What makes a good portrait?A good portrait is never primarily about photography - the lens, the light or technical settings. It's about the person, the moment, the expression.A good portrait is one that draws the viewer in. It draws a reaction or emotion from the viewer. A portrait that answers all the questions is boring. Good portraits leave the viewer with more questions than answers.

A portrait freezes an expression, a moment in a person's life. It's a very powerful thing to be able to capture a person as they are at a particular point in time and freeze that moment forever.Assignment #1 -- Self-Portraits: ego and alter-ego

You will create two final prints for this assignment. One portrait will be for the ego and one for the alter ego. The ego photo must capture the true, genuine presence of the subjects personality, while your alter ego must transform your subjects appearance in some way. The assignment can be shot in black and white or color.Goals - Demonstrate use of the following: - Appropriate light/quality amount- Consideration of props, attire, and/or costuming- Camera use of depth-of-field/focus, and compositional emphasis- cropping and post processing/retouching

Assignment #2 Tryptic-Portraits: head, hands and feet

Put into practice the basic photography skills, such as composition and exposure, you have learned so far. Your goal is to make portraits that are expressive and well composed. Consider some of these issues when making and looking at portraits:

■ The expressive moment of the subject■ Extreme close-up or part of a face ■ Portraits without faces ■ Props, clothing, etc.■ Psychological portraits ■ Camera angle or point of view ■ Dramatic facial expressions, poses, and gestures ■ Lighting