Portrait Photography Process
Portrait Photography Thoughts:
Family. November 2019.
Hello my dear friends, thanks for stopping by!
Recently i created a triptych with a portrait of my wife, myself, and one with our daughter all wearing my go-to fedora hat. Often, people ask me how i get the expressions out of my daughter that i do in my portraits of her. The short answer is patience. Truthfully, most of the images i make of her are captured live and in the moment as only a quick responder with my camera. But when doing a formal (set-up) photoshoot it is a different kind of challenge.
i usually know what i am looking for in the portrait and what i would like to see. However, after spending half of my life making portraits i have learned to not have too many expectations (especially with children). The energy of the moment is what usually guides me. By being nothing but myself, and allowing my subjects to be fully themselves. People will reveal themselves eventually. It can be a very intimate moment that they may not even be aware of at the time. To me, it is a form of psychology to travel into the mind of your subject, find them, and bring them out to capture photographically.
To see the incredible range of emotions and feelings that transpire during a formal photoshoot have a look at the following images from this last shoot.
My advice to aspiring portrait photographers is to practice patience and mindfulness. Meditation has helped me with this over the years. You have to be at peace with yourself and your world in order make your subjects feel at ease. i often hear photographers in public barking orders at their subjects. Yes, often some instruction is required, but the act of trying to control another human being to your meet expectation of them seems artificial to me. i prefer to allow people to find their peace and space and time somewhat on their own.
i am just here to assist and witness the moment as a photographer. As an artist, i choose the light, composition, and final edit to reflect the mood and energy of the moment captured (unless i’m working with a creative director who is looking for something else…ha ha). It is not something that happens overnight. i have spent my life observing, reading, and getting to know people all over the world. i have spent thousands of hours mastering the art of photography. So again, my advice is patience, mindfulness, and to keep practicing.
Hopefully this is helpful and inspiring. If you ever have any questions or have an upcoming project where you could use my services please feel free to contact me.
Have a look at my portraits section for more work:
Thanks for reading, you are an amazing human!
Love + Gratitude.
henrY