Friday, April 17, 2009

A Portrait

What does a portrait mean to you?  Is it a posed position of a person in a studio setting?  Is it a candid photo of a person's face?  Or would an animal do?

Would you consider this picture a portrait:


I'm stuck in my photo course, and I'm asking for your help again :)  They've asked for a portrait picture and I don't want to send in the standard posed pic.  Last Saturday we took the kids up the powerline road and on the way home there were quite a few sheep at the end of our driveway.  I caught this one looking right at me and thought that I would send it in.  Any thoughts?

The last time we were up at the powerline there was still snow but things are greening up a bit.  It looks smokey because of all the fires in Lytton and surrounding area.  Most are controlled burns but a few have gotten out of hand and the smoke is quite thick on days with no wind.
The Ranch:


The kids decide to go for a walk up the hill.  Jevan and Sydney are in the center of the pic and if wasn't for Sydney's pink pants and Jevan's white shirt I think I would have lost them!


Jevan overlooking the Ranch.


And one last pic of Teddy Bear.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

If they ask for a portrait I think they want a human face. Beautiful senic pics. ab

tanita✿davis said...

...but is a head-on picture of a mountain goat a portrait? I mean, is it really looking at you? Does it have to be looking at you to be a portrait?

I say, go with your gut. It looks like portraiture to me. It seems to me that we have to enlarge our idea of what a portrait really is -- all it's meant to do is portray, is it not? And so: you're portraying the essence of ...the medium-horned sheep. Or whatever it is.

Jackie said...

I'd call it a portrait. After all , sheep are people too!

Anonymous said...

I found this discussion on portraits which may help or confuse you even more!!http://www.flickr.com/groups/123portraits/discuss/72157594368011911/
My view is that its of a human or animal from the shoulders up but how you interpret it would be up to the artist so long as you can justify it. Love the pic of the 'sheep' that looks more like a UK goat lol!
Tracey (Northernlass1)

KansasA said...

Wow your responses really have me thinking! The link for sure Tracey, is quite an eye opener, but you're right I'm really up in the air now lol :)
I keep picturing my FIL (Pops) with a cowboy hat on, looking down, wrinkled face, side shot... in the coral with a touch of rain (what a "set-up" shot that would have to be eh?! The first thing is actually getting him to do it!

Anonymous said...

THat is it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kansas and you can catch him off guard.Watch out pops. ab
p.s. I;m not sure if he has enough wrinkles.

Me said...

You'd be hard pushed to beat those portrait photos you took of Lexi mind but I guess you're not allowed to use them! The portrait of your FIL sounds a great idea. I love all your photos anyway...I get disappointed if I check your blog and there's no new ones!

David T. Macknet said...

Yep - the goat is definitely a portrait!

I'd pick the one of Jevan, though.

Oma said...

I think that sheep looks quite interesting. The view of the Ranch is a nice shot and I love the one of Jevan admiring the home front.

Love Ya!