‘The authority of photography is rested not merely in the image but in a whole series of actions, and in the people who undertake these actions.’- Elizabeth Edwards (2012)
In portrait photography it depends upon another person to complete the photo. When photographing a person you chose to photograph them in a certain way, if it’s true or not. You can choose to represent someone in anyway you want, you can create an image to represent a certain message for your audience to draw conclusions from.
Familiar
Portraits of a friend or family member can offer you a chance to experiment with fewer time pressures or social constraints. You can feel a lot more comfortable around the person you are photographing and can ask them to pose in certain ways, unlike in a photo of a stranger because you can’t ask them to pose. Which this can be a benefit because you can choose how you want your photo to look.
Self Portrait
Self portrait is traditionally a playground for exploring self identity, or as a way of reflecting and critiquing broader social and cultural trends. I always find it hard to take self portraits, because it’s really hard to show people who you really are in a photo, how do you take a photo that shows who you really are?
Stranger
Many photographers ply their trade by working with the unfamiliar. Either by immersing themselves in the lives of others or in a more opportunistic or short lived manner.
The great thing I love about photos of strangers is that you don’t know who they are, you don’t know what they go through everyday, but you do know how they are representing themselves in that moment you choose to capture them.
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