A portraiture is a composed image of a person or group in a still position. The difference of the early years of portraits and today is straight forward, technology. In the early days, portraits were made exclusive, were limited and time exhausting. They were exclusive because of the cost for a single portrait. They were limited in what they could do, which was indoors only, black and white and depending on the lighting resulted in the tints and shades that would be seen. The entire process was time exhausting and making a simple mistake or taking too long could mean doing the entire session all over again.
In the early days, photographers were almost like scientist. One person couldn’t mandate the entire process; it was usually a team of well skilled people, to help capture a single photograph. Only a few could call themselves photographers in the early days, because of this. The subjects were usually very wealthy and/or prestige people to the society. They were normally industrialists, lawyers, doctors, merchants and politicians. Although photographed portraits were cheaper and more accessible than painted portraits it still was too much for the middle class, ranging from $0.25 to $2.50 a portrait.
In today's society anyone can be a photographer and the subject. Portraits are now taken commemorating a special occasion such as a wedding, graduation and a baby. The price ranges by the sizes, amount and style that's being done. Now a day, anyone can be a "photographer" with a click of a button. Workers at franchised stores who take portraits are only taught how to take the photographs and the whole developing process are done else where in a factory and are sent back to the store, when ready. The entire complication and un-easy access to gain the equipment is no longer there, making it easy for anyone to claim to be a photographer. The impact of portraits in the early days, showed a type of status and significance to ones family and community. When that person would die they would pass that portrait down to other generations symbolizing that persons importance to the family. “By having one's portrait done an individual of the ascending classes could visually affirm his new social status both to himself and to the world at large. To meet the increased demand for portraits, the art became more and more mechanized. The photographic portrait was the final stage in this trend toward mechanization” (Precursors of the Photographic Portrait)
The impact of technology on portraits has changed a lot since the early days. It is much easier now to capture the photo and develop it. The camera it self has become digitalized, with a click of a button you capture the composition and have access to view it on the back of the camera, then have the software to edit the picture and have the proper printing paper and ink to develop it. Technology it's self has simplified everything, impacting all generations to come. Sources:
Precursors of the Photographic Portrait
A History Of Photography by Lemagny Rouille 36-44
