Friday, November 2, 2012

How to Photograph the Person

I just didn't feel like doing much at all this beautiful autumn morning.  The 2012 Suncheon Photo Club exhibition concluded a couple of days ago, and I spent quite a bit of time last night working on submissions for an upcoming solo exhibit.  I thought I would spend some time this morning just taking a look at what other photographers were doing.

In addition to being a member of the Suncheon Photo Club, the only foreign member of that august body, I am a member of the Gwangju Photo Club, too.  I was revisiting some of the images posted on the GPC Facebook page from the recent Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk that many club members posted.  Time and again, I kept viewing an image submitted by the Joe Wabe, who also happened to be the walk leader in Gwangju.

I realize not all of my readers will be able to view Joe Wabe's photograph of two Korean women here, because many do not have Facebook accounts.  A wise decision on their part, I know.

The art of photographing the person is much different than taking a photo of people.  Recording the mood, the feeling, the inner being of a person is no simple task.  The subject must have a trust and a belief in the photographer, and the photographer must reciprocate.  A bond between the persons is necessary.

While viewing the mentioned photograph above, I reminded myself of the photographic work by Claudine Doury.  Rather than wax poetic using polysyllabic superlatives, I direct the viewer's attention to Claudine Doury's website here.  

It is an art and a gift that just cannot be packaged and sold on one of those trendy photo sites, nor at some photo conference or workshop.  It is inside a photographer, or it isn't.

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