My camera and I are in our happy place when photographing people.
Here’s what I wrote once about why I take pictures. It’s a longer piece, but here are the reasons that can be applied to photographing people:
Sometimes I take pictures to get a closer look.
Sometimes I take pictures to introduce people to one another.
Sometimes I take pictures to make sure someone doesn’t disappear.
Sometimes I take pictures because there is nothing left to say.
Sometimes I take pictures because things will never be the same.
Sometimes I take pictures to give someone else a voice.
Sometimes I take pictures so I can see things in a new way.
I’ve been looking at a lot of AI generated pictures of faces. Everyone appears soulless to me. A long time ago somebody told me that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and I know everyone knows that and it’s pretty cliché, but that phrase has always stuck with me and guides me as I peer through the viewfinder sometimes hoping to catch a glimpse of someone’s soul. It doesn’t happen every time, but when it does, I feel grateful that the subject allowed me in.
Here are a few of my favorite portraits from over the years. I'd argue that the last one points to the fact that the eyes can be the windows even if they're closed.
