Portraits has always been my favourite to photograph. Every face, every personality needs a different approach depending on how they look, how they feel, who they are, and where they are. On top of that, there’s the push to getting a portrait that has that umph. I think a good portrait should make you look a second longer than usual.
My journey in portraiture was a slow and steady process. I started by photographing strangers in the streets – I would walk around looking for faces that stand out of the crowd. I learned to be conscious of available light and how wonderfully different each face was. A year later, I moved to shooting in the studio, this time photographing my friends and acquaintances. I learned about the technicalities of strobe lighting, and more importantly how to interface with the subject to get the expression I wanted. And then a year after that, I tried my hand at creating environmental portraits – particularly of artists in their studios. I became more aware of the little details not only on the subject but also on the surrounding environment.
Each personal project was a way for me to shoot more and learn more. And during this process, I was also working on different corporate and commercial work, thus making me shoot even more and learn even more.
Throughout my work as a photographer, I got to shoot a variety of subjects and situations… from total strangers in the streets to CEOs and executives of multinational companies; from shooting outdoors with ambient light, to arranging the set indoors with strobe lights, makeup, and the works. In the end, what matters most for me is making the portrait as honest and authentic as possible.
Hey kuya, keep it up. You’re always an inspiration!
For me, there are some really rare photos that leave a very lasting impression, ones that you never forget. The Steve McCurry ‘Afghan Girl’ is a good illustration.
Sorry, I should have read stranger 7…before I made the comment above – you mention the Steve McCurry shot.