Help-Portrait

Goodness I have been so out of touch and busy! I have not even really shot anything this week! I did however attend the help portrait last weekend to help out- shall we say… amazing? Indeed! It was such a treat for not only the people who came to get their portrait made, but for myself as well. I left feeling completely blessed and blown away.

Here is a short synopsis of my time during the event-
It was interesting to see the different styles and takes on doing these people’s portraits. Some got their sitter to be active, conversational - being very interactive with them to produce a smile on their face. On the other hand, some would simply take their photograph - this was very interesting because the person in front of the camera often did not do anything. They never seemed quite uncomfortable, but they did not really smile either. It was almost documentary - “This is who I am”. Depicting their raw reality by not giving them any direction - letting their expression do the talking.

A woman I helped - Deborah, was victim to one of these documentary style portraits. She bravely stood before the camera and wore her heart on her sleeve. She turned her head slightly this way or that, changed her expression a few times, and even at the end gave a slight smile. Her movements, her expressions, were so compelling. So beautiful. She was not afraid to show who she was and what she has been through.