Two Portraits: Fine Art v.s. Editorial

Alfred Stieglitz:

I like the simplicity of this portrait. It is in black and white, and there is a simple black background. There is a lot of emotion and it is an expressive photograph with the model's facial expression and hand gestures. There is high contrast between the model and the background, which emphasizes the model. The model was Georgia O'Keeffe, his wife.

Annie Leibovitz:

I like how this portrait incorporates Adele's profession, music, into the photograph. Adele is framed in the center of the photo. The colors are muted and dark, and Adele's facial expression is sad, which gives the portrait a pensive mood.

Katja Rahlwes for Flair Magazine

I like the cool tones of this photo. The portrait is for a makeup editorial. Through the contrast of light and dark tones, her eyes and fingernails are emphasized. The photo also leaves room in the corner for text. Her eyes add a pop of color.

Nylon Magazine Mexico, Fall/Winter 2015:

I like how there is no text on the magazine cover other than the name of the magazine and the name of the cover model. There is also a limited color palette of white, slate grey, dark brown and black, which gives the portrait a more edgy, less bright and cheerful tone. The magazine cover was for Lana Del Rey's Honeymoon album, which fits the edgy portrait.

The fine art portraits are made to showcase emotions and the model as a work of art. The editorial portraits are made to showcase a product or a celebrity that will make someone buy the magazine and/or the product. The editorial portraits often are more simple, as there needs to be text added in later.