Portrait Photography for Sale
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Synesthetic Letters - V
Dasha Pears
Photography - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$887
Hiding in the city, Paris - n°14, Pharmacy
Liu Bolin
Photography - 90 x 120 cm Photography - 35.4 x 47.2 inch
$16,483
Lived-in nº2
Giana De Dier
Photography - 70 x 100 x 1 cm Photography - 27.6 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch
$7,389
Nuer reflections
John Kenny
Photography - 67 x 45 x 2 cm Photography - 26.4 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,061
Sandrine Bonnaire
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$682
Dear Irving...
Mourad Cherifi
Photography - 45 x 30 x 0.02 cm Photography - 17.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$1,364
Cinematography inspired session #24
Grzegorz Sikorski
Photography - 45 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 17.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$216
Ferry passenger
Barry Cawston
Photography - 75 x 90 x 2 cm Photography - 29.5 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,802
Malachite
Amrita Bilimoria
Photography - 38.1 x 27.4 x 0.5 cm Photography - 15 x 10.8 x 0.2 inch
$1,200
Portrait in Pink
Amrita Bilimoria
Photography - 30.5 x 30 x 0.5 cm Photography - 12 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$1,100
Lionel joue à Bacchus dans les vignes
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 24 x 36 x 0.3 cm Photography - 9.4 x 14.2 x 0.1 inch
$739
Juliette Gréco - Paris
Pierre Boulat
Photography - 50 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
$1,023
Vallée des roses Maroc
Pierre Schwartz
Photography - 78 x 120 cm Photography - 30.7 x 47.2 inch
$1,080
Rue Mouffetard - Triptych
Uwe Ommer
Photography - 45 x 100 x 0.3 cm Photography - 17.71 x 39.37 x 0.1 inch
$1,650
Daily Bread - Limited Edition Archival Pigment Print
Alain Le Garsmeur
Photography - 60 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$676
Sepia Meta Graphic Lettre 8
Jean-Claude Byandb
Photography - 60 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch
$693
Black Leopard #2
Brad Wilson
Photography - 74 x 58 x 0.1 cm Photography - 29.1 x 22.8 x 0 inch
$2,274
Dame au Oursins
Charlotte Yonga
Photography - 25 x 20 x 0.2 cm Photography - 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.1 inch
$909
Himba mother and child
Faie Davis
Photography - 113.6 x 81.6 x 0.25 cm Photography - 44.7 x 32.1 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
Queen Elizabeth II On Her Coronation Day
Cecil Beaton
Photography - 50.8 x 50.8 cm Photography - 20 x 20 inch
$707
Mursi teenager
Faie Davis
Photography - 89.4 x 63 x 0.25 cm Photography - 35.2 x 24.8 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
The sound if flying souls
Brooke Shaden
Photography - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$2,728
Rêve de scène II
Tanguy Mendrisse
Photography - 30 x 24 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0 inch
$136
Marisa French Vogue Studios 1970
Anthony Horth
Photography - 30 x 25 x 0.2 cm Photography - 11.8 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch
$1,200
Dernier Regard
Tanguy Mendrisse
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$330
Cinematography inspired session #27
Grzegorz Sikorski
Photography - 45 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 17.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$216
Cinematography inspired session #28
Grzegorz Sikorski
Photography - 45 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 17.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$216
Cinematography inspired Session #24
Grzegorz Sikorski
Photography - 60 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch
$216
Hiding in the city - Sleeping Lion
Liu Bolin
Photography - 68 x 90 cm Photography - 26.8 x 35.4 inch
$13,982
Japanese Life 06
Yasuo Kiyonaga
Photography - 25 x 120 x 3.8 cm Photography - 9.8 x 47.2 x 1.5 inch
$341
152 - Van Gogh
Bernard Pras
Photography - 106 x 80 x 3 cm Photography - 41.7 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$5,684
I.N.T.I.M.A.C.Y States #2
Anna Levesh
Photography - 50 x 50 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 inch
$1,114
Cinematography inspired sessions #1
Grzegorz Sikorski
Photography - 60 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch
$273
Helen Dzo Dzo Kaptur
Slim Aarons
Photography - 51 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 20.1 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$2,217
Liz Pringle Refreshments in Jamaica
Slim Aarons
Photography - 41 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 16.1 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$2,217
Jean Patchett for Saks Fifth Avenue
Slim Aarons
Photography - 41 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 16.1 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$2,217
Seaplane At Palm Beach
Slim Aarons
Photography - 41 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 16.1 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$2,217
Neon Diva from the Castelloland series.
Paloma Castello
Photography - 69.9 x 49.8 x 0.3 cm Photography - 27.5 x 19.6 x 0.1 inch
$1,250
Serge Gainsbourg au Palace
Arnaud Baumann
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
$3,751
The Conemen Tenebrae
Laurence Winram
Photography - 84.1 x 59.4 x 0.2 cm Photography - 33.1 x 23.4 x 0.1 inch
$1,255
The Coen Brothers (2001)
Kevin Westenberg
Photography - 61 x 51 cm Photography - 24 x 20.1 inch
$2,387
Rue Mouffetard - Triptych
Uwe Ommer
Photography - 45 x 100 x 0.3 cm Photography - 17.71 x 39.37 x 0.1 inch
$1,650
Rue Mouffetard
Uwe Ommer
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.62 x 15.74 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
Rue Mouffetard
Uwe Ommer
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.62 x 15.74 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
Rue Mouffetard
Uwe Ommer
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.62 x 15.74 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
Rue Mouffetard
Uwe Ommer
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.62 x 15.74 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
Breakfast, Paris
Uwe Ommer
Photography - 44 x 32 x 0.3 cm Photography - 17.3 x 12.6 x 0.1 inch
$1,900
Mémoire de JingDeZhen
Feng Hatat
Photography - 32 x 48 x 1 cm Photography - 12.6 x 18.9 x 0.4 inch
$568
Les grands projets
Vincent Citot
Photography - 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch
$1,819
Mick Jagger - Le poing - London - Derniers tirages
Pierre Terrasson
Photography - 50 x 40 cm Photography - 19.7 x 15.7 inch
$2,842
Cinematography inspired session #4
Grzegorz Sikorski
Photography - 60 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch
$216
Down in Mexico
Rodrigo
Photography - 53 x 35.1 x 0.1 cm Photography - 20.9 x 13.8 x 0 inch
$1,989 $1,790
Regard Blanc -Photographie digigraphie
Claire Giraudeau
Photography - 40 x 30 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
$171
Louise dans un carton
David Martin
Photography - 40 x 35 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 13.8 x 0 inch
$796 $716
Ray of Light
Drew Doggett
Photography - 45.7 x 68.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 18 x 27 x 0.1 inch
$1,650
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.