Are you an aspiring portrait photographer looking for a portfolio website? Have a peek at some of the best portrait photography portfolio examples here along with tips and tricks on how to build one.
June 18, 2021

Seb Alexander is a photographer, director & content creator based in Bristol, UK. He specializes in atmospheric portraiture and luxury commercial campaigns that are quiet & enduring, and reflect his love of storytelling. His work has been used in feature films & BAFTA award-winning TV series, in luxury fashion campaigns, on magazine covers, by world leading record labels and in all sorts of other curious places.
https://www.sebjjp.com

Héloïse Joannon is a photographer based in Lyon. Under the name Projections Helo, she explores the body, dreams, and metamorphosis, creating portraits, self-portraits, and album covers in a dreamlike universe at the boundary between reverie and painting. Her work seeks what happens just before words.
https://www.projectionshelo.com

Jacek Szopik is a Stockholm-based fashion photographer working across editorial, model portfolios and visual content. His work is shaped by clean composition, strong model direction and a quiet sense of atmosphere. His portfolio brings together fashion portraits, published editorials and selected commercial work.
https://www.jacekszopik.com

Connor Baker is an award winning British photographer with an extensive back catalogue spanning over a decade covering pop culture fashion and music.
https://www.connorbaker.com

Ellie Ramsden is a London-based photographic artist whose practice centres on portrait and documentary photography, informed by a deep interest in people and the world around her. Working primarily with analogue film, she adopts a slower, more considered approach that allows for intimacy and reflection in her work. Ellie’s personal projects focus on British subcultures and communities, exploring themes such as youth culture, collective identity, and resistance to mainstream narratives.
https://www.ellieramsden.co.uk

Arianne is a Lisbon-based photographer and with a background in design and visual culture. Her work blends aesthetics with storytelling, capturing emotion, atmosphere, and the subtle interplay of light, form and movement.
https://www.arianneamores.comA great way to improve your self portraits, whether you’re a beginner or a pro, is to study other self portraits and practice recreating them. This will not only give you insight into facial expressions and how to pose, but it will also give you ideas for how to light your shot and how you can get creative with your self portrait edits in Photoshop. Looking through the portrait portfolios of photographers that inspire you is a great place to start.


Lucia Vazquez is a photojournalist and visual storyteller based in New York City. She works at the intersection of portraiture, fashion, documentary, and street imagery. Her editorial work spans themes of culture, art, immigration, and urbanscape, often documenting diverse human experiences and social narratives with a sensitive lens. In her personal work, she explores womanhood, memory, identity, displacement, and belonging.
https://www.luciavazquezph.com

Sabrina Kleinas is a French-German fine art photographer known for capturing timeless underwater beauty. Since childhood, water has been her paradise. She developed her visual language in London, Paris, and Rio. Based in Mallorca, her work explores transformation and emotion. In 2024, she published her debut photo book Blossoming Women.
https://www.sabrinakleinas.com

Cindy Juchem photographs women and models in a modern, natural style with a focus on the female gaze. Her portraits are calm, clear, and timeless – studio, editorial, or outdoor.
https://www.cindyjuchemphotography.com

Maja Topčagić is a portrait, fashion, and art photographer based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She creates photographs that tell a story and capture real emotion—whether she’s working with major brands like L’Oréal, Samsung, or Porsche, or crafting intimate, creative portraits. With years of experience, Maja combines technical skill, artistic vision, and a personal approach to deliver images that resonate, highlighting the beauty and essence of every subject.
https://www.themajatopcagic.com

Andrew Pinkham is an illustrative portrait photographer who is inspired by 18th century Dutch masters. He was born in Evanston, IL but grew up Chester County, PA. His career in photography has spanned a period of more than 30 years. Pinkham's artwork has been included in exhibitions at area galleries and has appeared in many publications and books, including the cover of poet laureate Billy Collins' “Aimless Love”. He currently resides in Philadelphia.
https://www.andrewpinkham.com

Kacey Jeffers is a New York–based photographer and artist whose work sits at the intersection of fashion, portraiture, reportage, and storytelling—blending refined aesthetics with lived-in intimacy.
https://www.kaceyjeffers.comOne of the challenges of family portraits is getting everyone to look at ease at the same time. If one group member looks uncomfortable or awkward, it can ruin an otherwise good photo. A great way to help your subjects feel relaxed is to shoot in a setting that is familiar to them. In the case of family portrait photography, shooting at their home, or at a local location such as a park that they all enjoy, can help you capture images they’ll all be sure to love.


It was during his years at The National School of Performing Arts in Denmark, that he discovered photography as a way to take a break from all the yoga and fencing classes. As his headshot skills improved, word spread, and after graduating from drama school, photography remained with him as a second career, complementing his acting career in film and television. HEIN is now a sought-after portrait photographer, counting many of Denmark's A-listers among his clients.
https://www.heinphotography.dk

Mark is an accomplished freelance photographer based in Cardiff, U.K. He earned a degree in photojournalism from the University of Wales/Trinity St David in 2013 and completed an MA in documentary photography at USW in 2022. With a diverse portfolio, his work has garnered international recognition, featuring prominently in prestigious exhibitions such as London's Mall Galleries and the DNG Gallery in Los Angeles. Notable accolades include winning selections at the Antiparos Photo Festival
https://www.markgriffithsphotography.com

