Portrait Photography for Sale
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1979 South Korean Figures Collection MMCA Museum Modern Contemporary Art Seoul
Boong Hyun Choi
Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$1,461
Minerva #3
Rani Bruchstein
Photography - 150 x 100 x 2 cm Photography - 59.1 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$9,057
Truffaut, 1966 / Paris Match
Philippe Le Tellier
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$674
Fragmented-Untitled 6
Ying Chen
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$4,000
Paper Exploration - Martinique
Diane Vo Ngoc
Photography - 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.1 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.3 x 0 inch
$618
Paper Exploration- Japan, Kimono 2
Diane Vo Ngoc
Photography - 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.1 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.3 x 0 inch
$562
Taking pictures/ Their life-Cameroon
Gilbert Ryu
Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$843
Reserved/Their life-Cameroon
Gilbert Ryu
Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$843
Miss Guy, NYC (Extra Large)
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$15,000
Tabboo! (Stephen Tasjian), NYC (Extra Large)
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$15,000
Lavinia Co-op, NYC (Extra Large)
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$15,000
Dorian Corey, Wigstock, NYC
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$8,000
Kabuki Starshine, Wigstock, NYC
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$8,000
Lady Bunny, Wigstock, NYC
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$8,000
The Ides of March (Diptych), n.d. Large
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 101.6 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$12,000
Girlfriend, Portfolio of 9 photographs
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 167.6 x 129.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 66 x 51 x 0.1 inch
$15,000
Série Love is in the air 4 - 1/2
Line Taarnberg
Photography - 30 x 30 x 1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
$449
Série Love is in the air - 9
Line Taarnberg
Photography - 30 x 30 x 1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
$449
Femme Hamar au collier d'acier
Françoise Spiekermeier
Photography - 60 x 50 cm Photography - 23.6 x 19.7 inch
$787
Self portrait
Sabyl Ghoussoub
Photography - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$674
Invisible Identity
Robert Jaso
Photography - 57 x 41 x 0.1 cm Photography - 22.4 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$3,090
The Paradox of Identity
Robert Jaso
Photography - 57 x 41 x 0.1 cm Photography - 22.4 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$3,090
Twiggy – at David Steen’s Home, Surrey.
David Steen
Photography - 127 x 127 x 0.01 cm Photography - 50 x 50 x 0 inch
$4,776
Twiggy – at David Steen’s Home, Surrey
David Steen
Photography - 97 x 97 x 0.01 cm Photography - 38.2 x 38.2 x 0 inch
$4,776
Double
Gabriel Quirant - Pidet
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$562
Arbre
Gabriel Quirant - Pidet
Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$562
Chirac, 1967 / Paris Match
Patrice Habans
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,686
Vietnam, 1965 / Paris Match
Jean-Claude Sauer
Photography - 80 x 53 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 20.9 x 0 inch
$1,798
Peul Wodaabe et tente rose
Françoise Spiekermeier
Photography - 90 x 60 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 inch
$809
Surimpression du Touareg
Françoise Spiekermeier
Photography - 90 x 60 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 inch
$809
Le Peul Wodaabe se maquille
Françoise Spiekermeier
Photography - 90 x 60 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 inch
$809
Peul Wodaabe au miroir et tente rose
Françoise Spiekermeier
Photography - 90 x 60 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 inch
$809
Vertical, Peul Wodaabe en tenue de danse
Françoise Spiekermeier
Photography - 90 x 60 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 inch
$809
The God Father
Bruce Meritte
Photography - 100 x 91 x 10 cm Photography - 39.4 x 35.8 x 3.9 inch
$2,809
California IV
Clara Delaporte
Photography - 40 x 60 x 4 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
$1,124
California V
Clara Delaporte
Photography - 40 x 60 x 4 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
$1,124
California VI
Clara Delaporte
Photography - 40 x 60 x 4 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
$1,124
California II
Clara Delaporte
Photography - 40 x 60 x 4 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
$1,124
California I
Clara Delaporte
Photography - 40 x 60 x 4 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
$1,124
