Authentic portraits

Portrait of Magda Indigo, out enjoying the landscape in Flanders, Belgium.

Yesterday I was looking through my library of photography books. Being a bit of a collector I've got quite a lot. The book that caught my attention for a relaxing browse on the sofa was Annie Leibovitz's Woman.

It's a magnificent celebration of woman and includes portraits of the famous, of high achievers and of ordinary woman. The thing that all of the images have in common is an honesty and an authenticity. She uses a variety of techniques and styles; black and white, colour, grainy, smooth, candid, posed - it doesn't matter. Each image speaks to the viewer.

She often breaks the photographic rule's of composition, but each image works. You never get the feeling that technical considerations get in the way of making a good image. It's all about the subject and the honesty of the photograhers eye. No wonder she is ranked as one of the world's top portrait photographers.

In her tribute to woman there is not a single sign of airbrushing or digital manipulation to enhance her subject's looks and yet young and old look far more beautiful than any cover model photograph for a fashion magazine or slick high street portrait shot.

The ultimate beauty of photography for me lies in authenticity, showing the real person and letting their image speak to us.

I hope all those photographers out there uploading glossy, staged portraits that are empty of meaning will take a moment to consider what I've written here. Next time you're in a book shop pop in and take a look at Annie Liebovitz's photography.

Cheers,
Paul

Comments

David Toyne said…

You're a star Paul! The fake portrait devoid of meaning is my pet hate. Can I also mention Imogen Cunningham as a wonderful master portrait photographer?

00:28

David Toyne said…

PS: Looking good Magda!

00:29

Approach to taking a portrait

Portrait of Amitabh Bachchan. Click on the image to see larger version. Every portrait is different but there are also elements which are the same, whether you’re shooting the famous or the locally famous. Fame is of course all relative. It depends on profession, accomplishments or media celebrity status. Whoever the ‘famous’ individual is there are millions of people in the world who will never have heard them. For example I photographed the legendary Indian Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, who amongst his many accolades was awarded the Legion d'Honneur, the highest civilian award of France. But I’m positive that many people in North America will not have heard of him – although he has more fans than Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro put together. I find that however well known a person is cracking through egos and insecurities is really important when it comes to getting authentic strong portraits. However I hasten to add that when it came to photographing Amitabh th

The portrait photographer's motivation

Easy access to the Internet and digital photography has resulted in an ever growing number of photographers uploading their images for comments and ratings from peers. Online communities evolve and these mini-societies each have their pecking order, internal groups and communal preferences. Photographers learn from each other. On sites that have a rating system there is often pressure to conform to certain styles, techniques and even subject matter. Although I participate in numerous sites (it's great fun), I recognise the danger of becoming a herd animal and losing the edge of individual creativity. There will always be the creatives that lead the way and the imitators that can only try to follow in their footsteps. This lead me to think about classifying photographers according their inner motivation. So as a bit of fun here are a few different types: The innovator Driven to always find something new, different and creative. Wants to be leading edge. Motivated by creative satisfa

Is professional photography still a viable career?

I am not against amateurs and semi-professionals selling their photography. It's a great way to earn some extra cash. However I am concerned about the level of high quality published work and the standards that clients and the public accept these days. It seems that just about everyone is a photographer. The line between amateur enthusiast and professional is fuzzy to say the least. Photography enthusiasts are selling their images through stock libraries and microstock websites, directly to magazines or through their own and third party sites. They're accepting commissions to shoot weddings, being hired to shoot for magazines and selling fine art prints from their websites. They're teaching photography on the weekend and guiding photographic holidays and safaris. Photography became accessible to the masses with the first non-expert cameras and the famous Kodak slogan"You press the button, we do the rest." The digital camera age has taken the whole thing to a ne

Beyond the obvious

Search This Blog