Some people freak out when we say we are going to put make-up on their faces.
After all, isn’t make-up for office ladies, models and brides? That is true, but the lesser known fact is that most portraiture sessions involve some degree of make-up. Slapping on some matte powder takes away the oily sheen on foreheads, and a dab of lip gloss gives us brighter, fresher smiles. Suitably accentuated eyebrows give us presence, while hair spray ensures that our rebellious tresses stay in place long enough to give us a dignified stature.
In all our sessions, we have had the privilege of working with professional make-up artists who help in the first stage of the transformation of the elderly.
This transformation is important - it is not becoming someone else, but rather, being the best version of oneself.
Of course, there are many apps and filters which help people transform into almost whoever they wish to be.
But we believe that the process is as important as the results - the means are as important as the ends. As documentary photographers, we believe that the best version of a person’s likeness should also be a truthful and authentic representation of the person. Of course, as professionals, we embellish the outcome by using studio lights and backdrop. The casting of the well-positioned studio light on the subject is the second part of the transformation.
However, there is still one last step in the process of transformation in portraiture - the interaction.
Each photographer brings to the session his or her unique personality, and when applied to the subject, produces a chemistry that sparks the decisive moment recorded on the photographic still image. How the photographer interacts with the subject determines the outcome. Some photographers ask questions, others cajole, cheer, tell jokes. Still others can do it without words, using gestures to direct, and their own bright smiles to elicit a smile in return.
Portraiture is a process which can be both time-consuming and rewarding. It is an exchange of two beings in the single encounter, which inevitably transforms one’s everyday likeness into one special image.
This is the spirit of One Portrait.
