Animating Street Portraits with Props

Originally, a prop, fka (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or on screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct from the actors, scenery, and costumes. The term comes from live-performance practice, especially theatrical methods, but its modern use extends to film, television, and photography.

A simple yet highly effective way to animate and spice up an interactive aka posed street portrait is to use impromptu props in the scene. An impromptu prop for interactive street portrait photography would be anything that the subject owns, holds or touches and/or something near the subject that adds to the story and dimension of the image. Utilising props that mean a great deal and are highly personal to the subject, such as below the Buddhist prayer wheel, Mao’s Little Red Book, or the sadhu’s walking stick, can make the street portrait more unique and tell a story about that person.

Using props in portrait photography is a simple way to create a strong point of interest in the image. Props can complement the subject and make the picture more visually appealing. Props help to tell a story, producing a more intriguing photo for the viewer to look at. Cell phones, flowers, umbrellas/parasols, cigarettes/cigars, books/newspapers, food/drinks, musical instruments, cameras and pretty much anything else that the subject can lay her/his hands on will make a good impromptu prop for interactive aka posed street portraits.

Examples of street portraits "propped-up" with cell phones:

Examples of street portraits "propped-up" with flowers:

Examples of street portraits "propped-up" with cigars, cigarettes, vapes, chillums, beedies:

Including a prop will add another level for the eye to the process, therefore it is imperative to clean up everything else as much as possible: a tight frame/crop, a clean background/backdrop, and minimal distractions in general. Any prop should always be used to the advantage of portraying the subject. The objects used in the picture should be very convincing for the viewer in understanding the subject; there has to be a reason for the object to appear in the image. This can be done with the help of (i) person-related props, (ii) context-related props, and (iii) time-related props. Of course, the transition from one prop category to the other is gradual.

(i) Person-related props help the viewer to understand the character, personality, mood, attitude and role of the photographed subject:

(ii) Context-related props help the viewer to learn about the subject’s environment, culture, religion, nationality, and/or occupation:

(iii) Time-related props help the viewer to fantasize about the subject’s past or future:

More blog entries depicting impromptu props for street portrait photographs:

• Food/drinks (Slurping Oodles of Noodles, Munching at Donghuamen Nightmarket),
• Umbrellas/parasols (Dancing with the Thai Chinese),
• Musical instruments (Facing Exotic Northern Borneo),
• Pieces of art (Profiling Coconuts on Sulawesi),
• Books/newspapers (Making Decisions in Tamil Nadu).

Varying the Facial View of Portraits

The facial views in portrait photography derive from portrait painting (e.g. Van Dyck’s Charles I in Three Positions); it is what portion or angle of the face is showing towards the lens, the photographer, and the viewer of the photograph. For interactive street portraits with eye contact, there are only two main types of facial views: (i) the full-face view (including the seven-eighths view subvariant), and (ii) the three-quarter view (including the two-third view subvariant).

The (i) full-face view is produced when the subject is facing directly into the camera, and his nose is pointing straight towards the lens. In this view, one can see equal amounts of both sides of the subject’s face, both ears are fully visible.
The proportional full-face view is useful when one wants to show the symmetry of a subject’s face, or when one wants to convey a more assertive, dominant, or powerful attitude. The full-face view may support the yang aspect of a person (e.g. his dignity, power, masculinity, sobriety, cognition).
The slightly asymmetrical seven-eighths view subvariant of the exactly symmetrical full-face view occurs when the subject is turning his head just a tiny tad away from the camera, still maintaining eye contact, and both of the subject’s ears are still visible.

The (ii) three-quarter view aka half-profile view of the face is produced when the subject’s face is turned away from the camera until the far ear just disappears. It is called a three-quarter view because about three quarters of the subject’s face are visible. It is recommended that the face should not be turned so far that the nose extends past the line of the cheek. Also, it is important that the eye on the far side of the face be contained within the face by a small strip of skin visible along the far temple.
The three-quarter view is useful for revealing the shape and contours of the subject’s face. It is also more demure and less assertive than a full-face view. The three-quarter view may support the yin aspect of a person (e.g. her grace, mobility, femininity, playfulness, emotion).
The two-third view subvariant of the three-quarter view occurs when the subject has continued to turn her head until the tip of the nose is almost touching the outline of the cheek on the far side (preferably, without the nose extending beyond the line of the cheek, which wouldn't be very flattering).

Note below the subtle psychological commonalities and differences between the three-quarter view and the seven-eighths view, but remember: the map is never the territory...

"The face is an ongoing parade of expressions."

(Marianne LaFrance: Why Smile?)

High-res portrait photographs with full exif data, precise geotags and technical details in Matt Hahnewald's

Flickr Albums

Facing the Asian Conical Hat

The Asian conical hat is a simple style of conical hat originating in Southeast Asia. It is kept on the head by a cloth chin strap (often silk); an internal band of the same material keeps the hat itself from resting on the wearer's head. This style of hat is used primarily as protection from the sun and rain. When made of straw or matting, it can be dipped in water and worn as an impromptu evaporative-cooling device.

High-res portrait photographs with full exif data, precise geotags and technical details in Matt Hahnewald's

Flickr Album 2013-10a Facing the Asian Conical Hat

Flickr Album 2014-02a Flashing the V Sign All Over Asia

Hunting Sexy Head Huntresses

The Dayak people are the native people of Borneo's rainforest. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic subgroups, located principally in the interior of Borneo aka Kalimantan, each with its own dialect, customs, laws, territory and culture, although common distinguishing traits are readily identifiable. The Dayak were animist in belief; however many converted to Islam and since the 19th century, there has been mass conversion to Christianity. In the past, the Dayak were feared for their ancient tradition of ngayau aka headhunting practices.

Headhunting is the practice of taking and preserving a person's head after killing the person. It was practised in historic times in many parts of Borneo/Kalimantan. As a practice, headhunting has been the subject of intense discussion within the anthropological community as to its possible social roles, functions, and motivations. Themes that arise in anthropological writings about headhunting include mortification of the rival, ritual violence, cosmological balance, the display of manhood, cannibalism, prestige, and as a means of securing the services of the victim as a slave in the afterlife. Some experts theorize that the practice stemmed from the belief that the head contained "soul matter" or life force, which could be harnessed through its capture...

Street portrait photographs from Borneo aka Kalimantan in Matt Hahnewald's

Flickr Album 2013-10c Roaming Deforested Kalimantan

Flickr Album 2013-10b Hunting Sexy Head Huntresses

Flickr Album 2009-11a Facing Exotic Northern Borneo