Large Format Portraits

Spending lots of time over the last few days studying the large format portrait work of Jock Sturges, Sally Mann, Paul Strand and August Sander.

I am really falling in love with the beauty of large format portraiture, there can be a static/forced nature to the imagery if the posing/expression is not right but when it is right it's very right!

I will start working on some portraits here in Canada over the next few months which I will post on the blog, I want to improve my skills at this type of photography. I need also to start using reflectors to bring more light to my subjects. Jock Sturges emailed me and wrote of the importance of reflectors in his work, I want to try working with reflectors to see if it will improve the look of my photographs.

Been thinking of photographing people from other countries as well, Bangladesh, India, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and maybe parts of Africa and Central America. The idea would be to photograph often forgotten people to make images that speak to their lives. When I was in Thailand on my last day of 4x5 shooting I photographed a motorcycle taxi driver, his eyes were rather haunting, a older man with a strong face and haunting eyes. I think back now to this man motorcycle taxi man, it is exciting, I want to photograph all those strong faces, all those lives so different than mine. I want to make a record of their lives and interpret who they are in my photographs.