
So, do portraits help us to learn more about each other, to remember, to invent, to act, or to reconnect with ourselves? Find out on Artsper, by exploring the works of Formento & Formento, Naomi Vona, Ahmed Bennani, Chou Ching Hui, Samuel Cueto, Brno del Zou, Ren Hang, Markus + Indrani, Jerome Liebling as well as Annina Roescheisen.
A portrait photograph can be a photograph of a person's head and shoulders, but it can also be of an animal or of a different section of the subject's body such as their feet. Portrait photographs in art often tell or hint something about its subject to the viewer, such as an aspect of their personality, but still contain an element of mystery.
The three major types of portrait photography are posed portraits, candid or anonymous portraits, and conceptual portraits. The last type, conceptual or creative portraits, can be experimental and abstract, and may not represent an image close to a traditional portrait.
The six main types of portrait photography are fine art portraits, traditional portraits (for example posed portraits taken at school), lifestyle portraits, group portraits, street portraits and glamour portraits.