My lecturer once said to me, never paint pictures that aren't there...
He sat, watched my blossoming interest in photographing people, and realising I was male, young and could wield a camera, took instant caution in how I approached the idea of shooting women. He looked at me through eyes wiser than mine, through eyes practised with defending the ideas behind his own life's work, where he often photographed women, and felt the need to defend such an act to the uneducated. He lectured me on feminism, tore into every photo I took of a woman knowing that if he didn't someone else would.
The fact remains that no matter how much I think I've learned about why I take the photos I do, about the motives real or subconscious, or the manners in which to defend what I take to the ill-advised, there is always someone out there, smarter than I who can tie whatever I say in knots. Or take what I say and misinterpret it.
None of it matters really. I shoot what I like to shoot, and just hope I do it for the right reasons that I agonise over daily. Hopefully others buy into it too. But several points that came up when talking to my lecturer and friend Mr White, always, always stick in my mind. Dead simple, dead obvious things. 1) Do not use your viewpoint in relation to the subject to imply sexual or gender specific strengths. Don't stand over the woman making does eyes, looking all dominating. You're asking for being slurred... 2) Never try and instill a mood that isn't there. You can't say "look sexy" or "look sad" to achieve a look and a feel, as all you're doing is painting an awkward ideal of the poor image you had in your head.
You can't act these things, you have to uncover them for real. Don't say "look pensive"; "look away to the side of the photo so you look fragile and approachable, so you look vulnerable." Saying these things marks you as a predator with a camera. There's no point creating a mood, it's not real, you just have to capture and convey what is there.
That's portraits, taking something that says something about the subject. Tell a story.
I don't know what this says more about, her and who she is, or me for being so utterly taken in by it. I don't care. :-)
My lecturer once said to me, never paint pictures that aren't there...
He sat, watched my blossoming interest in photographing people, and realising I was male, young and could wield a camera, took instant caution in how I approached the idea of shooting women. He looked at me through eyes wiser than mine, through eyes practised with defending the ideas behind his own life's work, where he often photographed women, and felt the need to defend such an act to the uneducated. He lectured me on feminism, tore into every photo I took of a woman knowing that if he didn't someone else would.
The fact remains that no matter how much I think I've learned about why I take the photos I do, about the motives real or subconscious, or the manners in which to defend what I take to the ill-advised, there is always someone out there, smarter than I who can tie whatever I say in knots. Or take what I say and misinterpret it.
None of it matters really. I shoot what I like to shoot, and just hope I do it for the right reasons that I agonise over daily. Hopefully others buy into it too. But several points that came up when talking to my lecturer and friend Mr White, always, always stick in my mind. Dead simple, dead obvious things. 1) Do not use your viewpoint in relation to the subject to imply sexual or gender specific strengths. Don't stand over the woman making does eyes, looking all dominating. You're asking for being slurred... 2) Never try and instill a mood that isn't there. You can't say "look sexy" or "look sad" to achieve a look and a feel, as all you're doing is painting an awkward ideal of the poor image you had in your head.
You can't act these things, you have to uncover them for real. Don't say "look pensive"; "look away to the side of the photo so you look fragile and approachable, so you look vulnerable." Saying these things marks you as a predator with a camera. There's no point creating a mood, it's not real, you just have to capture and convey what is there.
That's portraits, taking something that says something about the subject. Tell a story.
I don't know what this says more about, her and who she is, or me for being so utterly taken in by it. I don't care. :-)