I’ve mentioned my participation in a mentoring program on this blog before (see here). On Monday April 15 I had a next session of this program. I was tasked to continue with my black and white portraits, but to experiment more with the depth of field. I was also asked to use different models. My contribution consisted of the photo’s below.
The images above try to say something about the individual’s nature, character or mood, at least that was my intention. I asked them to look ask neutral or serious as possible. Told them not to smile or try to look pleasant. In many cases people attempt to look nice on a picture and automatically give you a smile. In my opinion, a smile is often just a mask behind which they hide. It doesn’t show their true nature or character. I told all of them upfront of what I tried to achieve and what the photo’s should look like. They were, therefore, warned not to expect glamour shots. For me personally, it was a positive experience that I was able get the end result I had in mind when I started. I read in an article somewhere last week that when people are confronted with their pictures as seen by someone else, e.g. a painting or photo, it can actually affect the person’s self image.
The pictures above can be considered confrontational in several different ways.
- lighting: one frontal strobe from above and a reflector under the chin
- camera distance: relatively close with my camera to their face, almost no cropping
- composition: square pictures with the face in the centre
- post processing: black and white where wrinkles and skinfolds are accentuated
Click here if you’re interested in lighting setup and other technical details.
What did the mentor, Diana Bokje, have to say about my work? She was excited! On all images the people very much felt at ease and looked straight into the camera. Making contact, touching if you like, the viewer. She liked the the square composition, which contributed to the effect. She also praised the overall tonality, where she said some photo’s almost seem to have a silver glow to them. She was also positive about the use of the limited depth of field, e.g. at the shoulders and ears, while preserving details in the face, e.g. eyes, moustache and beard. In her opinion, these photo’s simply begged to be printed big, e.g. 1×1 mtr (3.3×3.3 ft.). In other words, she thought the photo’s were of a very high level. She’d even like to publish one or two in one of the next editions of her photo magazine.
Assignment for the next session is to take more portraits that are of the same high level and have the same effect, but not taken in the studio, but on location. I can bring my own light or use available light. Whatever, as long as the pictures have the same impact as these have. Challenging…