ARE YOU REALLY MAKING "PORTRAITS" ?

Am I really making "portraits"?

This is the question I want you to ask yourselves after reading this blog.

Be it photography, painting or sculpture , portrait has been one of the earliest subjects of fine art.

With the advancement of photography since its inception around 150 years ago , portrait photography has evolved considerably . Though unfortunately during its evolution portrait photography has lost its essence .

Today , how often do you see maleportrait photography aimed to capture the true identity or character of the subject in their portraits ?.

These days we see majority of photographers over emphasizing on clothing of the sitter and on the colour grading tools they will use in post processing to give pictures a particular feel but they forget that these efforts solely will not solve the purpose of a portrait which is deeper than this .

The purpose of a true portrait is to capture the soul of the sitter in the photograph . No doubt it is easier said than done .

But there are examples of great portrait photographers like Yousuf Karsh , Arnold Newman , OP Sharma who have been able to master this craft . A very famous portrait of Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh is an example of such ideology behind portraiture .

I must depend upon "chance" if there is such a thing ? - to present to me at the moment when my camera is ready , the person revealed , and capture the moment in a fraction of a second or a few seconds , with no opportunity to alter my result.... Photography's greatest difficulty lies in the necessary coincidence of the sitter's revealment, the photographer's realization, the camera's readiness. But when these elements coincide portraits in any other medium , painting or sculpture, are cold dead things in comparison .

                                                                                                                                                     - Edward Weston

Before going to a start male portrait photography the photographer must not have any pre conceived notion about the subject because these pre conceived notions will never allow the photographer to see the truth  beyond them .

It is the job of the portrait photographer to make his sitter at ease and wait patiently with an open mind and a ready camera  for the sitter to reveal himself to the photographer .  Observe his movements, expressions and gestures carefully for the moment will arrive when the sitter will reveal and you will know it .