Portraits Don't Really Suck

Portraits are a funny thing. It used to be that I hated portraits... despised may be a better word. They conjured up images of school photos, head shots, family trips to Sears... I think you probably get the idea. It wasn't until I had a photography teacher really help to show me that portraits are not limited to these traditional uses. He helped me see portraiture as a cool, interpretive way of taking a person's picture while trying to grab a hold of a piece of who or what they are and jamming it into the frame. He helped to increase or create an appreciation for people like Karsh (the greatest ever) and Nigel Dickson, as well as so many others. The funny thing though is that he didn't do any of this by "taking me under his wing" or anything like that. He just taught me to take better pictures, the rest just came with it. My father was the one who instilled a love of photography in me, and he is the first person I think about when I shoot, every time. But I can't help wondering as I edit or go through my pictures whether or not this teacher would approve of the shots.

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This is my sister Dawn, and if you are wondering what it about her that I grabbed and jammed in the frame... it is pure, unfiltered, undiluted cool.