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Making a portrait with a handbag
Explore a bag as part of a portrait through shape, placement and a comfortable way to hold it.
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright · Photograph: Yenra
Captured: 2016:11:06 16:09:44
A bag can be part of the way someone presents an outfit, a useful shape beside the body, or simply something they enjoy carrying. Begin with their preference. Then explore how its placement, outline and handles fit into a comfortable portrait.
Include a bold shape in a closer portrait
A red heart-shaped bag sits beside a dark printed dress in this closer view. Its handles rise toward the bent arm, while the rounded red shape occupies the lower left portion of the picture. Red details also appear higher in the portrait.
Notice both the bag and the person. The bag gives you a clear shape to describe, but the face, hands and clothing remain part of the same photograph. When you try your own portrait, ask which of those details your partner most wants to include.
A closer view can give the face and an accessory substantial space together. Before making the photograph, look around the edges of the bag and the frame. You can include the whole outline or choose a closer composition; make that choice with the person pictured.
Show the bag with the whole outfit
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright · Photograph: Yenra
Captured: 2016:11:06 16:10:32
The heart-shaped bag returns in a wider photograph. It rests in front of the skirt, with the handles supported by the bent arm. The frame also includes the headpiece, patterned stockings and shoes, placing the accessory within the whole outfit.
Compare how much of the dress remains visible around the bag. Moving an accessory a little to one side, or allowing it to sit across the front, changes which shapes overlap. Either can be a useful choice. This photograph and the closer example offer possibilities rather than a before-and-after correction.
In your own experiment, let your partner choose a comfortable hold. You can often make the next variation by changing your distance or viewpoint while they keep that position. Pause to look at the result together before asking for another variation.
Leave space around a low-held bag
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright · Photograph: Yenra
Captured: 2016:11:06 16:09:15
A round clock-face bag hangs at one side of a yellow-and-black outfit. A tall cat-face prop occupies the other side. The bag's outline is separated from the skirt, and its pale face contrasts with its dark outer edge.
Look at the space between the bag and the clothing, then at the balance between the low round shape and the taller prop. This is a different portrait with a different arrangement. It broadens the experiment beyond a single bag or hold.
An everyday bag can offer the same kinds of questions. Where does its outline appear clearly? How do the handles connect with the hand or arm? Does a wider view show something your partner values about the outfit? There is no need to buy an accessory to explore those choices.
Choose a comfortable variation together
Try a wider photograph and a closer one, or compare two small changes in placement. Keep both available while you look. One may show the outfit clearly; another may give more room to an expression or a detail.
Let the wearer handle and adjust their belongings. Ask which version they enjoy and name one thing you notice about it. A shared preference and an idea for next time are useful results of a small portrait experiment.
Look back with curiosity.
- What did you enjoy noticing?
- Which variation would you like to explore?
- What small observation would you like to keep?
Keep exploring
Exploring portrait framing · Exploring hand gestures in a portrait · Documenting a costume with photographs
Browse the complete Nekocon 2016 Sunday gallery.