Getting Personal

As I look back on my images in the past year, surprisingly, it is not the beauty of them that makes me proud, but rather, my consistent desire to capture my subjects as they truly are. Let me explain a little what I mean by this. Every day we are judged by people, whether they are peers or strangers. We don’t have control over their ultimate conclusion—and a lot of times, it is incorrect. Sometimes it works to our favor and other times, it is hurtful. At first, I took a lot of pictures the way I wanted them to be, the way I saw them. So what is it that I am proud of? It is the ability to let my subjects shine, as the person they see themselves as and wished others saw in them. Ultimately, the shoot isn’t about me and what I see—it’s about them and their light and their personality. Sometimes we get stuck in a persona or a stereotype not of our asking. Don’t we all wish that some of those we know and those we have yet to meet—can see the person we truly are, the way we see ourselves? After all, we do know ourselves best.

While a picture is two dimensional, there is a definite third that can shine through—and that, is through their eyes. A simple tilt of the face or a slight smile, or a sassy glint in the eyes—these all evoke an emotion. This is the way humans really are. It isn’t a picture of another beautiful face posing and smiling—but, rather of a woman who cannot be described in just a few words. She requires many words, infinite words, words that sometimes elude her audience. To me, it is that sense of mystery about her that should be captured.