Читать книгу The Art Within Portrait Photography: A Master Photographer's Revealing and Enlightening Look at Portraiture - Klaus Bohn - Страница 12

A Vision of Beauty

Mothers are so wonderful. This girl’s mother came in to discuss her daughter’s photograph that she had done by another photographer which had problems with head size and a few other points of concern. We had in depth consultations and she decided that I would photograph her daughter as well as her two sons for wall sized prints.

I enjoyed my time with each one, their different personalities and yet a family similar in many ways. This was evident even in the brief amount of time I spent with the mother. She is a warm and fun person whose personality could be seen in each one of her children, especially the daughter.

After choosing the photographs and ensuring the head sizes were in proportion, one image was made larger to maintain the continuity of head size as all three were to hang together on a large wall. I chose a warm black and white which appealed to the client and added a feeling outside the norm of reality. Black and white eliminates the reality of colour that we are so accustomed to seeing in our world and in our personal interpretation of reality.

The adjacent image uses my discretion and is an interpretation of the fun time experienced with this young lady who was so warm and tender and yet such an individual. Look at the body language, her hand playing with the design in the chair, her expression and the eyes and mouth in sync which implies a really genuine expression. As parents we tend to see our children in a most biased way because they are often seen as we would like them to be, not necessarily as they are with others or their friends.

Interaction sets the tone of the image and takes into consideration how we interpret it. The way we see is a result of our experiences with people and how well we know the individual. This may seem complicated but the reaction needs to be in keeping with the composition. When this young lady came in to review other images from the photo shoot she was overwhelmed because I had her image on display in the window. With a tear in her eye she exclaimed, “I am beautiful!” Why do we put ourselves down and not appreciate who we are? False impressions are given to us by the media and Hollywood as well as comments we may have heard from others and how they are interpreted. It is important to remember that we most often see ourselves in the mirror which is a reverse interpretation of what we really look like. We have heard the argument, “The photo doesn’t look like me,” followed by, “Oh yes it does it is a good picture!” “Oh no it isn’t!” “Yes it is!” and back and forth and on it goes.

Looking at the image we can see lines, angles, shapes and design; may we learn not only from this book or this image but the reality of life. We must study by looking to see what is