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Secrets of Great Portrait Photography: Photographs of the Famous and Infamous 1st Edition

by Brian Smith (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 79 ratings
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In this sexy, bold, beautiful book, photographer Brian Smith tells the stories behind the photos and lessons learned in 30 years of photographing celebrities and people in all walks of life. A Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, Smith is the luckiest guy on the planet. He's told Bill Gates exactly what to do for an entire hour, exhibited at the Library of Congress, appeared on The X Factor, dined with the President and 3,000 of his closest friends, shared cupcakes with Anne Hathaway, and gotten drunk with George Clooney . . . all in the service of getting the perfect portrait.

In this juicy guide to shooting professional portraits, Smith shares his insider tips on connecting with people, finding the perfect location, telling a great story through portraiture, getting just the right pose, capturing emotion and gestures, arranging unique group shots, and getting just the right light. Throughout, you'll stay inspired by the breathtaking images included of the famous and infamous-Venus and Serena Williams, Gene Hackman, Cindy Crawford, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, The Bee Gees, Antonio Banderas, Shaquille O'Neal, Anne Hathaway, Ben Stiller, Sylvester Stallone, and others.

You might not be shooting the rich and famous yourself, but after reading Smith's tell-all guide, you'll know how to make every person who makes their way in front of your camera look and feel like a celebrity.
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Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0321804147
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0321804143
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    New Riders Pub
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 2012
  6. Part of series
    Voices That Matter
  7. Language
    English
  8. Dimensions
    8 x 0.5 x 10 inches
  9. Print length
    255 pages
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The same humor and enthusiasm that have made Brian Smith a popular speaker can be found here in his insider anecdotes about photographing celebrities on assignment. Brian gives clear, step-by-step explanations of all the techniques, from the elegantly simple to the technically sophisticated."
— Holly Stuart Hughes / Editor-in-Chief / Photo District News

"Brian Smith demonstrates on every page of this terrific book that the real secrets of great portrait photography are the warmth, wit, and skill that he brings to every shot. He laces the stories behind his vibrant portraits with loads of useful tips and easy-to-understand techniques. And he shows you how to create a visible connection with anyone in front of your lens, from movie stars to strangers on the street."
— Miriam Leuchter / Editor-in-Chief / Popular Photography

"For Smith, pictures don’t just tell stories; they are stories…go behind the lens to show how a nimble and versatile photographer creates memorable portraits — by trusting in the power of faces, light, story, and relationships."
— David Schonauer / Pro Photo Daily

"Smith’s approach is rather like a cookbook in that it will spur many ideas of your own. His unselfish approach makes this book a core choice for any location portrait photographer’s bookshelf."
— David Hobby / Strobist

"I love the fresh, bold style of the book. The photographs are big and plentiful. The writing is conversational and engaging. You won’t have to read across pages and pages to understand what Brian is sharing. Every two-page spread presents another shoot—each with its own concise insights and tips."
— Syl Arena / Pixsylated

"Secrets of Great Portrait Photography, filled with all of Brian’s tips and tricks to make every person who comes in front of your camera feel like a celebrity. It’s a sexy, inspiring book that’s a must-have for any portrait photographer or fan of Brian Smith."
— Lauren Margolis / Photoshelter

From the Author

"Drawing upon the best lessons I've learned over the last three decades photographing portraits of the rich and famous, 'Secrets of Great Portrait Photography' blends lavish celebrity portraits of a coffee table book with technical how-to insights with a side dish of behind-the-scenes celebrity stories." --Brian Smith

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Riders Pub; 1st edition (January 1, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 255 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0321804147
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0321804143
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 0.5 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 79 ratings

About the author

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Brian Smith

Brian Smith

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Celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith is a Pulitzer Prize winner known for his bold, iconic portraits of celebrities and athletes. His photographs have graced the covers and pages of hundreds of magazines for the past 30 years. He's appeared on The X Factor and Fine Living Network. His first magazine photograph appeared in LIFE Magazine when he was a 20-year-old student at the University of Missouri. Five years later, Smith won the Pulitzer Prize for his photographs of the Los Angeles Olympic Games. His photograph of Greg Louganis hitting his head on the diving board at the Seoul Olympics won first place in World Press Photo and the Pictures of the Year. Smith was again a finalist for the Pulitzer for his photographs of Haiti in turmoil. Smith's work has been exhibited at the Library of Congress, American Museum of Natural History and the Aperture Gallery. Smith is the President of APA/Editorial Photographers and frequently a speaker at photography schools and seminars around the country.