Lin, a professional photographer in New York City, specializes in portraits, headshots, product, food, and family photography. Known for creating a comfortable experience, Lin captures authentic moments with creativity and precision. Whether in-studio or outdoors, their work showcases storytelling and professionalism. With a strong background in photography and business, Lin delivers high-quality images that make a lasting impact. Book a session today to bring your vision to life.
https://www.linleiphotography.com

Fares is a Paris-based photographer specializing in both analog 120 and 135 film as well as digital photography. During the past years, he has had the opportunity to gain experience and perfect his craft by working with amazing and talented worldwide models, artists, and brands, specializing in portraits, commercial photography and events as well as concert coverage. His approach is rooted in intimacy, documentary, reflection, and the exploration of soul.
https://www.faresbouadi.com

Leah den Bok is an acclaimed fashion and portrait photographer who dedicated herself to capturing the stories and images of people experiencing homelessness. Since 2015, she has travelled to major cities worldwide, including Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles, to document the struggles of those affected by homelessness for her project, Humanizing The Homeless. Through her work, Leah aims to humanize and raise awareness of homelessness.
https://www.humanizingthehomeless.org

Lanta is an immigrant photographer living in Edinburgh, Scotland. With 15 years of experience in digital, analogue, and lomography, her work often bridges surrealism, nature and humans. She loves exploring people's feelings and body language, which she believes reveal the true beauty of the world.
https://www.lantasire.comAcing your lighting setup is key to taking great portraits. A studio portrait photography tip you can start using right away is to avoid using on-camera flash. Illuminating your subject with a bright light directly from the front can really flatten their features, and remove any interesting dimensions you could otherwise capture. Instead, use an off-camera flash setup and light them from angle. You can play around with the position for the most flattering shot.


Flavia Catena is a portrait and lifestyle photographer originally from Italy, but now based in London. She is obsessed with lines, pure colours, cold blue tones, houses smelling like old books, and dreamy closed eyes. Her portraits are dreamy and romantic. She loves collaborating with sustainable fashion brands and companies, and with artists and creatives.
https://www.flaviacatenaph.com

Frances Carter is a photographer and director from Tāmaki Makaurau. A deep and lifelong love of music led her into photographing live gigs while still in high school, which over the years has grown into an extensive portfolio spanning music, fashion and portrait photography, as well as moving imagery. Her work has appeared in well-known publications including Rolling Stone, i-D, The New York Times and Vogue, and on billboards around the world.
https://www.francescarter.photo

Franklin Yeep is a black & white film portrait photographer based in NYC. Yeep shoot all things analog, which gives them a one-of-a-kind experience to the subject and the viewer. They believe the slow process allows the sitter to "breathe," enabling them to capture their portraiture in an honest, and transparent way. Everything is hand-processed by Yeep from start to finish without involving any photo labs, which allows them to have complete control over the creative process.
https://www.franklinyeep.com

Matthew Sutton is a local Australian based portrait and documentary analogue film photographer whose work focuses on people and their lives.
https://www.mattsutton.com.au

David Katzinger is an American photographer & artist from rural Kansas. He started his career working as the full-time photo assistant for fashion photographer Bruce Weber before setting his focus on documenting the life around him. As a photographer, David learned that in order to have a clear creative voice you must first learn the language in which you'd like to speak. For him, the language he chooses to speak is one of love and truth.
https://www.davidkatzinger.com

Deion Squires-Rouse is a Scarborough born visual artist, currently in his first year of Ryerson's Image-Arts program. Working primarily with lens-based media, he attempts to communicate the link between the physical world and emotional consciousness, oftentimes drawing upon contemporary themes to incite a connection with his viewers. He is heavily influenced by his forays into the various diverse scenes of Toronto youth culture as well as his experiences as a young person of colour.
https://www.deionsquires.comYou don’t need a breathtaking location or expensive studio to start taking portfolio-worthy portraits. Getting creative with your portrait background is a great way to make your images stand out. You can take a DIY approach with materials you may already have, like bedsheets and fabric. You can also buy backdrops online in just about any color or print you can think of. These typically come in reusable rolls, so you can repurpose them for future shoots.


Dan Fontanelli is a photographer and the owner of Bright Rooms, an open access darkroom, and studio in London. He has built a large body of work shooting portraits of contemporary artists whilst also working on several book projects. He takes on private and editorial commissions and works with London institutions on photographic projects. Bright Rooms was built to share his passion for analogue technique, build community, and also a teaching space for all to learn.
https://www.studiodanfontanelli.com

Brandon Gorrie is a photographer based in Austin, TX who loves to capture images that pose more questions than provide answers. Much of Brandon's work is inspired by Soviet and Western Cinema from the 60's until present- his favorite cinematographer being Sven Nykvist who worked with Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky. .
https://portfolio-ylcmeqz.format.com

Rachel Seidu is a conceptual, portraiture and documentary photographer interested in visual stories.
https://www.rachelseidu.com

Jan Mayo is a portrait photographer based in Manila, Philippines. He is also a trained aeroplane pilot, a professional theatre performer, and a sports science graduate – all of which allow him to passionately combine creativity and technical skill.
https://www.janmayo.com

Multi awarded portrait and fashion photographer, based in St Helens North West.
https://www.annasalekphotography.com

Jason Ward is an LA based street, documentary, and portrait photographer.
https://www.uncannyportraits.comCamera phones have reached new levels of quality in recent years with built-in features that recreate the look of higher-quality DSLR cameras. Check if your phone has a portrait mode that enables you to blur the background of your portraits if you want them to look like they were shot on an expensive camera. If you’re using a phone tripod, place it slightly below your eye level for a flattering portrait.