Portraiture

Capture the essence of a soul. Can I really do that? A lot of photographers specialize in portraiture. It has not been my primary focus, but over time I have attempted to improve. It is intimidating and a little frightening to take another's portrait, and worse to think they won't like it. My commitment to transparency means I'll admit I do not yet claim to be a portrait photographer.

So this is not a marketing page to book portrait sessions. Rather, I see this as a progressive process. And that journey is as much an exploration into the humanities as it is photography. The technical elements of a good portrait or headshot are practiced skills. If one shoots enough portraits and gains confidence in lighting, posing, etc. the expected results are portraits for which clients are willing to pay.

Yet to see the soul in a portrait, that truly existential and spiritual quality of a person, is often an elusive skill. indeed, how does a portrait truly transcend? 

Ultimately, it is the human connection based on trust that is the sine qua non of all good portraiture. And I think the practical implications of trust in portraiture is that the subject will be seen as true to themselves (whether they see that or that is seen by others). A real portrait is when the truth of one's likeness is captured in a way that stops time just enough for others to say that they know that person a little better (see this article from the Chicago School of Media Theory).

For me, portraiture is about truth.