Playing with Portraits

Part of having a blog and having your photo taken, even if it’s with a self-timer, involves being able to know what to do in front of a camera. I still generally have no idea what I’m doing, and I hungrily look forward to the day where I feel like I’m more on a professional level. Strike a pose and move along! It takes practice, that’s for sure. Fortunately, I have some friends who are photographers, and don’t mind putting up with me flopping around in front of them. My darling friend Shannon focuses on stripped-down portraits, rather than glamming-up her subjects. We met up to take some quick images one gloomy and overcast day. Heavier, darker clouds were moving in fast, so we just grabbed some shots before all the natural light faded.

I've only had my "portrait" taken a handful of times. I sometimes wonder about it as an art form, a way to capture a moment in time that was so cherished in ages past. Before an ability to instantly share every moment, before cameras were available to the average person, there was a time when a portrait was something that was very special. It was meant to keep you alive, in a way. You had one made for your future spouse, or to document your child's first breaths. There was an era once where longevity was so uncommon, a portrait was almost necessary to preserve your existence. 

Portrait photography is something that's such a departure from what I think so many of us are used to. They're not selfies. They're not staged. They're not perfect. They're real. 

Shannon also has a few Polaroid cameras with working (or semi-working) film! Polaroids are just the most fun type of camera, and I remember playing with them when I was younger. My father had one, and I'm sure some of the prints from it are still in boxes in the basement. They're so few and far between these days! Shannon's film was some fun stock - the blue outline below was emblazoned with the AT&T logo, and another kind is framed with animal print! 

Thank you, Shannon! I can't wait to shoot with you again soon. If you'd like to contact Shannon about portrait or other photography opportunities, you may email her at: shannond_art@live.com