The Difficult Ones - Street Portraits of "Scary People"

When I shot street portraits during New Year’s Eve in Wellington I had some moments when I encountered people that I would usually regard as “difficult to shoot” because their outer appearance is “scary” and doesn’t invite to asking them if they agree to having their portrait taken.

I am far from being a bold street photographer. I will never become a second Bruce Gilden. Gilden is an example for an “into the face” street photographer who doesn’t have any inhibitions at taking peoples’ pictures. I find it difficult to get into the flow and to convince myself to take the first step of approaching people to take their picture. I actually find it easier to shoot a person with who I have an appointment for a photo shoot because in that case the question “does he/she want it or not” has already been answered. But of course that approach doesn’t have the spontaneity that you find in street portraits.

So what about the “difficult ones”? During the NYE shooting I remember shooting two people that I found difficult to approach. One was the bouncer at a party establishment, the other one was a guy who was sitting on the edge of a flower bed in Wellington’s pedestrian zone. He was heavily tattooed, made a brooding impression and and it felt as if he would not be very approachable. But man, he looked interesting!!

I was lucky because I was in the flow. I had been shooting for half an hour and it had been fun and I had enjoyed this experience a lot. People were friendly, easy to approach, often a little drunk but not completely pissed, so I was in a real nice photographic flow.

So I just went over to him and knelt in from of him, holding my big Nikon D850 DSLR camera and asked him “would it be ok if I took your picture?” He looked at me and answered in a relaxed way “Sure, no problem.” He took his cigarette, had a deep drag and stared broodingly straight ahead. I was more than surprised. I made use of the kneeling pose that I had taken in from of him and shot him right from where I was in front of him. So I had this slightly lower perspective that helped with the expression of the picture.

The experience with this picture showed a very simple photographic rule. “You never know before you ask people”. And that is certainly an encouragement for a slightly more daring approach to taking street portraits.

What helped me very much was “the flow” I was in. I think it might be a good idea of describing this experience and how it evolved on that particular evening a little more in depth. I will do that soon in a separate article.

Shooting Portraits with the Leica Q2

I bought the Leica Q2 for street photography, for landscape and travel pictures and for my ICM (intentional camera movement) work. I wanted to have a reliable full frame camera with a great lens and good file output, with files that can stand my sometimes very intense processing attempts. And admittedly I also bought the Leica for the fun of shooting with it.

What I certainly had not intended to do was using this camera for portrait photography. Everybody knows that using a 28mm wide angle lens for portraits is an impossible task, doesn’t yield good results, doesn’t make sense. Or does it??

I’ll tell you what happened. In Athens I had the opportunity of meeting Lina. Lina is an actress that I met through a friend. (Meeting friends of friends who know somebody who is somebody’s friend is one of the wonderful social accomplishments in Greece. You are not alone. You have opportunities that they create for you. Thank you so much, Loukia!). Lina agreed to participate in my Inner Core Project. However the moment we started shooting in a park in Athens it turned out that it was not the right time, nor the mood nor the intention to pursue the Inner Core idea. So the shooting turned seamlessly into a “conventional” portrait session.

The portrait shooting experience with the Q2 was the same as it had been in landscape or ICM photography. The camera was very easy to handle, I could shoot with both, viewfinder and LCD screen and it turnend out that the camera was, as should be in the best case, not in my way. Using a light weight camera like this “point and shoot” for portraits was actually a benefit in comparison to a much heavier DSLR.

Lina, Leica Q2 outdoor shot with natural light, no dishes or other equipment used

What about the pictures? That is when the big surprise happened. I was not expecting anything particular good because I knew I had the “wrong lens” in front of my camera. What I found on my computer screen were amazing pictures with a clarity, a rendering and an expression that surpassed by far what I had expected. They always talk about Leica lenses’ “micro contrast”. Here I experienced for the very first time what exactly this means. The pictures “pop” in a way that I have never seen in any other camera/lens combination before. They are just special in a wonderful, very eye pleasing way.

Lina, Leica Q2 outdoor shot, some cropping in post

And the 28mm distortion? Yes, it is there. Particularly if the photographer tries to use the full width of the picture and places his model eccentrically, to the sides of the frame. As this example shows, there can be clear distortion of the anatomy, my model’s nose does not appear straight in this picture. On the other hand, if you are aware of this phenomenon and try to avoid framing the face close to the margins of the picture and if you keep a certain distance and choose cropping in post instead of getting close to your model when taking the shot, then distortion is not a major problem. I even think that the 28mm lens emphasizes certain facial features in a way that makes a portrait more interesting.

So without even planning it I had the experience of shooting portraits with the Leica Q2. And I’ll do it again. This camera is amazing and I love exploring its possibilities further. Portrait photography entered the realm of my use of the Leica Q2.

Think out of the square. Try things out. Take the risk. That’s where creativity in photography (and so many other areas) happens. If you use a tool in an unconventional way the results will clearly surprise you. Here it was an exceptionally positive surprise.

