Inside My Process: Portraiture
I’d like to share some of my process methods, tips, and insight. I don’t believe in absolutes, so keep what resonates and discard what doesn’t. And by all means, share with me your ways of producing art and other creative expressions.
Before a shoot, I try not to think about what types of pictures I can or will make. Instead, I focus on what I can learn from the person I’m about to photograph. I ask questions that others may want to know about this person: his or her traits, quirks, values, vulnerabilities, skills and talent – and I try to answer these questions through the pictures I make of them. It is extremely important that you, as a photographer and artist, do your homework on your subject(s).
Here’s the duality of being an artist: On the other hand, I approach the making of a picture or shoot with discernment acquired from my filmmaking background, like a director, having the end result of the picture in my mind’s first eye before I even touch the camera.
After being in this game since 2008, I’ve learned very effective and efficient techniques. Because I simplify my pictures, they’re noteworthy. My photography professor used to always tell us, “Whatever is in the frame - within the four corners - had better be intentional.”
As Pablo Picasso tells us, “Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.”
Go beyond the façade, the pretentious optics, and get to the truth, the empathy—the fine balance between authenticity and interesting.
A great way to train your eye is to sit still somewhere and simply observe people—in filmmaking we call this the director’s eye—and your powers of observation will intensify significantly. You’ll begin to notice the all-important details—the guy standing in line has on shoes that are too small, as he can't stand still at all; the lady walking by is carrying a purse that’s past its prime, and the little girl with her has a tear in her stockings. You begin to see the details of humanity, of everyday life, of the human condition.
My photo shoot flow goes something like this:
Conversation about the things that interest the subject.
I begin with a long lens 85mm - 200mm, and I make a portrait in color against a white backdrop. This creates openness.
Next, I move on to making a portrait against the white backdrop but in monochrome (black and white).
Finally, it’s the portrait against a black backdrop, in color and in monochrome. The black backdrop, I find, creates intimacy.
The goal is that at the end of the process you have the aesthetic, the beauty you set out to capture.
