The Portrait by Don Blair

I think a lot of the information within Don Blair’s The Portrait is timeless information. Although produced by KODAK, the text of the book was written by Don Blair. As you read through the book, Don’s personable style of writing gives you insight to his personality, the way he ran his business, and his love of the craft. This text contains many Loan collection images, and it was great to see such wonderful examples.

Don’s discussion of the different types of portraiture gives you an insight into his business, and how he personally approached the different styles – I especially appreciated the section where Don shared his approach to wedding photography. He also gave clear and concise definitions of traditional and photojournalistic wedding photography, something that I have been focusing on lately and trying to define for myself.

If your studio primarily focuses on portraiture, don’t worry! Most of this book is dedicated to discussing the best ways to create timeless portraits – babies, teens, High School seniors, family groups, large groups, executives, and glamour/boudoir portraiture styles are all given attention.

Although the book is really an overview, I was able to bring away quite a bit of helpful information. And, since this book is considered “old,” you can’t beat the price (I paid less than $5 for the text, including shipping)!