I know I used to write a lot about this, but it is an ongoing thing. I am always trying to figure out what kind of photographer I want to be. As a photojournalist I am always refining my approach so that I become better at layering information and really getting to the heart of a story while trying to look like I wasn't even there. In portraits it has been easy to get a little lost. I was talking with my friend Harmony about this the other day. We see what other photographers are doing and having what seems like success from our stand point, meaning they seem to be getting a lot of clients. We see the things they do with props and lighting styles. I recently went looking for some of my early portraits and really noticed something. That work looked like my work. I have found myself making work for a client instead of of making my work for a client. There is a difference. A few weeks ago I had a maternity portrait shoot with two(three) very cool people. I did what I do and explored lighting and worked off what they seemed to bring to the table in terms of mood and ideas for posing etc… When I was done I felt I sorta didn't really do what I should have done and really push the envelop. I used some techniques that I've been developing,but didn't really get too into exploring something new. The images worked and as i began to tone them I really liked what we did, but i still just didn't feel I added 'me' to them. As I worked on them today after working on some sports mates yesterday, I decided it was time I thought like a painter again and craft the images in a way that is me, perhaps the way I want to approach my work.(Granted tomorrow I could wake up with an entirely different idea!)
The lighting had a real classical/romantic look over all and I thought maybe i could begin layering textures and create an overall mood to the work. I kept moving images around and tried to pare the new imagery up with words. My hope is that in building the image I take it away from being just a photograph, but something to be experienced on a level beyond what we have become desensitized or separated from when looking at photographs. Don't get me wrong, I believe a photograph holds great potential to communicate, but we are so flooded with them that we tend to compartmentalize them and don't always take the time to look closely.
Even these that I approached today will be categorized into the 'vintage' stereotype, though I hope not to the point of being glossed over. I have realized in my work that I am looking for depth more and more. Surface statements seem to bore me. Even in music, finding those artists who layering so much into their sound of lyrics are the ones that grab my attention.
I don't know if I'll be able to 'market' an approach like this here, I suspect it will be a long road to change a culture so grabbed by pinterest and tumblr that they find something to duplicate instead of looking at their own lives and creating something that is personal. I joke about not wanting to do the heart hands, the truth is its a cute thing, but it is a 'thing' and not necessarily unique to the subject. And its become cliche, I want my work to go beyond a cliche. And that ain't easy. Photographs by Richard Sayer