My first career was as a professional photographer. I spent four years apprenticing for some of the world's greatest photographers (Denis Piel, a Vogue photographer I worked with for 2 years, currently has a retrospective in Paris). Then, I moved to Paris to continue my photography journey. While I called myself a fashion photographer and shot for fashion magazines and on the runway, I found my greatest joy in my portrait work. I really enjoyed the intimate relationship of working with someone to create their portrait. As my skills improved, I could capture the person as I saw them and how I experienced them. My portraits often highlighted features like serenity, depth, grace, and peaceful joy. Studying my own work and the work of great photographers, I have realized that a similarity runs like a red thread through the images each photographer shoots. Initially, I thought this was each photographer’s style and technique, but I have come to recognize that it is not what we see in the subject so much as the parts of ourselves that they reveal to us. Think about it, we are taking a picture of both of us. How I see the other is informed by how I see myself. This got me thinking about our relationships in and outside work, as with people, we experience a combination of who they are and who we are. This insight has profound implications.
Week 24.15 I See Me in You
Week 24.15 I See Me in You
Week 24.15 I See Me in You
My first career was as a professional photographer. I spent four years apprenticing for some of the world's greatest photographers (Denis Piel, a Vogue photographer I worked with for 2 years, currently has a retrospective in Paris). Then, I moved to Paris to continue my photography journey. While I called myself a fashion photographer and shot for fashion magazines and on the runway, I found my greatest joy in my portrait work. I really enjoyed the intimate relationship of working with someone to create their portrait. As my skills improved, I could capture the person as I saw them and how I experienced them. My portraits often highlighted features like serenity, depth, grace, and peaceful joy. Studying my own work and the work of great photographers, I have realized that a similarity runs like a red thread through the images each photographer shoots. Initially, I thought this was each photographer’s style and technique, but I have come to recognize that it is not what we see in the subject so much as the parts of ourselves that they reveal to us. Think about it, we are taking a picture of both of us. How I see the other is informed by how I see myself. This got me thinking about our relationships in and outside work, as with people, we experience a combination of who they are and who we are. This insight has profound implications.