During a Maine Media artist lecture last night, photographers Greg Miller and Jennifer McClure shared their project work and discussed ideas surrounding portraiture and the medium. One question discussed at length and revisited by a member of the audience, posited whether a portrait is more about the photographer or the subject. The answer moved around as if it must be settled one way or another (which is when an audience member later chimed in with another theory he had once heard from photographer Jay Maisel).
This was a question I faced very early on in my work. How does one find a balance between artistic vision and the true essence of a subject? I adopted a principle picked up in one of my college theatre classes. The Space Between is that place where an actor and character meet, creating a performance which is a union of the two. This became one of my guiding lights as a commercial portrait photographer. I wrote about the concept for Broadway World, spoke of it during lectures, and designed an hour and a half class of activities delving into the various ways we, as photographers, can find our way into that connective space.
One of the most important tips often overlooked by emerging photographers is to be mindful of what I call Voice as a Reflection. There is a segment from the 2010 Karate Kid film where it appeared as if a cobra mimicked gradual movements of karate; but, truly, it was the other way around. The energy we emit is very often reflected back by others, subconsciously. The mastery of intonation, pitch, and decibel in our voices becomes one of the most suggestible influences to draw a subject towards you, while still maintaining an essence of their own.
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