Photographer and "Model" Interaction - some insights from the Inner Core Project

Inner Core Project

The “Inner Core Project” is the attempt of showing the deeper inner layer of a person’s personality in photographs. I think this is a very ambitious idea and I am still not really certain if this is possible at all.

During the photoshoots of the past four weeks with five different collaborators I have made some discoveries that I would like to share with you. And maybe some of these discoveries can be transferred to “normal” portrait photography.

Connecting to the “Inner Core”

The starting point of every photo shoot is that I ask my “model”/collaborator how they think they are able to connect the best way to their inner core, to themselves, to the deepest part of their personality. And depending on their character, the professional work that they do and their temperament they have chosen different ways of of approaching their inner core.

I worked with two dancers. Marine wanted to find herself by moving her body in a spontaneous way on the ground and by dancing. Neven chose a natural environment outside where he just rested and let himself fall into the feeling of connecting to nature. Surya, who is a Yoga teacher did not (as expected by me) want to meditate to focus on her inner being but decided to dance wildly and use her body intensely to get the connection to herself. Bettina decided to use a pose where she laid down on the floor in a comfortable position on her side. She rested and tried to feel herself. And Tania just sat down on the ground and tried to look inside without doing anything specific. So everyone had a different way of connecting to their “inner core”, to themselves.

I also asked my collaborators to choose the place where they wanted to have the photo shoot. The assumption is that the more comfortable a person is with her or his environment the easier it is to connect to themselves.

Asking my “models” not to wear cloths during the photo shooting was another aspect of the project. My assumption is that cloths are another outside layer that prevent seeing deeper into a person’s inner core. So I asked if they could not wear any cloths apart from a slip. The purpose of the slip is to avoid any sexualization of the photo shoot or even more importantly not to distract viewers from the statement of the pictures by drawing their glances to the genitalia of my “models”. Three participants could agree to this request, two chose to wear underwear or a T-shirt on the upper body.

Technical Aspects

From a technical perspective I use a small and light camera, mainly my RICOH GR III that I can easily hold in one hand. I also tried using my Leica M Monochrom and a Leica Q2 which is a new camera for me. I will write a separate article about my experience with the Q2 in the near future. The two Leicas are much heavier than the GR III (approx. 800g vs. 260g for the GR III) which clearly limits their usability for this specific purpose.

Choosing long exposure times of approximately 1/6 of a second, sometimes much longer up to 5 or even 10 seconds is another part of the project. With the Leica MM and Q2 I have used 6 stop ND filters to make shooting with long exposure in daylight possible. The GR III can’t attach a ND filter which limits its use in very bright environments. As I have already mentioned in previous articles I am assuming that with longer exposure times it is easier to get a glance into the Inner Core of a person.

I had also decided that I would process the pictures in b&w under the assumption that colour would most likely distract from the purpose of this project.

The idea of the shooting process is that the photographer does nothing but follow his collaborators with his camera. I don’t speak, I am not asking them to pose or to make certain movements. I try to adapt entirely to the wishes and needs of my “models”. Of course this makes taking photos much more difficult from a technical perspective. I cannot influence the angle of light, the way they move, the background that I catch together with the person that I am shooting.

One shooting happened in the evening so that I had to use a handheld LED light. Holding the camera with one hand and taking pictures, holding the light in the other hand and following my “model” and her movements and coordinating all this to get reasonable photos was a very challenging task.

And now I would like to come to the most interesting aspect of this whole project. There are actually two aspects. One is the question if I can really show and document the Inner Core, the inner being of a person in a photograph. And the other aspect is that of the interaction between “model” and photographer.

Showing the “Inner Core”?

Is it possible to show the “inner Core” in a photograph? Photography deals with two-dimensional recordings of shape, light, texture and colour if it is a colour picture. They “see” a person from outside. So a photograph completely depends on what a person shows in their facial expression and body posture. The camera can’t “look inside”. So the question is if my “models” show something outside that could be perceived as the Inner Core.

I can certainly confirm that during these sessions my collaborators were in a state of more or less deep self-immersion which was clearly visible on their faces and also in their postures. Interestingly I found out that later when processing the pictures I could find features in their faces and their postures that I had not seen or discovered during the shooting process. But is that a representation of the “Inner Core”? I really don’t know. I don’t have an answer to the question.

Do we see the Inner Core?

The Interaction

The interaction between photographer and “model” is a crucial aspect in this project and of course in portrait photography in general. An important question is if the presence of the photographer changes the ability of a “model” to connect to herself or himself. My answers are mixed. My feeling during the sessions of my two dancing models was that they were so focussed on their own movements that the presence of the photographer did not faze them. The ones who wehere resting tended more towards getting in contact with me by looking into the camera or even talking to me. If that distracted them is difficult to tell, my feeling was that this was the case.

All five “models” told me that they were able to connect to their deeper inner self and that the presence of a photographer did not really affect this connection very much.

I can clearly say that the nudity of my “models” did not distract me nor did it have an impact on the atmosphere of the shootings.

