Photography As Self Love
I was having a conversation with someone recently about some of the portrait work I’ve done. He asked about the inspiration behind some of my work. The following is (hopefully) a better articulated version of the thoughts I shared with him.
For me, photography, especially portrait work, serves two purposes:
Documentation
Aspiration
Often with a portrait, you're working to help the person capture some version of themselves. The creation of the image is very much like the way humans created cave paintings back in the day. First and foremost it says that this person existed. We as a species have always used visual media to mark our place in each others’ lives. We do this with a mind toward the present moment and for the sake of posterity. And then beyond that, to create a narrative about who we are. You can infer tiny details about the person and the version of the story they want to present based on what they choose to include or leave out.
Many people are uncomfortable with themselves and how they look. That’s part of what makes portraiture sure so powerful. In a portrait, people often want to present the best version of themselves. Sometimes that's the best version of who they are in a particular space-time, and sometimes in the portrait you can get a sense for who they want to become. I've been blessed to have experienced people's self-image change as a result of being photographed.
In the end, we’re all just a collection of stories. Most (arguably all of us) hope that some part of our stories will be cherished by the people who matter to us. Portraits are not merely stories for an external audience. The first audience in any portrait is the one inside the subject. Getting your portrait made becomes an act of self-love.
