This paper aims to open an instance of reflection on the work of photographic portraits of human beings. Beyond the technical and lighting requirements that form the backdrop of the portrait, the deepening of the essence of art to portray is linked to a work of introspection by the photographer, in keeping with his desire to bring the greatest wealth portrayed and subtlety, perform a task in mirror brought himself and noted at the time the shutter of his camera.
Perhaps most important in the photographic portrait is a study of the gaze of the sitter. Photograph is watching and is also the gaze of others. The look of the camera is a situation of particular importance when one begins to investigate why, in what happened during the shooting. The photographer who portrays a character looking at the camera is temporarily occupying the place of all spectators to be found later in front of the photographic image. Arguably the representative of all of them. And what is seen as a priority is that the direct gaze is a dialogue which leaves no room for a third party or allow circumvented: I talk to the character, I, photographer when you shoot, I am facing the viewer when the picture. And in this dialogue, my eyes are inextricably linked to the character. He can not do otherwise, his gaze was fixed on the goal, and mine is trapped in the eye line. On the strength of this finding suggests that the dialogue that involves a complicity was established, and therefore compels me to admit that I know of that person than the others, which are not included in the dialogue, in line with the looks, should be ignored. Most times this complicity, that secret, not previously exist, but the photographic act created the need to uncover and, as a spectator, I see the commitment to further reflection. Again the metaphor of the mirror takes effect when the view sitter's eyes, those that help him see the outside world, I feel compelled to grasp what the other side of those eyes: his inner world.
When the portrait is not looking at the camera feels that leaves room for the photographer, and with him or after him, the audience, opening a space for comments about that or that you are posing. It is no longer speaks to the character, dialogue between viewers and the portrait acquires the ability to convey a message of another kind, to build a new sign: something that looks or what she was supposed that caught his eye is now a new element the scene. As the lines and shapes make up plastic signs that condition reading of the image, the gaze direction is an important powerful line in this passage. Then the questions arise: What look? or where is he lost his eye? From there the investigation continues in new directions that are linked to the frame as it is this that will solve showing or omitting the object of the gaze. There is always a reason, there is always a reading of the image that deals with the motives of the photographer as well as those attributed to the portrait, the gaze of the subject created an expectation and reaction of the photographer is linked with that expectation.
also the differences and, therefore, new research purposes when the gaze is directed toward a distant horizon, as is the case of a profile, or when directed towards the back of the photographer as a three-quarter profile.
The question is always the same: what we said look, what we want to tell? Obviously something tells us that is directed toward the horizon to the floor or behind us (the photographer or viewer), but to know with some accuracy that message, and pruning should be clear that we assume that has to do with pose. The pose "sends" an attitude towards the camera, the portrait means something but you also want to think a certain way to see its image. It is a difficult task to separate the which belongs to the posturing than it naturally would show the eyes. This requires taking the time to look at the image and let the layers of connotation are appearing one after another, the most hidden, probably the most interesting, they will demand more time and more patience, more quiet and more introspective.
always in line with the portrait in depth, there is another highly significant element in reading the body language is out of hand. The hands of the portraits speak almost as much as his eyes and account for them almost a nuisance, is a case that is similar to the actors who betray their hands up in the scene. The skill and dexterity
characterizing the function of hand become quasi-independent entities, as if they belonged to the body or as if they took the decisions for themselves, hands account for the activity depicted and when the focus is placed on a person notes that the hands acquire a major unexpected. The message that the hands convey the photographer does not reach the level of consciousness, lies in the composition of the image and have an enormous weight on the reading of the picture. That is why, as for the look, always returns to the same conclusion: it is necessary a deep inquiry, a respectful silence, by the photographer, to cultivate these subtle messages that are the real secret speech of those depicted.
In another scenario the individual portrait in depth, is that of human beings in their activity, at work, in their daily lives. Acquires greater importance here the link with the world, they are characters in action, characters interacting with their environment.
A particular observation made over several years of work photographing actors and sculptors is linked to the perception of the existence of a dimension that adds depth to their representation. It is a dimension that could be called mythological individuals working, acting, activating, not only represent themselves involving archetypes themselves, but found out this time and this place. The first observations of this type gave me no little surprise and provoked deep thought, since the identification of a mythological dimension appeared never clearly defined from the beginning, it was more a feeling of "déjà vu", a deep knowledge of roots or dream recall some reason. However, the repetition of these mythological images leads me to further analyze the reasons why I, a photographer, can be attracted by this or that situation with any of the characters I photograph, I began to identify the characteristics that met some of these situations and consequently discover that it is possible to associate characters from mythology or legends to those of flesh and bone, working with my camera. A sculptor carving stone with some extremely violent blows of mace suggests to me that I find myself in front of a blacksmith who matter most to adjust to a sculptor carving, printing and find that it inspires me is associated with the idea of forge of hell, Hades. The real person has been moved before my eyes and my camera to a representation of a mythical being. Such shipments or, rather, in depth, occur repeatedly for portrait work of people in their activities, noting the resulting images, carefully checked what provoked me and I arrived at the conclusion that my photographic work focused on those individuals who carried me further into the mythological dimension. And, especially when these activities are rooted in the distant past, as the actor or the sculptor, the snapshot of this is a testament to a continuing evolution of centuries.
Unlike oral speech, the image is presented entirely and at once, the term snapshot does not apply both the shutter speed the camera as the mechanism capture the look. Verbal discourse, to be presented in an orderly succession in time provides a leveling in the order of its constituent elements, words or sounds, that will have all the opportunity to be issued in due course. In the image, presentation and block instant, the elements are struggling to stand or go unnoticed and, although the eye will perceive them all, some will go to consciousness more accurately than others, hence arises the need to observe images in an extreme state of receptivity, to retrieve all the signs that constitute the image, that discreet, no less enriching its meaning.
And so we came to the conclusion: reflection and analysis of the feedback received, the search for the minimal sensations produced by the image may be a starting point for research and deepening human photography.
References: The Myth of the Eternal Return - Mircea Eliade
Blacksmiths and Alchemists - Mircea Eliade
The archetypes and the collective unconscious - CG Jung
The photographic act - Philippe Dubois
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