We Have Faces

One of the things that intrigues me about photography is the complexity of photographing a person. The more I study the subject, the more I realize how difficult it really is to capture the many faces of the subject. The face we see may not be the face the subject wants us to see. Conversely, we may not capture the true face and essence of our subject because we've not bothered to go beyond the surface.

Photographing people and capturing them in the right light, as they truly are, requires patience and inter-personal relationship skills. It simply is not just a mater of camera, lense, and lighting (natural and artificial). For me, at least, it requires some kind of an emotional connection between between the subject and myself. 

Several years ago, I discovered the value having a conversation with my client throughout our session. The results were extremely pleasing and I decided that I would continue to use that technique. This conversational approach enables me to capture more personality dimensions that otherwise a two dimensional image would not cast.

Portraits which lack intimacy, a relationship between photographer and subject, inevitably leave the viewer flat and void of feeling. The end result is simply a testament of technique and technology.


These portraits of my friend were shot in my home studio. The intent was to capture the many dimensions of the man I know and to render images of him in a flattering context. It became evident to me quickly that it was a complicated endeavour almost like reading tea leaves. It was complicated because I had to learn to see the various sides of him. It required patience and relationship. I relied on his immediate feedback and the quickly became a collaboration between photographer and subject. We created the photographs and crafted the final outcome.