Another aspect of interaction is my way of shooting my participants. Depending on how much they move I need to follow my “models” with my camera and try to improvise with every picture I take. That leads to a lot of intuitive shooting where I don’t have the time or opportunity to plan or compose a picture purposefully. But even though this aspect is limited I do have an influence on how the pictures eventually look by choosing the frame and roughly composing the picture which leads to the question if my personal approach has an influence on how the Inner Core becomes visible or not. So the outcome does not only depend on what the participant is able or willing to reveal but also on how the photographer chooses to shoot the frame.

Particularly this aspect of “model” and photographer behaviour and interaction has a big impact on the outcome not only in my little project but also on outcomes of portrait photography in general. I believe that both “behaviours” decide as to how the eventual outcome of a picture is like. I have to admit that I loathe pictures where it is obvious that the photographer has urged his model into a pose without realising the comfort zone nor the personality of his model. My project goes into the other extreme by trying to minimise the influence of the photographer on the outcome and to let the person shine from inside. But I would assume that working with what a model brings to the shooting is always an essential part the looks and the success of portrait photographs. (Maybe one day I should write an article about the difference of portrait pictures with and without “posing”).

No posing….

Post-Processing

As we all know a picture is not done by the end of the photo shoot. Post-processing is an essential part of the process of picture creation. And of cause this is the case in my little project.

I have discovered that every photoshoot requires a different workflow because of the different set-ups and characters of the person I shoot. I convert the pictures to black and white, change the lighting, add grain and if necessary crop the pictures. Every picture goes through a workflow in Lightroom, Photoshop and Nik Silver Efex.

Of cause my perception of the picture, my memories of the shooting and my decision as to how to develop the picture has an impact on the final outcome of the picture. Considering the goal of wanting to show the Inner Core of a person you may ask how much this developing process alters or even “falsifies” the picture. At least does my perception of the picture, does my aesthetical decision making have an influence on the final outcome. I take the liberty to enhance the picture according to what I think is visible and needs to be emphasised.

Post-processing as the final step of a photographic workflow has been discussed a million times. And the question if we have “the right” to alter a picture once it has been taken has still not been answered. And I don’t want to go into the depth of this discussion. But what I want to say is that I am aware that my decision making during the development of the pictures on the computer has an impact on how the project is shaped. It is my subjective perception and my awareness that decide how a picture shows the Inner Core of a person in my photographs.

The Journey

I find the it fascinating to deal with something so intimate as the inner being of a person and that I get permission to try to reveal it in photographs. I find it fascinating that the interaction of photographer and “model” influence the process. And I am aware of the limitations of my own judgement with regard to my decision making during the development process of these pictures.

Not only do I get the opportunity of working with human beings so closely, its also gives me the opportunity of thinking about the creation process of photographs and the interaction between the photographer and his models. All this is much more than I had ever expected before I started the first photo shoot. It is a fascinating journey into the discovery of human beings, their behaviour and myself as a photographer.

Will I ever find an answer? Is it possible to show the “Inner Core” in a photograph? Maybe this is completely unimportant. Maybe it is the journey that counts, the journey and the human interaction.

Shooting Musicians

In the past few months I got involved into taking pictures of musicians. Starting point was that I met a group of street musicians in the streets of Athens. I asked them if they were ok with me taking some pictures of them. They agreed and subsequently I met them again, attended some of their scheduled concerts and took some portraits of some of them.

From there on it snowballed and I got deeper involved in the scene with a few musicians being interested in me taking their pictures. A week ago I could attend a radio contest show with the blues guitarist and singer Tom Yosi and his band. I could take pictures of their preparation for the concert and of the event itself. Here is the link to Tom’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/thanasis.klabanos

Taking pictures of musicians is special. It is artistically satisfying. And I will tell you why. Musicians live their passion. They love what they do. They love their music and they love the social interaction that ensues from it. And all this shows in their faces. Musicians are people that are ‘easy’ to shoot because they have a lot of expression on their faces.

Tom Yosi in concert at red fm in Athens

I have made the experience that during concerts musicians live their music. They dive into it. And every twist and turn of the music often shows in their faces. So it is an adventure to follow them during a concert and to capture what the music does to them and to their facial expression.

Ηώ Δάδα singing at Dafni café in Athens

Shooting during concerts in cafes and bars (and that is what I do mainly at the moment) is photographically a big challenge. The light is crap (as you see in the picture above), most of the time there is no stage light at all and you can be glad if you find a ceiling light that illuminates the scene in a random way. Not easy to shoot good pictures that way.

With the radio concert it was a little different. This happened on a stage at the broadcast centre where they had professional equipment and also stage light. However the lighting was actually far away from anything you could call professional. This was radio and not a TV show.

Anyway - the experience of getting involved into Athen’s music scene, of having the opportunity of taking pictures of musicians on stage and privately and of encountering their love and passion for their art is providing big joy to me. I hope that this will continue and that I will be able to expand on it. And I also hope that the interruptions by me working (I need to earn money, and I can’t do this with my photography) will not have too bad an influence on this development.

I have been waiting for this kind of photography for years. Now it is happening and I am very happy.