Portrait Photography Intimacy

Making so many portraits lately has got me thinking more of the process and the end result outside of the actual image. There is a certain closeness a certain intimacy that happens between the photographer and the subject in a portrait session. You are staring directly at each other and interacting in a close and personal way. I have noticed afterwards that there is a shared secret, a shared feeling that lives on past the exposure of the film.

Today I photographed Chao a 47 year old maid (head shots) in my hotel, she giggled and smiled, had a hard time holding still but was happy to be photographed, several hours afterwards she laughed, smiled and said hello when she saw me again (previously she had never looked up from her cleaning when I was around). Then later in the day I was walking along the river and saw a man sitting with friends who I had photographed the day before (Soopap 58), he nodded and smiled at me as I passed. A lot of this is because we just know each other a bit so they feel more friendly towards me but I am convinced its more than that.

The intimacy, the personal nature of the photographic portrait experience leaves a bit of a lasting bond between the photographer and his subject, a bond that lingers after the session is over. When your photographing with a large format camera, a tripod, reflector, sheet film and spot meter the process is slow, the interaction with subject expanded, the working together to create the image makes the whole process quite magical. The more I do this kind of photography the more I love it, I am hooked and as long as my health lasts I will continue to make this type of photograph, I will do it for the rest of my life.