Portrait Assignment – Rob Van Petten
Let’s shoot a portrait and post it here. Find someone you find photographically intriguing. Find something visually shot-worthy and make that quality or characteristic the point of the picture. This could be good practice for approaching people you want to shoot. Many have said they don’t feel comfortable approaching strangers for permission to photograph them. Find someone who you have wanted to shoot and overcome that apprehension.
Put the image in photographic terms. Use the composition and the light quality to accentuate what it is you are revealing about them. Use light and shadow, motion, economy of detail, selective focus…
I recently had the good fortune to meet a young model who was visiting my house with another photographer. I immediately thought she was a very strong model and asked if we could pop into the studio and just try something for fun. She poked through some of the clothes in the dressing room and came out wearing a shirt that revealed a tattoo of a knife on her chest. That little element told a lot about her, besides her cosmetic delicateness, arty gestures and expressions of her personal style.
Let’s shoot some new portraits. I’m planning to shoot some beauty tests with this model very soon and will post here. This is my opportunity too.
Check out my 365 portrait album on flickr. I’ll be the first to admit, some photos need work, but it is a cool project to try and complete!
It was behind the scenes in Snowwhite rehearsals. Even as long time friends
this was an awkward shot as there was a lot of emotion going on. Dave was struggling with his lines and i was brought in at very short notice as one of the cast had dropped out at last min.
This was one of 3 shots but the other two i haven’t used as you can see the utter dispare in his face. I asked if i could use this photo for its rawness. We do amateur dramatics with no payment except the joy of the audiences faces but it is draining.
And then they turn the spot lights on.
Does anyone really know themselves?
Can you really expose hidden elements of a subject’s personality, or are you merely presenting an image that your audience may colour with their own pre-conceptions and cultural assumptions?
Keeping that in mind, here’s a portrait of a total stranger of whom I know nothing other than she seemed to be doing some shopping on a Sunday.
that’s deep man.
Bravo!
moemay9:Yes – you cheated, but you were quick to respond.
Adorable child. The colors of the turquoise figures against the warmth of her skin are a great accent and activity. I’m wondering if the shot would be stronger if the focus was on the eyes instead of the figures if we would connect with her a little faster and for longer. I think so. Kids can be great performers in a portrait shoot – usually for short duration – and often are uninhibited and camera savvy. The right kid and the right toy can open a wonderland of fantasy photos.
ianolive40:It is a cool project. I took a quick stroll down 365 Lane and see a continuity and style emerging here. You appear to make this fun for the subjects which fosters a relaxed trusting confidence in your subjects. You have several with the subject in the center of a wide angle landscape for context. Those hit me initially as graphical strong and by repetition strengthen the whole group. If you are continuing with this project I hope to see some other strong compositions emerge.
0bender0:These images of Dave are first amusing because he is getting such an exaggerated make-up treatment and ironically does not appear to be enjoying it. That’s funny. I agree with the black and white strength. He pops more. And then the performance shot puts the before and after context to the story.
The make-up shot is more of a portrait because he is working with you and is cognizant of you shooting. Documents of a performance are not really portraits because it’s not a collaborative effort with the camera. Its a document of a performance and you are not the director. A portrait is when the artist is in control to direct the subject, design and effect the lighting, and guide the process of the shoot to a point where something significant is captured that says something insightful about that person.
ault:If you choose to engage someone and study them you will learn a great deal more than before you tried.
If you analyze your own behaviors you can apply what you learn to your understanding of everyone else.
If you study photography you will learn the distinction between a street grab shot and a portrait session where you have a dialogue with a subject. More importantly the subject is a willing collaborator in a process of making a revealing statement in visual terms.
TMcEnroe:Something is revealed about the subject and something is revealed to the photographer about their relationship. A good part of shooting your own family. Joy is a rare and precious thing.
Rob Van Petten:
Thanks for your reply Rob
I wasn’t sure what type of photo the stage shot was. i added it as an indication that the portrait wasn’t the norm with regards to the first shot.
Thinking about your other comments on other shots.
I suppose although shot in a portrait, it technically isn’t a portrait. Although Dave new
i had a camera. I don’t think he was expecting the photo. If so his expression may have been different and something i would have had control of.
Rob:Take for example what most would consider a good portrait: Avedon’s portrait of the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor.
The story goes that he sensed a certain sadness about them, but when they sat, they were too formal. So, knowing that they were animal lovers, he told them that his dog had died (or something similar). He then caught their reaction.
Now, does the image (particularly without the story behind it) tell us anything about the couple? Has Avedon done anything else than to foist HIS interpretation of his subjects upon us?
I will agree that a good portrait will tell us a lot about the photographer, and it can probably give the questioning viewer some insights into themselves, but I don’t think it can say much about the subject.
Rob Van Petten:.thanks Rob for the comment, I would have to agree with you about the point of focus part that you have suggested would make a stronger photo. When I saw the scene… she was happy with what she have made with the play dough. The story in my head was “the artist behind the creations” ………………………..:) That was the reason I choose to focus on the toy. I actually thought about take another one with focus on her eyes but she moved..
And a casual picture of my Mom, which I felt has brought out her personality.
