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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

portrait photography

What makes a portrait photograph good? It's an issue that I debate every so often when I look at my own photos or hear people talk about theirs. As much as I enjoy taking pictures of people, when is the end product a success? If it flatters them, is that the goal or is it a picture that says something more than the sum of its parts?

Just back from a trip where I had the opportunity to start learning to canoe (which I loved), I saw a lot of pictures of others and myself (many of which I didn't like). Were any of those of me what others see? Perhaps in the end, all photographs are illusions.

We see something, take a photo, look at it later, and think the light was better, the image sharper, and what the heck is that off in the corner! What are we hoping the photo will say? Perhaps that it recreates an image we stored in our minds. I think we often hope to share a moment or experience with others, or let them see themselves as we see them and so we take a picture. Except from where did that expression come and was the light really on the nose that way?

The interesting aspect of being in a human body is we never see ourselves-- except for those who do out of body travel. The rest of us see parts of ourselves. There are the reflections in mirrors, cameras, or words others use to tell us what they see. (What we tell others we see in them is important and we should be careful what words we use as often people (especially children) believe those words more than photos or mirrored reflections.)

When I am taking photos of others or looking at those of myself, I have two phrases for the ones that really come out. One is the money shot. Its meaning is obvious and not hard to define. It's the image a professional photographer might have spent all day getting and knows he can sell. The other is the 'Zen' shot. This is when the photo is so in the moment that there is no need to interpret it nor label it.

There are probably many ways to define what a 'Zen moment' is, but my favorite is when you perceive the moment, feel it totally and it's not damaged or even enhanced by any of your usual filters or expectations. It is what it is and you feel it deep in your soul. Zen photos, although they always fall short, attempt to capture that feeling.

Those 'ultimate' photographs were usually sandwiched between a lot of 'so-so' shots. This is why I love digital where I don't have to think twice about shooting the same subject from several angles or compositions.

Zen photos are not about being flattering-- although they can be. In the first one, the woman is swimming in a large expanse of water (happens to be a mountain lake). Her hair is graying but her smile is at peace. You can tell she's in her element. I like that kind of image of old women-- active, experiencing life. The grebe didn't know he/she was in a perfect reflection; but of the 5 photos of grebes, it's the only one that was. And the bald eagle probably was near its nest as the pair flew to this tree regularly, lingering on the highest branches to survey their kingdom. There are as many as four dozen pairs that nest around this lake. In the winter about a thousand, migrating bald eagles make this area their home.

(All images taken July 6-7, 2007 in Oregon at Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge-- a myriad network of marshes and habitats stretching into California and protected originally by Teddy Roosevelt. Conflict over water in this basin was a big issue several years ago as the Bush administration apparently have never seen a wildlife refuge they liked. More photos of the lake and marshes to come.)

16 comments:

Sandy said...

I understand your take on what might be a good shot and what is just "it" sort of like Oprah's "aha moment". You look totally happy in that water!

Anonymous said...

Teddy Roosevelt ! Now there was a good President. GWB aka Shrub is a putz !

Diane Widler Wenzel said...

I always like to take pictures of people engaged as opposed to self-consciously playing to the camera. So many of my pictures do not turn out. I either am too late for the just right moment or I cut off part of the story around the event. The "zen moment" is a very good term for the picture that says more.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post! Swim free!!! :) I think that what makes a portrait good is seeing things in life that make you feel free. A person swimming,painting,talking to another person...the list goes on. That is just my oppinion though and probably because I can't do those things as easily as others. Thank you for sharing with us! Your a gem! :)
*HUGS*

Anonymous said...

I've never labeled them 'zen' photos, but I know what you mean, Rain - because they are the photos I don't just SEE, I FEEL.
I love the digital camera for the same reason you do, too. I came inside yesterday without realizing until I went to download them, that I had taken 71 pictures of my pond!
My girls have taken photography classes and take wonderful pictures. I don't have enough interest to take classes - and am pretty happy if just one or two turn out well.
And I don't believe that any of us see ourselves as others do. I will look at a pic of me and think it looks nothing like me and is less than flattering - and yet someone else will look at it and tell me it's really good and looks just like me. Go figure.

robin andrea said...

I've had zen moments, but never thought of the zen photo. That's a perfect description of the shot, you look at it and are delighted by every aspect coming together at just the right moment. Great bald eagle pic. I can't imagine what a thousand bald eagles in one place would look and feel like. Fantastic. You look absolutely cool in the water.

Kay Dennison said...

