On Being A Model

Yesterday I posted about always trying to better myself as a photographer. If you are interested, you can read the post (and see the images I made with my lovely wife) by clicking here.

Part of bettering myself requires me to understand how a subject feels in front of my camera. It’s abundantly clear to me that being a photographer is all about the connection I’m able to establish with my subject. I’ve used this term before (as many have before me) and I find it one of the truest statements about photography there is and that is the camera doesn’t lie. It is going to record (1) what it sees (when I push the trigger) and (2) what I tell it to see (by what settings I’ve told it to use). So if there is no connection between myself and the person I am photographing, the camera is going to record that.

With that in mind, I try to step out from behind the camera and be the subject from time to time. This allows me the opportunity to see what my subject sees; to feel what my subject feels. And I’m not just talking about selfies. As fun as they are, holding a camera in front of your face (with no one on the other side of it) doesn’t establish the connection I’m talking about. It’s just another device that is (quite randomly) trying to record your face. In my eyes, portrait photography will, and always will, take at least two people.

It’s not an easy process. Even though we are a vain species, being natural and recording our true selves takes a certain amount of trust. Thank you Dana for making these photographs of me. I trust you.

As always, if these images resonate with you and you’d like to make some portraits like these, please drop me a line through the Contact Form here. I’d love to hear from you.