Mors, ego sum motis. Vocor agnis sum leo fortis
Miguel Angel Sanchez
Photography - 100 x 66 x 1 cm Photography - 39.4 x 26 x 0.4 inch
$787
Silence and soul
Richard Kelley
Photography - 75 x 50 x 4 cm Photography - 29.5 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch
$1,686
Mr Camille distance
Cahuate Milk
Photography - 120 x 90 x 1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 35.4 x 0.4 inch
$1,034
Alice distance 2
Cahuate Milk
Photography - 60 x 80 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.4 inch
$1,034
Camille distance
Cahuate Milk
Photography - 90 x 120 x 1 cm Photography - 35.4 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch
$1,034
Clem distance
Cahuate Milk
Photography - 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch
$1,034
Aline distance 2
Cahuate Milk
Photography - 60 x 80 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.4 inch
$955
Aline distance
Cahuate Milk
Photography - 120 x 80 x 1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0.4 inch
$1,034
Lara distance
Cahuate Milk
Photography - 100 x 100 x 1 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch
$1,034
Pepome distance
Cahuate Milk
Photography - 100 x 100 x 1 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch
$1,034
Unnatural Causes XXIV
Jeff Robb
Photography - 75 x 75 x 2 cm Photography - 29.5 x 29.5 x 0.8 inch
$10,113
Kappil Beach. Kerala
Marie Burel
Photography - 50 x 40 x 3 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch
$674
Flowers for the winners 2
Grzegorz Sikorski
Photography - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$213
L'Année du Cochon Corse
Marie Burel
Photography - 44 x 34 x 3 cm Photography - 17.3 x 13.4 x 1.2 inch
$674
L'Année du Lapin Chasseur
Marie Burel
Photography - 52 x 38 x 3 cm Photography - 20.5 x 15 x 1.2 inch
$674
L'Année du Charmeur de Serpent
Marie Burel
Photography - 47.5 x 37.5 x 3 cm Photography - 18.7 x 14.8 x 1.2 inch
$787
Tristan et Luna, Cirque Bidon
Marie Burel
Photography - 61 x 48 x 3 cm Photography - 24 x 18.9 x 1.2 inch
$1,124
Notre Dame tu nous gardes
Marie Burel
Photography - 60 x 50 x 3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
$1,348
La Diva de Forcalquier
Marie Burel
Photography - 74 x 60 x 3.5 cm Photography - 29.1 x 23.6 x 1.4 inch
$1,573
Back lighting, Green and Yellow. Diptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 50.8 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 20 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$3,500
Back lighting, Red and Green. Diptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 50.8 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 20 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$3,500
Back lighting, Blue and Green. Diptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 203.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 80 x 0.1 inch
$5,000
Back lighting, Blue and Yellow. Diptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 203.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 80 x 0.1 inch
$5,000
Back lighting, Black and Blue. Diptych
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 203.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 80 x 0.1 inch
$5,000
Back lighting window
Dora Franco
Photography - 101.6 x 76.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.1 inch
$2,500
Back lighting. Red
Dora Franco
Photography - 76.2 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$2,500
Untitled story III
Camille Brasselet
Photography - 50 x 75 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 x 0 inch
$1,517
Untitled Story IV
Camille Brasselet
Photography - 50 x 75 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 x 0 inch
$1,517
Le départ
Camille Brasselet
Photography - 50 x 75 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 x 0 inch
$1,517
David Lynch bien coiffé
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 120 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 47.2 x 0 inch
$16,855
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Serie Terra Retrato en fondo beige
Enrique Pichardo
Painting - 70 x 70 x 1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
$971
The tree of life
Seyran Gasparyan
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,200
Circus Acrobats
Joanna Zakrzewska-Cholewa
Sculpture - 49 x 15 x 6 cm Sculpture - 19.3 x 5.9 x 2.4 inch
$1,797 $1,618
Mickey Mouse Soldier
Belart Collective
Painting - 120 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 47.2 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch
$2,236
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.
What makes a portrait photograph?
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.
What are the three major types of portrait photography?
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.
What are the six styles of portrait photography?
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.