Why do I make portraits

If you've read the page CONCEPT in this website, you've then probably seen that I work with different photographic genders. That means that I create my own concept of photography using a bit of landscape photography, a bit of street photography, macro and others. The projects and assignments I take help me define what styles I'll use most. So, among the different types of photography I'm engaged with, one of them is portrait photography. I'm often making portraits of models, friends and naturally of clients as I offer also personal photo sessions. Okay, let's speak about portrait photography. You might make wonderful images shooting during a trip to these tropical paradises or you can capture amazingly beautiful the architecture, diverse and magnificent all over the world. You can produce great works photographing anything but not nothing, will be as expressive and meaningful as a well shot portrait. Whatever you produce containing someone's presence will ever catch more admiration than if it didn't.

I make such statement considering my experience. My best portraits have me looking at them in a way more captive than with the rest of all my works. It's contagious to see such works. You feel part of the scene inside, "feel" and not only imagine yourself in it. Making a good portrait requires a more careful search for a proper composition, for a proper angle from where to shoot, a better use of light. And therefore every time you succeed making a beautiful portrait I myself feel I've accomplished something big, at least bigger than if I were shooting a skyline or something else besides portrait. Ironically, it doesn't depend too much on how good is your camera. Any digital camera will do a great job if you know how to produce a good portrait, fact that has a lower level of true when it comes to other styles. Honestly, the feeling of being a professional photographer only came to me by the time I started producing portraits often. I spent a good time inviting friends and people I'd met to come help produce some works and this experience made me realize I was becoming a better photographer. When you have faces and bodies all the time to photograph, in order to make each of them unique, you need to awake your creativity, you have to think more carefully of how you're gonna fill the shot with beauty and expression. I'd like to share here one of my best portraits. Last May, I went out with an old friend of mine here in Moscow to produce some portraits. She is kinda a model here, although she spends most of her time studying. And yeah, we took several photos and there was one, a portrait with simple features. She stood in front of some trees at Alexandrovsky Sad, using only street lights. She stood with arms crossed, waist up, and smileless face. When I opened that picture in my laptop, I was in shock. It was a masterpiece. A strong expression and presence. Some air of mystery and besides, the beauty was exhaling. I was absolutely satisfied with my work and honestly, I haven't got anything better so far, at least for me. That was for me maybe my best portrait. Still the others don't lose their value. Because, I'm saying all this regarding my artistic activity. Myself as an artist. We've all got many different ways to judge the importance of a photo.

Even though I am a professional photographer, even though I've spent a good time learning about it, still, photography is an open field for a wide variety of possibilities and therefore my statements might be subject for discussion wether it's acceptable or not. However, as well as I'm doing, we photographers must express our opinion about our work, our opinion about photography considering our engagement with it. If every person engaged with artistic work persists on showing the authenticity of their statements by producing works to support them, the result coming from this pursuing is constructive for all. That is to give art a more important role. Please, leave your feedback. I'd love to know what's your opinion about this text, about portrait photography. How do you see it?