Portraiture Reflection
Actively pursuing portrait subjects for the first time has really opened my eyes to how different everything and everyone in the world really is. Every single person has their own unique quirks, likes, dislikes, and elements that make them who they are. This project, and portrait photography in general, is the beauty of capturing someone’s individuality. Even though it may just seem like a photograph, it is so much more personal than that to both the subject and the photographer. My favorite subjects to shoot were my classmates, Bryce and Subraya. I barely know them, yet I had to go out into the world and develop an image that represents them based on a few details I gathered. It was a lot more challenging than I thought, but extremely rewarding.
It was also exciting taking portrait shots of Mike. I have known him for years and I’ve always felt like I know him inside and out, but this project opened him up to me even more. I learned that he gets rather uncomfortable being in photos and needs humor in the situation to help him relax. However, he loved being part of the project and was touched that I picked him for the “person I know” section. I saved my self-portraits to do last, mostly because I had trouble coming up with an idea. I could not think of good image ideas for the hobbies I have, and some of the subject ideas I had did not seem personal enough to me. Then, when I went to visit my parents for the weekend, I instantly thought of the idea to capture my dogs. After every long and stressful week, my dogs instantly pick me back up and bring such joy. They remind me of my childhood and they always put a smile on my face. It was very difficult capturing them because they much rather play with my camera than pose for it, but I got some interesting action shots from it.
Short Assignment: Bryce & Subraya
Portraiture: Self-Portrait
Portraiture: Mike Guido
Portraiture: Lauren Ruiz
