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Making a portrait with a folding fan
Explore the face, hands, and curved shape of a folding fan.
Portrait with a floral folding fan and parasol · Photograph: Yenra
Captured: 2012:07:27 13:15:55
A folding fan brings a curved edge, repeated lines, and a place for the hands into a portrait. It can sit beside the face, become part of a wider arrangement, or cover part of the face while leaving the eyes visible. Invite your portrait partner to choose a fan they enjoy and explore the arrangement together.
Place the face beside the fan
The open floral fan sits beside the face in this portrait. Its curved top and spreading ribs make a shape within the larger frame. Pink details connect the fan with the floral clothing, while the pale parasol forms another broad shape behind the head.
Follow the fan from the hand toward its outer edge. Then look at the space between that edge and the face. Both the fan's placement and the amount of it included in the frame affect how those two parts share your attention.
Ask your partner how they would like to hold their own fan. Let them make the adjustments and settle into a comfortable grip. Begin with the fan beside the face, then make a photograph that includes the detail they want to show. A small tilt can be enough to try another relationship between the two shapes.
Include the whole arrangement
Full-length portrait with a folding fan and parasol · Photograph: Yenra
Captured: 2012:07:27 13:17:04
The wider photograph includes the floral clothing from head to feet, both hands, the fan, and the parasol. Plants and a path surround the person. The fan now contributes a smaller shape within the whole arrangement, connecting with the clothing and accessories.
The first two examples show matching visible clothing and accessories in different framings. They are separate photographs, with other details changing as well. Look at what the wider view adds: more of the outfit, the relationship between the hands, and a clearer sense of the setting.
Try a wider view with your partner if that suits the idea. Keep enough space to include what they would enjoy showing. Review the result together before deciding whether to move closer again or change the fan's position.
Explore a partial cover
Vocaloid Sandplay Singing of the Dragon · Photograph: Yenra
Captured: 2012:07:29 10:34:16
In this close portrait, a purple feathered fan covers the lower part of the face. The eyes remain visible above it, looking toward the side. The fan's texture, curved edge, and white ribs occupy a large part of the frame beside pink hair and decorated headwear.
This is another costume and arrangement. It offers a different possibility for how a fan and face can meet. Partial cover can bring attention to the eyes or to the fan itself; it is an option to explore when the person photographed enjoys it.
Ask whether your partner would like to try a little more or less cover, or keep the fan entirely beside the face. Let them choose its position. You can change your framing to include the hands, emphasize a texture, or give the curve more room.
Finish by comparing a few photographs together. Which arrangement does your partner enjoy? What did you notice about the fan's shape? If you do not have a fan available, begin with these examples and write one sentence about what each framing includes. That observation can become a starting idea for a later portrait.
Look back with curiosity.
- How do the face and fan share your attention?
- What does the wider framing add?
- Which fan position does your partner enjoy most?
Keep exploring
Exploring props in a portrait · Exploring hand gestures in a portrait · Making a portrait with a parasol
Browse the complete Otakon 2012 gallery.