Tuesday, December 7, 2010

The Non Traditional Portrait.


The old cliché that says: "smile and look at the camera" is not always the best way to take a portrait. In fact, many informal or candid portraits don't have the subject looking at the camera at all. The idea behind taking a portrait verses just another snap shot is to clarify, intensify, or otherwise enlarge our experience of life. Your goal is to capture the emotional statement that your subject or subjects are projecting.

In this picture, there is no smile and the subject is not looking at the camera, but is it a successful picture? I think so. You feel a mood or expression. It may be weariness or boredom, but their is still something that the viewer can relate to. Think of people at work or play involved in what matters the most to them at the time. A mechanic working on a car, a dancer stretching before the performance, a bull rider strapping himself in; can all be perfect times to capture that perfect moment.

I've contemplated the idea that 1 month I should have a non traditional portrait contest. Rules would include not in a traditional background, not in a traditional pose, and the subject is NOT looking at the camera.
Let me hear your thoughts on this idea.

2 comments:

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