--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good portrait is incredibly hard to…" description: "\"A good portrait is incredibly hard to create, there is too much temptation to pander to the individual rather than portray them as they really were\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/198/philippe-halsman-25175_individual_a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-cr_2574898.jpg" --- # A good portrait is incredibly hard to create, there is too… ![“A good portrait is incredibly hard to create, there is too much temptation to pander to the individual rather than portray them as they really were” quote by Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/198/philippe-halsman-25175_individual_a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-cr_2574898.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/198/philippe-halsman-25175_individual_a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-cr_2574898.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/198/philippe-halsman-25175_individual_a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-cr_2574898.jpg) > “A good portrait is incredibly hard to create, there is too much temptation to pander to the individual rather than portray them as they really were” [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Portraiture demands fidelity to truth, resisting temptation to flatter, to capture genuine essence. **In simple terms:** True portraits avoid flattering lies. Key Takeaway Prioritize authenticity in representation. Themes art truth portraiture Mood serious analytical Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - photography - biographical work Key Concepts authenticity visual honesty Questions to Reflect On - How to balance honesty and subject’s comfort? - What risks arise from over‑idealizing? A Different Perspective Flattery can be commercially tempting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good Portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-portrait-1725067/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individual Portray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-portray-1725069/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portrait/) [Portrait Incredibly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portrait-incredibly-1725068/) [Portraits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portraits/) [Portray Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portray-really-1725070/) [Temptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temptation/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) ## Related quotes > [For me, a good portrait shows the fragility and humility of the person, and at the same time a strength, a resting in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/for-me-a-good-portrait-shows-the-fragility-and-humility-of-the-person/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [I sometimes find the surface interesting. To say that the mark of a good portrait is whether you get them or get the soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/i-sometimes-find-the-surface-interesting-to-say-that-the-mark-of-a/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [“I think that a good portrait reveals a suggestion of the subject’s mind, and not just a representation of how they look. It’s by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-ross/i-think-that-a-good-portrait-reveals-a-suggestion-of-the-subject-s/) [Elizabeth Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-ross/) > [When you are doing portraits, you have that intimacy with someone for a few minutes. For a really good portrait, you don't take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-duley/when-you-are-doing-portraits-you-have-that-intimacy-with-someone-for/) [Giles Duley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-duley/) > [With a woman I try to photograph her beauty; with a man I try to show his character. Once I photographed a man with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/with-a-woman-i-try-to-photograph-her-beauty-with-a-man-i-try-to-show/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [A true portrait should, today and a hundred years from today, the Testimony of how this person looked and what kind of human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/a-true-portrait-should-today-and-a-hundred-years-from-today-the/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [I have made over 70 pictures and in only 10 of them did I portray a really 'bad man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lorre/i-have-made-over-70-pictures-and-in-only-10-of-them-did-i-portray-a/) [Peter Lorre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lorre/) > [To portray something that you're really not, it's like a little escape, and I love to act and to be dramatic. I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-bliss/to-portray-something-that-you-re-really-not-it-s-like-a-little-escape/) [Alexa Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-bliss/) > [“It’s because I’m a witch that I can take these pictures,” Jennie said.  “A good portrait photographer shows the outside of a person; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debora-geary/it-s-because-i-m-a-witch-that-i-can-take-these-pictures-jennie-said-a/) [Debora Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debora-geary/) > [A portrait is a picture in which there is just a tiny little something not quite right about the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singer-sargent/a-portrait-is-a-picture-in-which-there-is-just-a-tiny-little/) [John Singer Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singer-sargent/) > [In a portrait, you always leave part of yourself behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/in-a-portrait-you-always-leave-part-of-yourself-behind/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [Many times I see you as a portrait of torture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/many-times-i-see-you-as-a-portrait-of-torture/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) > [Portrait painters' mission is to portray people and the beauty of Creation. They should stay clear of ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-babailov/portrait-painters-mission-is-to-portray-people-and-the-beauty-of/) [Igor Babailov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-babailov/) > [Eloquence is a painting of thought; and thus those who, after having painted it, add something more, make a picture instead of a portrait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/eloquence-is-a-painting-of-thought-and-thus-those-who-after-having/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Philippe Halsman > [I am often asked which picture is my favorite. This is like asking a mother which child she likes the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/i-am-often-asked-which-picture-is-my-favorite-this-is-like-asking-a/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [The head of the photographer is more important than his camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/the-head-of-the-photographer-is-more-important-than-his-camera/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [I make the woman look at the camera as a symbol of all the eyes that will see the picture I am making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/i-make-the-woman-look-at-the-camera-as-a-symbol-of-all-the-eyes-that/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [When the photographer Philippe Halsman said, 'Jump,' no one asked how high. People simply pushed off or leapt up to the extent that physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/when-the-photographer-philippe-halsman-said-jump-no-one-asked-how/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [The immortal photographers will be straightforward photographers, those who do not rely on tricks or special techniques.