Wednesday, January 2, 2013

The Human Street

Day #8: A Day of Museums
“I think of a photograph as a receiver of sensation. Sensations are intangible and I try to organize them through the act of photography.” 
–Tom Wood

Of all the photographers whose work was put on display at the Photographer’s Gallery, I took special notice and appreciation for Tom Wood’s knack for not only capturing people, but capturing feelings and the actual atmosphere of situations. I really began relating Mr. Wood’s style to my own, in terms of capturing a subject’s light in a photograph and making a statement based off of that subject’s “spark.” There is this fleeting spark in each particular emotion felt which always seems to present itself, and there is such a genuine pureness when a person’s true self comes out to shine. You can tell so much from a person’s facial expressions and body language, and I really enjoy taking portraits of people with this goal eternally in mind. I truly believe this is what sets average portraiture apart from meaningful portraiture. Anyone can snap a shot of someone, but not everyone utilizes their human ability to urge another person’s personality to come alive. This is by no means easy; I often do it by making a face at my subject (depending on what kind of mood I’m going for, I’ll make a funny face, glare at them, pout, etc.) right before I take the plunge and make the “click” (of my camera). Nine times out of ten this immediately loosens my subject up and takes away whatever pressure they were feeling in front of the camera.

To view my complete photo set from this day, click on the following link to my Flickr:

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