His books include:

"Art & Soul: Stars Unite to Celebrate and Support the Arts" shot in partnership with The Creative Coalition and Sony combines his celebrity portraits with their handwritten testimonials about the importance of arts funding.

"Secrets of Great Portrait Photography: Portraits of the Famous and Infamous" blends lavish celebrity portraits of a coffee table book with technical how-to insights from his last three decades photographing portraits of the rich and famous with a side dish of behind-the-scenes celebrity stories.

"Sony A7/A7R: From Snapshots to Great Shots" is the ultimate guide to getting the most out of Sony's ground-breaking compact full-frame cameras. As a Sony Artisan of Imagery, Smith guides you through the camera's features and the best setting for shooting portraits, landscapes, action and travel photography.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
79 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Syl Arena
5.0 out of 5 stars You'll want to read this one again and again.
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2012
Verified Purchase
It's not every day that Sir Richard Branson shows up on your doorstep in a space suit. But today was the day. I've waited months for the arrival of Secrets of Great Portrait Photography and the wait was worth it.

In 250 pages, Miami celebrity photographer, Brian Smith shares insights learned over 30 years; in a career that has taken him all over the globe and put him in front of the world's most famous and infamous personas. This is a book of great photography and great advice.

I love the fresh, bold style of the book. The photographs are big and plentiful. The writing is conversational and engaging. You won't have to read across pages and pages to understand what Brian is sharing. Every two-page spread presents another shoot--each with its own concise insights and tips.

Brian grouped nearly 100 shoots into chapters; each centered around a theme:

1. Connect With Your Subject
2. Find The Place
3. Find the Angle
4. Tell the Story
5. Sweat the Small Stuff
6. Don't Mess with a Good Thing
7. Pose, Gesture, Emotion
8. Less is More
9. See the Light
10. Group Portraits Without Formality
11. Create the Look
12. Lights, Camera, Lens

Within the chapters, each spread is headlined with a bit of advise, such as: Unclutter Your Mind, Light to Let Them Move, Keep It Real, Leave `Em Laughing... Then, each spread provides one or more portraits and commentary about the shoot. So many photo books get bogged down with pages of words. Brian made sure that this is a book of great photos from cover to cover. Then he balanced the photos with insights that only an A-list shooter could share.

Just to manage your expectations, this is not a book that focuses on techniques. There are no lighting diagrams or set shots. There are no details about camera, lens, or exposure. Gear talk is minimal, but, again, precise. All of this is fine with me. There are many books that tell you how to manage gear. There are precious few books that give you front row access to the creation of so many iconic photographs.
26 people found this helpful
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Michael Brochstein
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting back stores but not super educational
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2013
Verified Purchase
Just so that the rest of this review is not misunderstood I will state up front that I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to those looking to do portraits professionally like the ones that Brian does. There are many interesting images and war-stories. However, there is a reason that I did not give this book 5 stars and that is what the rest of this review discusses.

While I did not expect to get real "secrets" told to me when I read this book, I did expect more educational content. There are about 251 pages in of text (and photos) in this book. Up until page 164 most of the material consists of lots of great photos which are pared with a story about the taking of each of them. These are real world stories that are interesting but I didn't consider them particularly educational. They are more human relationship stories (or simply fun war-story anecdotes) and his thoughts about what he liked about various celebrities or settings (or a set) that he used. IMO, there is very very little non-obvious educational material in these pages. Every once in a while Brian introduces a technical term and gives the definition of it (but not too many times!).

