Irving penn
http://dodho.com/irving-pennthe-first-great-portraitist/
i really enjoy looking at this guys work, i mean iv seen a lot of portraits on the internet, in books, in magazines and exhibition, iv been to the edinburgh portrait gallery and seen some really good portraits as well as some really poor portraits as in magazines and on the internet there just seems to be a contrast and it is a harsh contrast between the really captivating portraits that make you feel like you are the one taking the photo like you have just had the conversation with the model that this guy has clearly had and produced that image yourself, and the not so good portraits that make you feel nothing that there was nothing said before the photo was taken its just a snap shot taken of someone who just happens to of come to the studio. this guy capture the emotion that he wants and clearly put into his photo it may help that he has taken photo's of the more extravagantly famous people, like presidents of the USA, though i do not believe that this had anything to do with it, i believe that he has defined this as a genre.
i thinks it the quality his photo's have, but im not sure really..    
tutor told us not to do this theres to much shadow around her head, which means the eye cannot separate her hair from the background. but i like this photo because of this, it means you get to see her face in a lot more detail than you would if you could see her hair

august sander
http://ciubuxabinaphoto.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/anton-und-marta-by-august-sander/
the man, who looks to be on the cusp of violence, in this image is whereing a suit which implies that he is of an upperclass background and has power, more important than the woman who is wereing casual clothing and looking away from the taker, also the way the man is holding her is quite agressive and adds to the feeling of ownership..
the woman needs empowerment as she has a strong figure..if not a fine figure,. leaves me speechless, and thinking would it be aloud in today society, i very much doubt it

daguerre
http://www.filmsnotdead.com/2012/01/09/joyeux-anniversaire-daguerreotype/
i find this image more assteticly pleasing than most, i like the cracklyness that it has.
common expressionless about the image's of this time period.. there is is no crispness to this its very soft and there is a lot of noise in it, very unclean somehow, there. not sure about the subject,  are those ribbons in her hair or feathers, is that jewellery or a neck tie, there are somthings that don't need answers the un-answered questions adding to the image, but this one left me wanting.. there is a distinctness to it though, which as iv said is very pleasing.. I'm on the fence. dont know off i love it thinking it masterful or awful wanting to destroy it.. maybe a bit of both

sir john herschel
julia margaret cameron
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/L.1997.84.6
quite like this as the subject john herschel has a quere look on his face, like he's contemplating his life. he's also staring directly into the camera.
this makes up for its lack of quality by the quality of the subject. he's clearly getting on a bit.. maybe he's lived a hard life burning the candle at both ends by the bags under his eyes..but his eyes are quite milky like someone who's suffering with cataracts..the mouth is also quite down turned giving quite a somber appears to an otherwise good looking chap.. and there is somthing fuzzy about it like the cameras been nocked ever so slightly, if it was a moderner photo id take a guess at it being caused by the mirror slamming when the shutter is fired, as its not a very modern photo i don't know and wouldnt like to guess what the cause could be

Julia margaret Cameron
http://artblart.com/category/cindy-sherman/
this actually looks ancient,.
and very washed out, but you can tell a lot about this person by her atier, even its not clear at all, we as people judge others based on clothing and brands, but how do you really know what that person is like unless you talk to them, you will never know if they are whereing those cloves because fashion or because they cannot afford anything else, you may not even find this out after speaking with them. so i find its always best to asking before judging someone.. which i probable dont do often enough.

 Carl Durheim
http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/lecture-2/deck/697274 
carl durheim's lithograph of swiss traveler 
one of the earlyist portrait photos i'v seen so far and theres a very distinct feel to it
the womans probale put on her best clothing to sit there and have her photo taken but they look dirty and her face looks dirty as well like she had a ruff life or she's come from the ruff part of a town, also the image is very contrasty.i very much like the fact that it looks like its a photo in an album or something with the edges cropped out or in case not there to begin with,..

 Judith Ross
http://www.utata.org/sundaysalon/judith-joy-ross/
erm, hair is the first thing i noticed about this, i think theres a picture of my mam somwhere with hair like this.. its kind of funny cos the clothes that they are whereing have come back into fashion, but i dont think that the hair will ever come back into fashion.
also they are clearly twins, but ones smileing and tothers not and doesnt look very happy at all, im not quite sure where they are/ where its been taken, kind of looks like a music hall or somthing