In addition to the frontal and profile views, the face can be viewed in semi-profile (sometimes called three-quarter view).
While the ideal angle for viewing a semi-profile is slightly less than halfway between the frontal and profile views, any angle between a complete frontal and a complete profile can be labelled as semi-profile. Although the semi-profile lacks the visual simplicity of the other two views, it is the most common angle to view a face--essentially every possible viewing angle is encompassed by the semi-profile.
The same individual viewed from the profile, front, and semi-profile.
The semi-profile integrates aspects of both the frontal and profile angles to provide us with a three dimensional view of the face. For this reason, portraits are often taken in semi-profile. Being able to interpret a face's shape when viewed from the semi-profile position is an important skill; when we speak or look at people, we rarely view their face from a perfectly frontal or profile position!
In this angle, we can obtain clues about the shape of the forehead, how deeply set the eyes are, and how much the nose, cheekbones, and chin protrude. While face shape cannot always be determined from semi-profile alone, face shapes and semi-profile shapes are generally related in the following manner:
Oval face shape semi-profile
Oval faces have non-protruding cheekbones and a soft jaw. Its semi-profile is a smooth oval-shaped curve from the upper face to the lower face.
Round face shape semi-profile
Round faces have a similar curve, although it is shaped closer to a semi-circle than an oval, due to Round faces being less elongated compared to Ovals.
Pentagon face shape semi-profile
Pentagon faces have protruding cheekbones which often become even more noticeable in the semi-profile view. They jut out from the plane of the forehead, and the jawline falls away from them sharply instead of tapering gradually.
Square face shape semi-profile
Square faces, when viewed from the front, are dominated by straight lines. When viewed in semi-profile the bottom half of the face tends to be very linear as well, displaying minimal transition from the cheekbones to the bottom of the jaw. Not all Squares have straight foreheads, but when they do, the semi-profile can appear almost completely vertical.
The face must be rotated very far just to see a slight tapering of the jaw.
Oblong face shape semi-profile
Oblongs are more variable. Some have a relatively smooth curve (similar to the Oval), others are more linear (similar to the Square), and others can have boney cheeks which stick in out a similar manner to the Pentagon.
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A variation of the semi-profile which is often found in art is called 'profil perdu' or rear profile. This type of semi-profile shows the subject looking away from the viewer. Because of this, it gives us little information about what an individual's face looks like, although it can sometimes give hints about how deeply set the eyes are or how much the nose protrudes.
Optical illusion showing a young woman in profil perdu and an old woman in profile.
