6 different looks

RON_RIP

Senior Member
Sorry if this has been posted. I'm sure it's made the rounds on social media but thought it was very relevant for this forum. It's about portrait work and how photographers looks at the subject when they are told he is an ex-con or a self-made millionaire or an alcoholic or a fisherman, etc.

6 Photographers Find 6 Different Ways To Shoot The Same Man [VIDEO]
Very enlightening. It illustrates how we must strive against our preconceived notions and personal prejudices at all times. We can't always achieve that, but we have try and open our eyes to the inherent beauty of what is in front of our lens and then faithfully record it. It is never about our camera or lens, it is about discovering the truth of the moment and try ing to get an image so that we can share that truth with others.
 

bklynkenny

Senior Member
Thanks for posting this. I saw the link somewhere before, but didn't get a chance to click on it. This really opened my eyes!
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
While an interesting exercise I don't believe that they showed anything. The truth is even the title is wrong. Why? Because each photographer shot a different man. Sure, it was the same human body, but the minute they were told something that cast him in a different light they had a different man. Had they all been told the same thing, or nothing, then the differences would have been purely the photographer's interpretation of what they were told, or what they were able to suss out of the man before shooting.

A great portrait photographer has the gift to show the human being through their eye. They either do that in order to show something specific about the person, or something specific about that person in that environment. To give each photographer a different person shows their ability to capture the profession as it applies to the man, and not the man himself. Interesting, but I find no inherent learning to the results. Had the profession been the same, or each was asked to interpret the person in each of the roles, then comparisons would have value.
 
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