Faceless Portrait

Faceless portrait photography is one of the most, if not the most, unconventional of all photographic techniques. There are really no guidelines as to how this type of photograph must be executed, as it is entirely left up to the discretion of how the photographer would like to portray his subject. In essense, faceless portraiture is the capturing of a person's disposition or personality without revealing his or her face.

Importance. In typical portraiture, the person's eyes are facial expression are generally an indication of how he or she is feeling. With faceless portraiture, however, it is the person's body language that tells the story of what is going on in the picture and what he or she might be feeling. Utilizing this technique allows the story to come from the sculpture of body and environment without the distraction of the face. Because the eyes cannot do the talking as they do in normal portraiture, other features (such as the person's hands) must be used to reflect emotion, as it is not clearly displayed for the viewer. Eliminating the face creates an imaginative frame through which the viewer must make several observations if he wants to understand what is going on in the photograph. The environment, therefore, can greatly contribute to the mood of the photo.

Method. There is practically no way to teach faceless portraiture. This technique requires the photographer to use his creativity in expressing the story or emotion of a scenario without allowing the subject to do it intentionally or subconsiously with his or her face. Examples of this conpositional concept include taking shots from behind the subject, cutting of his or her head entirely, covering the face with her or her hands/hair, reflection shots, among many others. Get creative!