What makes a great portrait?
Is it flawless 'beauty'
Making a body look smaller?
Good light and designer background?
Or the cool sweater they are wearing?
Honestly, I think there is something in all of the above, but that's not where I start or the thing that I am looking for.
If my portraits don't make you feel something I did it all wrong. If all you want to see is 'pretty' or 'handsome' I'm not for you. In fact if someone looks at my image and says 'oh, that's nice, they're cute' I would be devastated.
The Art of A Portrait is to tell a story about the person, not in words but in their image. That takes a moment of empathy and the experience of a good photographer. I don't always achieve the thing I am looking for, a snapshot of your soul, but that is what I strive for. I often find myself emotional at shoots, whether happy or all out tears and that's your energy I'm feeling. Your eyes are a mirror for me and if we hit that connection it is magic.
So before you consider AI or the cheapest 'guy' you can find, ask yourself if you are willing to give up your heart for perfection or allow someone with no empathy to airbrush your emotions away.
Most people who want or need their photo taken are looking to share a piece of themselves so that others may see who they are, for their talent or their expertise.
I am here to capture that and believe me it is an Art.