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/the-immortal-photographers-will-be-straightforward-photographers/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [When you ask a person to jump, his attention is mostly directed toward the act of jumping and the mask falls so that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/when-you-ask-a-person-to-jump-his-attention-is-mostly-directed-toward/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [The word “photography” can be interpreted as “writing with light” or “drawing with light.” Some photographers are producing beautiful photographs by drawing with light..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/the-word-photography-can-be-interpreted-as-writing-with-light-or/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [ \[Revealing character\] can't be done by pushing the person into position or arranging his head at a certain angle. It must be accomplished by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/revealing-character-can-t-be-done-by-pushing-the-person-into-position/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [Most people stiffen with self-consciousness when they pose for a photograph. Lighting and fine camera equipment are useless if the photographer cannot make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/most-people-stiffen-with-self-consciousness-when-they-pose-for-a/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [In a jump, the subject, in a sudden burst of energy, overcomes gravity. He cannot simultaneously control his expressions, his facial and his limb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/in-a-jump-the-subject-in-a-sudden-burst-of-energy-overcomes-gravity/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [Of the thousands of people, celebrated and unknown, who have sat before my camera, I am often asked who was the most difficult subject,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/of-the-thousands-of-people-celebrated-and-unknown-who-have-sat-before/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [Marilyn was history's most phenomenal love goddess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/marilyn-was-history-s-most-phenomenal-love-goddess/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [A true portrait should, today and a hundred years from today, the Testimony of how this person looked and what kind of human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/a-true-portrait-should-today-and-a-hundred-years-from-today-the/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [With a woman I try to photograph her beauty; with a man I try to show his character. Once I photographed a man with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/with-a-woman-i-try-to-photograph-her-beauty-with-a-man-i-try-to-show/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [In my serious work I am striving for the essence of things and for goals which are possibly unobtainable. On the other hand, everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/in-my-serious-work-i-am-striving-for-the-essence-of-things-and-for/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) [Explore all 23 Philippe Halsman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) ## More Individual quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) [T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Nations, like individuals, interest us in their growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/nations-like-individuals-interest-us-in-their-growth/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [ \[Sport officials\] blocked their support of us. But those individuals \[ Muhammad Ali, the Jim Browns, the Bill Russells, Kareem Abdul Jabbar \] were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/sport-officials-blocked-their-support-of-us-but-those-individuals/) [John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [The State must act as the guardian of a millennial future in the face of which the wishes and the selfishness of the individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-state-must-act-as-the-guardian-of-a-millennial-future-in-the-face/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Youre always going to have some individual incidents that arent going to show off the Ryder Cup in the true form and spirit that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kite/youre-always-going-to-have-some-individual-incidents-that-arent-going/) [Tom Kite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kite/) > [ The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 10,654 Individual quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A good portrait is incredibly hard to create, there is too much temptation to pander to the individual rather than portray them as they really were", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philippe Halsman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-create-there-is-too-much/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Individual" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-create-there-is-too-much/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/198/philippe-halsman-25175_individual_a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-cr_2574898.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/198/philippe-halsman-25175_individual_a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-cr_2574898.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/198/philippe-halsman-25175_individual_a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-cr_2574898.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A good portrait is incredibly hard to create, there is too much temptation to pander to the individual…” — Philippe Halsman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philippe Halsman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A good portrait is incredibly hard...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-create-there-is-too-much/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/a-good-portrait-is-incredibly-hard-to-create-there-is-too-much/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```