#195 – March 23, 2022 (82/365)

One of my photographic tropes is to shoot through something to get to the subject. A photo I took over 10 years ago still comes to mind (mainly because my friend was so excited when he saw it) was taken during a soundcheck for a concert band and I took a portrait of one of the saxophone players through a mesh of people and instruments through to the other side of the band where she was sitting. She saw me taking the photo just as I hit the shutter and got a smile in, just in time.

This photo was seen and prepared and all I had to do was wait for the koala to move his head to face towards the light and click! Photo completed.

Although I preach a life of “happy medium”, my photography is firmly polarised. I either want the subject barreling their eyes straight down the lens, or I want them unaware. If forced to make a decision between only being able to photograph one of these two styles for the rest of my life, it would be option two. As much as I love and crave the photographic connection between subject and photographer, I love capturing a person’s true self, slightly more.

This is what I believe makes event photography enjoyable for me. I have the personality to be able to politely interrupt a conversation to take a photo of the group before moving on to the next pod but I also get to stand back with a long lens and capture the event as it really occurs, grabbing moments from across the room. Often, I’ve been told, these are my client’s favourite photos from the day.

I had an entirely different line of thought for today’s post but once I started writing I was ever so gently shoved down this line of thinking. 

As my photography work is picking up, I’m enjoying the challenge of shooting to/for a brief whilst still allowing who I am to come through the images. I really need to get off my butt and organise some portrait sessions just for me (and the subject of course) though. I want to spend the time talking to and getting to know a person so I can truly photograph them. It’s all well and good to be known as someone who can take a great photo quickly, but sometimes I like to let it simmer.

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” — Edward Steichen

You’ve all seen the photos of Alli and Andrew, the amazing musical duo, on this website (#173 to #179). There are some amazing photos in their collection (their words) and I am very proud of what I delivered. But part of me still wanted to/wants to sit down with them one on one and see if I can get an even better portrait of them. And in black and white of course!

Now I’ve hit the rambling stage, it’s time to move on.

PS: Did you love the photo? Each photograph in the 2022 365 Black & White Challenge is made available as a single signed limited edition print. If you are interested, click here to purchase this print for only $36.50. I thank you for your support of my photography and this website.

Thanks, for your time and attention and I will see you in the next post.

Richard

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# Photo Information 
Camera: Nikon D850 | Lens: Nikon AF-S Nikkor 105mm 1:1.4E ED @ 105mm | Settings: 1/800, f/1.4, ISO 100 | When: Saturday March 12, 2022 @ 14:56 | Where: Pearcedale, Victoria, Australia

# Useless Website Statistics
Post number: 195 | Published: Wednesday March 23, 2022 @ 0701 AEDST | Composed: Tuesday March 22, 2022 | Scheduled Posts Ready To Publish: 0 | B&W 365 Challenge: 82/365 (22% complete) | Candidates Folder: 12 (10 B&W/2 colour) [+3]

# Useless Life Statistics That Only I Like Looking Back On
Audiobook: Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller | Reading: Linda McCartney. Life in Photographs | Podcast Queue: 124 episodes [+3] | YouTube Subscription Video Queue: 47 [+7] | Favourite recent YouTube video: Why I Stopped Taking Photos For Money... (The Photographic Eye)| 7DA: 11 [-2] | Hamilton: 36 Days

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