When a person sits in front of our lens who has a style of their own, that makes our life easier in one way and more difficult in another. When a person brings their style to the table, they have a confidence in what look they want to portray--this is great because they do the work necessary to move and angle themselves with very little direction. The tough part is capturing that style--that look in a way the befits the person. This isn't easy. It is a lot like the idea of 'taking it to the next level.' If you have a certain amount of the work done for you--the look, the attitude etc... then how do you elevate that portrait beyond just the surface. How do you use the technical aspects of making the picture aid the capturing of the that instant where the picture comes together that goes beyond just a simple portrait--a facsimile of the person in front of the lens? Thats what I'm always striving for in making portraits---what is that next level!?! My Monday evening photo shoot was about breaking rules--using heightened lighting to achieve a 'look' and making what many would consider technically poor photographs in order to get the mood to fit the subject. This picture was one of the lesser technically poor images, many had no detail at all in the highlights, but it was one that I felt touched upon my subjects style and inner searching quality--at least I think it does. It was mighty fun breaking all the rules and trying something completely different. I hope what I learned from it helps me make better decisions in the future when searching for those moments that make a portrait a portrait and not just a picture. Photograph by Richard Sayer