Though now I see a scope of improvement for both.
ault:You’ve chosen one particular famous portrait where Avedon chose to show them in an unflattering moment. Maybe he had more insight into them than we do. Avedon was trying to evoke some emotion from a stiff and otherwise blank practiced response from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
The story told by Diane Arbus, is that Avedon had a preconceived agenda when he photographed the Duke and Duchess in 1957. He told them that on the way to the session his taxi had run over a dog, a lie, to elicit a response. There had been suspicion about their ungracious familiarity with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, leading up to WWII. They lived in an elegant Paris home provided by the French Government on a lavish income provided by the British Government and made pro-fascist remarks to the press and disparaging remarks about their host countries. Avedon once remarked that the Windsors loved dogs more than they loved Jews. There is much written about their opulent life style and peculiar indulgences. So it is probable that Avedon had an agenda in this famous case and they were pretty accurately cast.
(The Duke and Duchess of Windsor: We Are Not Amused, October 9,2009 by Lisa Waller Rogers)
The shot was a big news event and widely controversial at the time. But not really a great example of what we are talking about here.
That is an unusual condition. The overwhelming majority of portraits are made with the open cooperation of the subject with the intention of finding some flattering likeness or something insightful to reveal about the subject. A mutual collaboration.
rajnishjaiswal:These two images are very different in style. The silhouette of your daughter is a very graphic treatment that shows her karate ability in an unusual way. I think most people think of a portrait has having more information than less, but in this case it becomes an iconic graphic that effectively says something strong.
The shot of your mother is a very sympathetic expression shot in a more conventional “chiaroscuro” style with this dark background. (Chiaro = light, Scuro = shadow in Italian) The lighting supports the warm composed mood of her expression really well too.
This is a Supervisor/Longshoreman in the Port of Sacramento.
He’s Creole, which I have never knowingly photographed someone that was.
She`s a funny girl that allways give a smile for a friendly person.
www.nickgironphoto.com:Some things that work here – the light quality is creating very zappy electric filled light quality that tells us you are making a stylistic statement. Looks like a ring flash. The guy is a very strong subject in his bright orange vest and his connection with the camera. This up agaist the wall environment works really well too. This is a powerful portrait.
This encouraged me to look a bit at your phtostream where I say a couple of others that I liked too because of the light quality that did magic things.
To my eye, this one is a lot stronger because of the super dynamic light blasting through here. All these radial lines and the framing of the guy in the blast zone of this doorway make this a powerful winner.
It is empowering the guy as well as illuminating the shot. This is strategically well seen and well executed. (Personally I love this one.)
alexandredinelli:This has all the qualities of a shot I refer to as quiet confidence. She likes the fact that you like what she is doing. There is a completed circuit of energy flowing here from you and the camera to her and then back to reinforce your point of view. This is the effective dialogue that happens when a subject and photographer get in sync. This is why there is a special dialogue between a photographer and a model when a shot works.
I think everything content wise works here pretty well to support the emotional moment. I might want to see the rail a bit softer ( less depth of field) because it competes with the focus on her, and could be a bit more stylistically romantic as softer shapes than the iron rail that it is. However, it’s providing a sense of place and a degree of environment that works with her lovely smile.
I took the liberty of trying a softer out of focus rail version. Maybe the rail could go even softer. What do you think?
I met this man on a street in India and learned from others around that he was a repeat winner of moustache growing contests. His moustache was tied up, so I asked him to pose in front of his shop where there were two photos of him with it spread out.
On his initiative, he unfurled it and showed it off with a pride that I thought also revealed his showmanship.
This is a really nice shot. It’s a photographically appropriate subject and all your instincts about the wide angle and the close cropping support the concept very well. The only little item I find a bit distracting is the position of the hose behind him on the left. The hose is close in color and scale to his muostache and competes graphically just a little. Maybe a slight camera move to the left might have separated his head from the hose. Small point but, when you have it this good and a guy willing to pose, it’s worth shooting around the space to reduce distractions and investigate other angles.
You seem to be getting a lot of good use out of your D750, especially in India. This is only one of many very nice portraits you did there showing the amazing rich colors and textures of Indian culture. You have a great street journalistic style. Your use of color and light direction is consistently very appealing. You use a range of focal lengths very effectively too. It’s great to see how you engage your subjects in such a comfortable way. You explore a lot of the world through your camera. Good instincts. Practiced skills. Work on a book. Thanks for joining the discussion. Show us more.
Rob Van Petten: Rob Van Petten:I really think that you improve the quality of the picture. I agree with your position about the rail and even the model prefer that new look. I´m thankfull about the tips and the attention gave to my work.
Rob Van Petten:
Thanks very much for your comments. The hose bothered me too. There probably is a better angle, but when I was there I couldn’t find it.
Yes, this trip was the best chance I’ve had to put the D750 through its paces, and I was very happy with it. When I first bought it, I was skeptical about the tilting screen, but I used it a lot — for candid shots, for low angles when I didn’t want to kneel or lie down in filth, for high over-their-heads shots in crowds, etc. The low-light performance and dynamic range were also excellent.
A book may be coming.
