Steve McCurry

It may seem odd to look to a photojournalist when looking inspiration for a portrait assignment but McCurry has become famous for his portraits,more specifically images such as "Afghan girl" this image is really why i came to his work when researching portrait photography. McCurry captured a piercing gae that sticks with the audience for days after as it looks deep into you and the audience begins to understand the emotions and the context of the image. This image has been the cover of national geographic and since then McCurry's own book "portraits"
I find that one thing McCurry always seems to create in his images is a complementary colour pallet this makes for a more effective image with much stronger connotations.

Afghan Girl, Steve McCurry