Starting on page 164 he tries to explain how, from a technical viewpoint, he made the images. He discusses lighting, lighting equipment, different camera format options etc. His discussions of these topics should not be why you buy this book as he is fairly brief and light in discussing them and their nuances.

If you are interested in lighting then there are unambiguously better books than this. Joe McNally has a few including  Sketching Light: An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash (Voices That Matter)  that are great. Buy that book instead of this if learning about lighting is why you are thinking about buying this book.

I am at a loss as to why this book (on the back cover) is labeled as "intermediate". At best I think is a "beginner / intermediate" book as it has very little information that someone new to photography would not understand.

I would have been much happier and given this book 5 stars if for each image he explained the lighting set-up. A sentence or two would have been fine. Lighting diagrams would've have also been great but a simple sentence or two would have sufficed (i.e. The main light from a 6 foot Octobank 45 degree off to the right of the camera elevated about X feet and gelled 0.25 CTO, the fill was X and located Z, the rim/hair was W and located T and the background...)

I would recommend this book to someone who is looking to do this kind of work professionally and was interested in hearing the practical advice and war stories of an accomplished and very capable veteran. I heard Brian speak at Adorama (photo store in NYC) a while ago and that influenced me (positively) when I decided to buy this book. I am glad that I bought it and enjoyed reading it but I did hope for more educational content.
3 people found this helpful
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John Cornicello
5.0 out of 5 stars Great portraits and stories
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2012
Verified Purchase
I've been following Brian Smith's portrait photography for a while and have been eagerly waiting for the release of this book with high expectations. The book is now available and delivers. Great background stories on the images. Great printing of the images. So many books are all about the "technical" details, but portrait photography is more about psychology and how to work with people. Brian gives the background stories. He talks about how he interacted with the subjects, or with their PR folks. Yes, the technical stuff is still there with chapters covering it, but the overall story is about the interaction. Anyone can list f/stops and ISO, and the like--but those things are usually so specific to a situation and might not apply to your situations. Few authors talk about the experience. That's where this book shines. More important than 1/60 at f/5.6, how do you prepare for your photo session when you only have 15 minutes with your subject? Or how do you turn that 15 minutes into 30? How do you get someone to go along with that crazy idea you have for a photograph? How do you get the best out of your subjects? The start is to read this book. Then go out and make beautiful portraits.
12 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Gryphon
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2015
Verified Purchase
Great book, I do really enjoy Brian Smith's clear writing ,
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Thomas Biskup
5.0 out of 5 stars Tolle Portraits mit tollen Infos
Reviewed in Germany on July 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
Brin Smith is an awesome portrait photographer and almost everyone knows his pictures. Now a selection of his best and most famous photos has been collected in this book and he provides great background details on each shooting (what were his ideas, how did the interaction with the personalities on the picture work out, what made the photo great, etc.?).

I found both the small stories surrounding the photos as well as his line of thinking very interesting and insightful. Even if you do not have the people or the awesome locations Brian Smith gets to shoot there are many very helpful small ideas and tips that are beneficial to both pro and hobbyist. A great buy if you are into portrait photography (or like Brian Smiths work).
One person found this helpful
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Damien Perez
4.0 out of 5 stars Foule d'idées
Reviewed in France on March 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
Certes, les personnages photographiés ont tous quasiment l'habitude de poser, mais les conseils et exemples du photographe ici à l’œuvre sont riches d'enseignement et peuvent être mis à profit.
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oncarf
5.0 out of 5 stars Veramente consigliato
Reviewed in Italy on September 22, 2013
Verified Purchase
Immagini bellissime di un grande fotografo condite con ottimi aneddoti. Consigli di ripresa utilissimi a partire dalla scelta della location al trucco delle modelle e alla attrezza.
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PaulW
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2013
Verified Purchase
If you are interested in portrait photography & people this is the book for you it is light on the technical set up but none the worse for that, it makes you think beyond the usual & to try & engage with your subject & explore their emotions & what you want to project about them to your audience. I loved the pictures of Anne Hathaway & Richard Branson. An inspiration to all photographers.
One person found this helpful
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