To me a good picture is one where my hands don't shake when I take it! I'm still learning my digotal camera. Your pictures are simply wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I agree with Kay; your photos are wonderful and I especially love the one of you in the lake. The lady in the lake. Long ago, when I was studying photography (long before digital), one book we used was "A Different Way of Seeing." Though my work-related photography is largely about capturing people at events or doing what they do at school, my personal work is more about seeing the world in a slightly different way through the lens of a camera. Do you ever find yourself, without a camera, making a box with your hands and then looking into the frame? I have a writing exercise I teach and use occasionally called "Snapshots." It's too capture "something" in the lens of your mind's eye and then let your pen record it. It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

Rain Trueax said...

I haven't done the box thing with my hands for years, Fran, but I do see photographs and paintings wherever I go. Sometimes my imagination does a better job than any tool. I like painting the word pictures later. You can add elements to the experience that no photo or painting can quite capture; and in trying to find the words, I relive the experience more fully

Ingineer66 said...

A great post and then you make it political. How would you like it if you were promised water for your farm after returning from fighting in WWII and then after 50+ years of getting that water the government decided to take it from you after you had already planted your crops for the season which are now going to die, all so they can save a few extra sucker fish for the Indians to kill in a religious ceremony. There was no balance, no compromise just one day no more water for farms and most of fish ended up dieing before the Indians could net them and kill them for themselves anyway.

Talk about separation of church and state. Why is the government using tax dollars to promote a religious ceremony. Oh wait it is not a Christian ceremony so it is OK.

Rain Trueax said...

where do you getyour information, ingineer? Salmon were the issue and it wasn't just what Indians might catch (do you think treaties with them had any meaning at all?). Thousands of salmon died that year and if I write about a refuge such as I was on and don't mention that if you don't value it, you won't keep it, my writing would be meaningless. Those farmers should never have been promised that water but I have news for you, we irrigate on this farm and if the water levels get too low, we have to stop. That's just a fact of life in farming. What you are saying you value is the beauty of a refuge but with no cost? Many people fought in WWII btw, including my uncles and nobody gave them anything for it! Are you suggesting every soldier should get that currently? You must have changed your mind on tax increases being okay

Ingineer66 said...

Rain, your responses make me smile. Thank you for having such a wonderful place that I can come and post a bunch of jet lagged rants to get my brain awake after vacation. I know that I paint some of these issues with a broad brush, but sometimes it is fun to make you get your hackles up as long as it doesn't go to far.

As for Klamath water mess, I got some of my info from ranchers that live up there near the farmers that got shut off. That and what I read from several sources. And it was two kinds of sucker fish and salmon that were threatened.

I think there should have been some consultation and compromise, not just completely shut off all water to the farmers in the middle of the season. As it happened due to the politics between Clinton and Bush appointees the farmers lost all their crops in 01 then in 02 the farmers got most of the water and the fish died. If they would have taken a balanced approach in the beginning instead of a screw the farmer mentality it would have been better for everyone.

Rain Trueax said...

The point is farming/ranching are not businesses with guarantees written into them. In drought, which that was, people have problems with their usual methods. On our small operation, it's clear we are going to face that this year. Grass is way down, too much heat, need to cull more animals. Guess what, nobody is going to drain a lake to solve our problems. You and they are acting like some magic system should give every agricultural operator what they need every year to grow their crops. It does not work that way. And if you drain those marshes for a few farmers' crops (and it is a few in the long term), you will not get back the habitat. It was a mistake to drain them to start with and many areas are recognizing that.

If you drive above Klamath Lake, you see feedlot cattle operations in the valley where Fort Klamath lays. Thousands of steers are being fattened in fields where they will later be sent to California to finish them off for the kind of beef Americans prefer-- grainfed and fat. That feedlot mentality could well damage Klamath Lake (it is very much damaging the health of Americans), but it's a very wealthy rancher who controls the situation. Some like that do put a lot of effort into maintaining the land to be healthy. Obviously you only have to go around the west to see that not all have that mentality.

This rancher sets on the water board for the area. He has power. I won't say the fields with the cattle were overgrazed when I saw them but I sure haven't seen that many steers anywhere other than in the feedlots off the freeways in California. I do wonder what it's doing to the water quality below him. I am relatively sure that's not a concern to him, and he's got an administration in power that will back him. That could change and I don't disagree that environmentalists can do dumb things but their power came because of others who abused theirs.

Natalie d'Arbeloff said...

Rain, in that frequent kind of bloggers telepathy, I too have been pondering and writing about the mystery and sometimes the frustration of photos of one's self - in fact the whole mystery of identity. I'm so interested to read your take on it. Please come on over and join in at my new blog: Out of the Box, created only a few days after the discussion on photos of self, reincarnation (my mummy was found!) etc. I await your thoughts over at:
http://augustine-outofthebox.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Great photo of you in the water. I do think many times a picture is worth a thousand words.
For me, I guess I just like capturing fun moments. Things that when I look back on the photos will instantly transport me right back TO that moment.
Enjoyed all your photos.

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