Portraits...
I don't do many portraits for two reasons...I don't like the fact that often people don't like photographs of themselves, and I don't think I do a good job on them. I suspect they are related ideas.
But, when I do, sometimes I like them. I like the idea of finding, in the split second of a person's life, the essence of the way they want to present themselves to the world. It is a hard concept to capture, especially if you set your sights high. Karsh's portrait of Churchill comes to mind...a stupendous look at the man that could only be captured by grabbing his cigar away from him at the last minute before the shutter closes. Or Lange's portrait of Migrant Mother that (even though it is now believed she set it up and such would fly in the face of the documentarist she was) a photograph that tugs at you.
I am no Karsh or Lange. The ideas by them inspire me, however. I think of portraits as a three-step process: I ask a person to sit for it, they accept, they pose for it. Sounds simple. But, each of those steps is a challenge for me. The asking can be hard, and sometimes their rejection is even harder. But, even when you get to the point of the posing, it gets hard for me since I want to accept the person just as they are without succumbing to a temptation to ensure they "look good." So, the whole idea can push me to the frontier of my comfort. That's why I want to do more of them.
I would hope people who sit for me feel good about the work. Regardless, I intend to do more because it stretches me.
RPW
But, when I do, sometimes I like them. I like the idea of finding, in the split second of a person's life, the essence of the way they want to present themselves to the world. It is a hard concept to capture, especially if you set your sights high. Karsh's portrait of Churchill comes to mind...a stupendous look at the man that could only be captured by grabbing his cigar away from him at the last minute before the shutter closes. Or Lange's portrait of Migrant Mother that (even though it is now believed she set it up and such would fly in the face of the documentarist she was) a photograph that tugs at you.
I am no Karsh or Lange. The ideas by them inspire me, however. I think of portraits as a three-step process: I ask a person to sit for it, they accept, they pose for it. Sounds simple. But, each of those steps is a challenge for me. The asking can be hard, and sometimes their rejection is even harder. But, even when you get to the point of the posing, it gets hard for me since I want to accept the person just as they are without succumbing to a temptation to ensure they "look good." So, the whole idea can push me to the frontier of my comfort. That's why I want to do more of them.
I would hope people who sit for me feel good about the work. Regardless, I intend to do more because it stretches me.
RPW
Zen priest Kyoku Tracy Whalen sits "zazen" - the traditional meditation posture for Soto Zen Buddhists. She is in the "zendo" central hall at the Hokyoji Zen Center in Eitzen MN.