What is a Portrait Photograph?
A portrait photograph is mostly defined as a staged photograph with either a person or more than one person posing. Portraits are traditionally shot from the mid-torso up, with some empty space above the
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus was an 'unorthodox' portrait photographer that worked in the 1960s. Arbus grew up in a wealthy environment and thought that photography 'stripped away what you wanted people to see about you and revealed what you really are'. She took this into account in her photography, especially in her work with the Matthaei Family. The Matthaei Family chose Diane Arbus to take their potraits because of her reputation as a creator of 'radical chic' and her photographs ability to show 'raw individuality'. When photographing the Matthaei Family, Arbus focused on the daughter, Marcella Matthaei, because she took into account her own experiences in her wealthy upbringing and thought that photos taken of Marcella in the correct way could result in some interesting photos, which they did. She committed suicide in 1971, 2 years after her working with the Matthaei Family.
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Marcella Matthaei
Diane Arbus liked this photograph of the Matthaei daughter because she thought is showed the true feelings of her life and her 'stuffy' living environment and that it was much more honest than that of a generic family photograph.
