Photography 1: P & P, Proj 4: An Active Portrait

Project 4: An active portrait

The objective of this exercise was to experiment with taking portraits of a subject when they are distracted by doing something.  I concentrated on the subject rather than what they were doing.  I was interested in the subject's facial expression.  One advantage of photographing someone when they are engaged in doing something and therefore not consciously aware of the camera, is that their facial expression is often more relaxed and "normal".  This type of photography can seem slightly voyeuristic unless the subject is known to the photographer.

I have included a number of images produced by other photographers who have successfully created active portraits.

Amazon-3; Per-Anders Petersson.

In this photograph, taken in the Amazon rainforest, a young woman is busy sweeping her porch.  She is completely engrossed in her work.  The body position of the subject is particularly interesting.

Amazon-4; Per-Anders Petersson.

In this photograph, again taken in the Amazon rainforest, a young woman is trying her hand at tapping a rubber tree for latex under the guidance of a skilled worker.  Her face is animated and interested in the activity.

Amazon-6; Per-Anders Petersson.

Here a group of men are inspecting the rubber sole of a training shoe.  The subjects appear not to notice the camera and are relaxed and interested in what is being discussed.

Nat-Geo-1; Desmond Boylan.

In this photograph a young boy is enjoying an impromptu game using an overflowing gutter.  He is quite relaxed about being photographed because he is enjoying the game.  His pose and facial expression are interesting.

Nat-Geo-5; Erika Larsen

The woman in this photograph is busy processing grass into rope.  She is engrossed in the task in hand.  Her facial expression is particularly appealing.

8082; Nikon D300; 50mm Prime Lens; F1.8; 1/100s

I took this photograph whilst the subject was busy with her mobile phone.  She was only partially aware of the camera's presence.  This has resulted in much more relaxed and natural facial expression.

What have I learned from this exercise?

In order to create a natural portrait of a subject it is sometimes necessary to get them to engage is some form of activity or to explain something in detail.  The subject can become so engrossed in the activity or the explanation that they are less aware of the camera's presence.