My POV On Portrait Photography

I recently met with "K" for an outdoor photo session to feature her wearing a traditional Tibetan purple & pink "chuba". I also brought with me an authentic wooden mask carved in the likeness of Mahakala (a Himalayan protector deity) as a prop.

Although I describe myself as more intrinsically interested in the "photojournalism meets travel photography" ethos, I also realize that portrait photography (whether candid or posed) was and will always a part of it...and with it comes a set of "rules" that I try to always follow.

The overriding covenant that I always keep at the forefront of my photography mindset is Sebastiao Salgado's who said "If you take a picture of a human that does not make him noble, there is no reason to take this picture".

I start off all my photo sessions by being complimentary of their appearance, by being punctual (even if the models are late due to traffic, trains, etc), by expressing thanks before and after the sessions, by having cleaning wipes and hand sprays on the ready...little things which I believe make a difference. It doesn't mean that I "click" with every person who poses for me, but that's my personal modus operandi. And doing so, allows the nice communication flow between the person being photographed and I...which is very important.

Before the photo sessions, I make sure to scout the areas for previous and new spots where I will photograph the persons. This allows me to anticipate the available light at the time we schedule the session, and to check for any impediments that might disrupt the upcoming session. I'm not a studio photographer, so I never use artificial light modifiers and rely solely on ambient sunlight.

Depending on the purpose (and the models' personal "vibe") of the session, wardrobe choice is obviously key. In most of the photo sessions I set up, the models chose what they wear with minor guidance from me. In such cases, I usually nudge them towards dark solids as I like using graffiti'ed walls as backdrops. 

As my photo sessions are all non-commercial, there are no wardrobe stylists and/or makeup artists. But most of my subjects are adept at applying their own make-up which I don't interfere with...except sometimes asking for the application of a vibrant lipstick color.

However, my most recent three photo sessions were focused on ethnic wear... South Korean hanbok, Chinese qi pao/cheongsam and the Himalayan chuba. So I was merging "ethnic fashion portraiture with travel photography"...not exactly full circle, but something akin to it.