Do you remember the first time a girl or boy you were interested in looked back at you?  In that fleeting moment, everything seemed to change.  It’s moments of similar impact that we’re chasing every time we make a portrait. 

During each portrait session I’m constantly searching for the kind of moment you can’t necessarily describe in words, but can feel when you see it.  It may be moody or sad or comical.  It’s the kind of moment you can feel…a palpable change in the energy that hits in way that can’t be missed if you’re paying attention.  It’s impact is felt immediately and doesn’t leave you searching for more answers. 

Patience is key.  While you should make every attempt to control the flow of the portrait shoot, you can’t overdetermine it.  Wait for things to happen.  Frequently the subject will strike a pose or make an expression that you never would have dreamed of.  Practice recognizing and capturing that moment.  An authentic moment that’s not directed is priceless and requires practice to capture.

Best advice, be consistently present during the shoot and always at the ready to capture authentic moments that exude emotion.

          While headshots for actors are mostly made in color, virtually all other genres of portrait photography may be shot in color or black and white.  If you’re working in color, color must be part of the statement you’re making with the photograph.  The same is true for black and white.  You can’t make a black and white image that just happens to be in color.  You must create an image in color or B&W with intention.

     Why monochrome?  To me, there’s an aesthetic appeal that feels pure and authentic, without the potential for distraction from color.  I also appreciate the dramatic, moody vibes often evoked by B&W portraits.

     Peter Lindbergh, one of my favorite fashion photographers once said, “With black and white, you get the feeling of transcending the skin until if you’re lucky, you might see the soul of that person. Color seems to stop the transcending process right at the skin’s surface.”  I think this concept of capturing the soul of your subject applies as equally to landscape and architectural photography as it does to portraiture.

     Not infrequently the question arises regarding shooting black and white in camera vs. making the adjustment in post-production.  There are a very few cameras that only shoot in monochrome.  For instance, the Leica Q2 Monochrom or the Leica M10 or M11 Monochrom. With no color array filter, the sensor sees only luminance values and achieves impressive visual depth and clarity, reduced noise, and improved light sensitivity.  The trade-off is giving up the option to photograph in color and the inability to adjust the color sliders in post-production.  For instance, post-processing programs can access the original color information of a black and white file allowing you to lighten or darken only the blues or the reds.  In cameras that only shoot monochrome, these adjustments in post-production are no longer an option.  There is a work-around to this type of editing in post-production and that employs the use of color filters that are placed in front of the lens at the time the photo is made.  For all other cameras that shoot in both B&W and color, you can set the camera to monochrome mode which may allow you to better visualize your subject and the lighting in black and white.  The drawback is the camera’s algorithm for B&W is arbitrary and you lose the ability to fine tune certain aspects of the image in post-production.

Actor/Model: Danielle Ricci-Gavin

What separates fine art photography from documentary or most other genres of photography?

Before addressing this question, let’s first consider the more general question of what makes a good photograph.  Is it a particular brand of camera or an unusually fast lens?  Perhaps it’s the subject, light, composition or background, or a combination of two or more of these elements.  What I believe makes a good photograph is the emotional connection it creates with the viewer.  Whether you’re making a portrait or photographing the landscape, a good photograph unveils the subject’s soul.  The intent being to make photographs that resonate with the viewer on a deeper, more emotional level.

Fine art photography has more to do with the artist’s vision than it does with the actual subject or the technical elements of the camera and lens that were employed to capture it.  Having a vision of how the final image will look allows space in the artistic process for the photographer’s imagination and creativity.

The camera is merely one tool in the fine art photographer’s arsenal used to express his personal view of the world.  Unlike photorealism and documentary photography, fine art photography is not about capturing an objective image of reality, but instead a highly personal and imaginative vision that employs any number of digital darkroom editing tools and techniques.

Only when the fine art photographer moves beyond a subject’s reality is the viewer able to begin to fully grasp both the essence of the artist and his creative spirit.   The more unique the final image, the better it portrays the fine art photographer’s vision and consequently, the closer the viewer comes to truly understanding the story being told by the artist.

Julia Anna Gospodarou, the talented fine art architectural photographer,  beautifully summarized the intention of fine art photography, “It’s the expression of the imagination and will of the artist, who needs to create an object that will resemble his personal inner world, his vision and abstract representation of the material world, an object that has a meaning to him and that he releases into the world so others can understand him and learn his truth.  This object is the fine art photograph.”