What has been born or created in a moment in time has the quality of that time
CG Jung, The Secret of the Golden Flower
A photographic image that is born and is created at a given moment is imbued everything set up that instant, the mood and emotions of the photographer and model, the environment, climate, and, most of what is present at the precise time of taking the image. Everything more or less comes together on that piece of paper or digital file that we call snapshot.
The photo is like a synthesis of the life of the photographer, the subject and the bond they share, and it is from this finding you can start a path of research and experience for the photographer with curiosity and desire to expand their horizons.
This article addresses a practical way to address the portrait where the search is to deprive the photographic act imposes certain constraints that the very act of portraying a person. It is a question of establishing a link between photographer and model that allows it to release their fears or concerns to the camera.
photographers often forget that, for whom the target faces, no small thing in a situation which will be frozen in their expression, their body attitude, and perhaps those little tics or defects that are hidden so easily in the mirror. And when it comes to a person exposed to the public eye as an actress or dancer, the situation is even more tense, although it is thought that their profession should have the facility to be on camera, we must not underestimate how important may be the result of a photo shoot in the career of an actor, for example.
One of the most fascinating in the picture is precisely to lighten the load of stress model is come and see the hidden facets of their expression as they are unveiled.
This is true for most of the experiences portrait and the way we present is the fruit of intensive work with actors and actresses, musicians, political campaign managers in their offices, professionals, and also with those celebrating a wedding or birthday.
One of the first steps you should take the photographer to start a session of this type is open, encourage sensitivity and responsiveness to give place to another, the model. This is perhaps the hardest task of all and requires a willingness and some training. The predisposition may exist in any photographer who has approached the portrait, and only then would cultivate and develop it. Training consists
something very simple: look at the model, hear or listen to it before starting to photograph, record and receives a notice how that image and those impressions, to accept and not judge thought not to affect how the picture.
It is a question of building a bridge between two individuals and that thus he is no longer a stranger and, apart from the satisfaction it provides in the human, is the means by which the images are a reflection of deeper of the other.
What would be the pursuit of portraiture but to approach other beings?
This phase is, in this way to portray a decisive role and once they reached the first approach can begin to outline the channels through which will devise the photo shoot.
began considering creating a "sacred space" in which model and photographer will be covered, protected and isolated from the world "profane." This sacred space is to define an area in which the model knows he can move, if it is a study, we visit the set and shows the location of lights indicating the places where he won the best lighting, if a room party will choose a sector as isolated as possible and usually the choice has to do with aesthetic and technical issues: funds not disturbed, isolated from the circulation, to find a place where to place the lights and enjoy the convenience of daylight, if the site was an office and he casts an efficient and busy executive is not necessary to speak of "sacred space", just choose from, here also for aesthetic and technical located and clearly demarcated.
The way in which this "sacred space" involved in the shoot is essential. Leaving aside the formal questions that any photographer you already know and that are going to ensure good lighting, funds "quietly" and little interference on the model, the fact of being in a confined space and gives the model known security and containment allow you to assume that, while you keep in that area, you need not worry too much about what he does because it meets the rules of the game.
Stay within the limits given to who is being photographed, genuine freedom of expression.
We mentioned the word "game" and this is no accident: what we are doing is essentially creating a game, abstract from the camera and incorporated as playful element to stop being the "weapon" with which the photographer points. This is so necessary for the creation of space, every game takes place in an area previously defined and agreed upon, is a tennis court, soccer or scenario theater.
Then we will see that games can be very varied but always have in common the attempt to real events, things that are happening here and now "during the session.
addition to the "sacred space" is proposed within the game a "sacred time" and is also essential to create an environment: in this sacred time is asked to model every move is made with full awareness, which live fully the process of turning the head, an arm lift or open a book. This time may also include moving to a very high speed, suddenly looked to one side, turn or bend, but always as articulation between times that will allow the observation that expressions, gestures, or simply perceive an image during the transition from one position to another.
The slow, watching the space around him and aware of it, place the model in a situation of presence and awareness of what is happening in both action and not just as a receiver as passive approach to the photographer. Thus
have set the ground rules, of course, differ depending on the type of picture that is being done, it would not be the same for a book of actress for a portrait of an official in his office.
In practice we become aware to model the existence of Sacred Space accompanying his entry into this space, we ask you to reach the limit change your pace and adapt it to the place where events happen in a different way.
There is no fixed rule for this post, noting how he or she enters the room and we are enriching our vision and discover its many facets.
In fact, deal with registering a change when entering a confined space for the model and represents a real occupation, something that is happening.
always insisted on the importance of retaining the notion of reality, a picture that records the impressions of the senses has a different expressive power that is held about thinking, and is certainly more interesting than that which takes place in conditions of "absence" of the model.
arise from this same number of games that can be posed: small actions related to the imagery, for its subtlety, can enter the realm of real.
A butterfly "see" resting on the bride's hair, a pen that "lost" in the hands of an officer, suddenly we can imagine a puddle of water on the floor and ask the model that does not get it wet your dress ...
This is a way to create little games where they can really get involved, not only the model but also the photographer, and these games take on a great importance for the quality of the images because they are a way of achieving spontaneous movements and gestures in a certain direction, permitted to drive slowly to a profile or a nod to maintain the autonomy and capacity for action of the model as it responds to a situation and not to an order or a slogan.
always pays off contact with the sensations you feel your own skin with the fingertips, hear a noise or music that accompanies the meeting, looking at an object in the environment and linked with it, eventually the odor can also be elements of connection with reality.
Games should remain in the order of the immediate as the proposition of complex situations involving extravagant objects, animals or characters exist will always cause distraction and prevent model and photographer are involved in a common situation.
We often wonder, as photographers, where is the artistic aspect of our work when we do portraits on request, and we feel a dissatisfaction as if we did have only one value for the amount of what we charge. However, when the portrait work with the creation of a game situation appears a new dimension opens a path of great satisfaction as the artistic task no longer solely the result session and moves the whole process, look, listen, network, directing, focusing and shooting come to have the value of dance for the dancer or actress to act, the work is inextricably linked with its creator and has its own value as an artistic act through the process by which it was created.
But not everything is as simple as described in this paper, each of the steps outlined: link, given the space and time, game development, the photographer calls for training, work on yourself so you can convey trust and safety. As any photographer would launch a professional job without know how to manage your camera should show the same responsibility and seriousness in the deployment of these techniques that link the world of theater with the photography.
We return then to the chapeau of this work in which we have sought ways to model and photographer to share an experience of the process, if we could "play" with simple elements and connect with the feelings and what happens here and now we will have equipped the moment of creation of the "quality of that time" that certainly reflect on the images created.
