People Pictures: 30 Photographic Experiments

The photography of people matters because it allows us to look at a moment in the life of another person and see the differences and similarities we share. Acting as both a window and a mirror, the portrait has the power of revelation, showing us something about both the photographers and the subject. -David duChemin

fullsizeoutput_469e

Photographer Chris Orwig has written a book on portraiture called People Pictures. Each chapter explores a theme and ends with a photographic experiment, aimed toward developing the technical, artistic, and relational skills that contribute to authentic portraits.

I’m going to use People Pictures as a road map, giving structure to the next leg of my photographic journey. The Plan: To read the chapters & do the photographic experiments, developing a foundation in the practice of portraiture.

I made these photos of my daughter Jessie in May 2012, and they show both my strength and my weaknesses as a photographer. I see certain moments, moments that sing with life. Sometimes, there’s an alchemy between the light, my position, my camera settings, and the moment. Other times, the moment is overexposed or unintentionally backlit or the gate ends up in focus instead of the horse.

My aim is to grow more skillful at reliably capturing and reflecting what I see, and to become less at the mercy of good photographic fortune.

Onward!

All we have in life, really, are people and moments. The portrait captures both simultaneously, and tells a story about the characters in our lives. It shows a person and a place and a time in which they will never be again. It stops the clock and says, “Look at this person, she matters. This moment matters.” -David duChemin

fullsizeoutput_469f

Portraiture, formal or otherwise, is not a technical pursuit. It’s a relational and aesthetic pursuit achieved through technical means. What Chris (Orwig) teaches is what all great portraitists have always known; that it is assumed you will be growing in excellence in your craft, but that the art is accomplished in the moment you connect with a subject and make a photo that is honest and revealing, not merely representative of the shape of their face and the line of their smile.

-David duChemin

Finding, or waiting for these moments, and making something of beauty and revelation, doesn’t happen accidentally. It comes as we study our subject and our craft with discipline and practice. -David duChemin