What Are Portraits in Photography and How Do You Read a Portrait Portfolio?

A portrait is a photograph made to show a person's identity, character, or presence, usually with the subject aware of the camera and the photographer making deliberate choices about light, framing, and moment. You read a portrait portfolio by looking at those choices across many images: how faces are lit, what expressions are held, how tightly the frame is cropped, and whether the subject seems connected to the photographer. Michael Geissinger's site (mikegphotos.com) presents portrait work within a personal portfolio built on more than 50 years in photography, alongside categories such as people, photojournalism, presidents, and architecture.

Portrait vs. candid and photojournalistic people photos

The distinction is about intent and control, not quality.

The two overlap. A photojournalist can make a portrait in the field, and a portrait session can include unposed moments. On a portfolio site, the categories signal which intent the photographer wants you to see first.

What to look for in a portrait portfolio

Read a portfolio in passes rather than scrolling once.

Lighting

• Where is the main light coming from, and does it stay consistent across a series?
• Are shadows used to shape the face, or flattened out?
• Does the light suit the subject, or look applied the same way to everyone?

Expression and moment

• Are expressions varied, or does every subject hold the same smile?
• Do you see stillness, tension, amusement, fatigue — real states rather than one register?
• Is there a sense of timing, a moment chosen rather than a pose held?

Composition and framing

• How tight is the crop, and what does the tightness emphasize?
• Is the background controlled, or does it compete with the face?
• Are hands, posture, and clothing used to say something about the person?

Subject connection

• Does the person seem at ease, guarded, performing, or unguarded — and is that clearly a choice?
• Do repeated subjects or settings reveal a relationship between photographer and sitter?

Consistency and range

• A strong portfolio shows a recognizable approach without repeating one image.
• Look for whether the same visual habits serve different people or flatten them.

Using a long-career portfolio to compare styles and eras

A body of work spanning 50+ years is useful precisely because it crosses periods. When a portfolio states that kind of experience, you can read it as a timeline rather than a single sample.

Practical ways to use it:

• Compare decades. Look for shifts in lighting style, color versus black and white, and crop tightness. These often track changes in technology and editorial fashion.
• Track a constant. Find what stays the same across eras — how the photographer approaches a face, or how much space they give a subject. That constant is closer to the photographer's signature.
• Compare categories on the same site. Portrait work set beside photojournalism and architectural work shows how the same eye handles a person versus a room. Architectural and interior images (homes, kitchens, bathrooms) are a useful control: they show composition and light decisions without a face to carry the frame.
• Use "people" and "presidents" as adjacent reads. People photography and coverage of public figures sit between portrait and photojournalism; comparing them clarifies what the photographer treats as a portrait and what they treat as a record.

What this site is and is not

mikegphotos.com is described as a personal portfolio reflecting the photographer's work over more than 50 years. It is a place to view and evaluate images, not a booking page. The available site information does not list prices, packages, availability, or a booking process, so treat it as a portfolio to study rather than a service page to purchase from. If you want to commission work, you would need to find contact details on the site itself; nothing in the available material confirms how inquiries are handled.

How to browse it

1. Start with the portraits category and view the full set once without stopping to analyze.
2. Go back and pick three images that stayed with you; note what each one does with light and expression.
3. Move to the people and photojournalism categories and compare how the same photographer handles aware versus unaware subjects.
4. Look at the architecture and interiors work to isolate composition and lighting choices without a face in the frame.
5. Return to the portraits and ask whether your first impressions held up.

The goal is not to rank the images but to leave with a clear sense of what this photographer does with a person in front of the camera — and whether that approach is what you are looking for.