People ask me why I don't smile in my photos. There's a lot more to it other than the fact that I'm usually not super happy when I take them.
I'm always more engaged when I see a portrait of someone showing genuine emotion. Stopping and smiling for a photograph is actually really strange if you think about it. No matter how we're feeling, we're expected to mask it with a smile to make people think we're happy. It's just a cultural thing that we're conditioned to do. That's not interesting to me. It's make believe. Are you really happy all the time? Catching someone who is actually happy and laughing is completely different, and I'm fine with that. I think anyone can tell the difference, though.
I haven't always been into portraits, but since I've been experimenting with my self portraits, I've really wanted to do a session with someone. Someone who's comfortable with me and themselves because it's a really personal thing. I always think about that scene in The Truth About Cats and Dogs. I loved that movie when I was a kid but I had no interest in photography then so I didn't think much of it at the time.
I'm always more engaged when I see a portrait of someone showing genuine emotion. Stopping and smiling for a photograph is actually really strange if you think about it. No matter how we're feeling, we're expected to mask it with a smile to make people think we're happy. It's just a cultural thing that we're conditioned to do. That's not interesting to me. It's make believe. Are you really happy all the time? Catching someone who is actually happy and laughing is completely different, and I'm fine with that. I think anyone can tell the difference, though.
I haven't always been into portraits, but since I've been experimenting with my self portraits, I've really wanted to do a session with someone. Someone who's comfortable with me and themselves because it's a really personal thing. I always think about that scene in The Truth About Cats and Dogs. I loved that movie when I was a kid but I had no interest in photography then so I didn't think much of it at the time.