Make no mistake – portrait photography is a very difficult genre when you start to take it seriously. Dealing with the intricacies of camera craft in combination with managing people's expectations can be rough. But it can also be very well worth it if you know what you're doing.
These black-and-white window portraits show what can be achieved when artistry is paired with technical knowledge. As a whole, they represent an inspirational collection that you can use for your own motivation to take similar shots.
We've tried to include shots that are the classic black-and-white window portrait but also a few more original compositions that show that you can step outside of that traditional shot. Adding your own flare to a traditional idea is something you will eventually want to do as a photographer so hopefully these can give you some ideas.
Most window portraits will utilise the light coming through the window to light the face of the subject, but the above shot shows that a back-lit shot through a window can also work very effectively.
The above shot also shows that experimenting with nonconventional approaches to window-lit photography can produce interesting results.
A strong abstract composition is something that's extremely difficult to achieve in general, but this above shot shows that a bit of creativity can help you achieve an extremely interesting frame.
Hopefully those shots give you some inspiration to think about taking your own black-and-white window portraits. In the meantime, we strongly suggest you download our black-and-white portrait cheat sheet and check out our articles on portraiture and black-and-white photography tutorials.
