I discovered that I really enjoyed taking portraits. And that intrigued me...
Normally, I prefer the wilderness, the sporting move, but portraits are becoming an increasingly important part of my work.
I think it's the mystery, and the desire to look behind the mirror, to follow the white rabbit...
As with landscapes, I'm not interested in smooth portraits. They need to pique the curiosity of the viewer, not lock someone into a role, but open up the field of possible interpretations.
During a portrait session, I'm looking for what's behind the mask, to tame the inner world of people, and you can't do that if you don't love them. I look for the flame that animates them, or the poetry that transports them. I also look for the depth, the unspoken, the originality, the impertinence, the lightness or the rebellion, which makes each view unique.
And sometimes the subject of the photograph questions me, his or her gaze piercing me and seeming to ask "and you, who are you"? Then the roles are reversed, and the emotion is dizzying. It's a feeling I often get when I'm behind the lens.
Technically, I mainly use black and white, and a focal length of 50 to 70 mm, sometimes a 100 mm macro 2.8 if I really want to go into the very shallow depth-of-field zone and get very close, on the detail of an eye or a wrinkle. And my faithful companion, the R5 Canon.
Depending on the environment, I look at the light and sometimes add a reflector or an LED panel if I want to relight part of the image. But this is quite rare. I prefer to move the subject around until the light on his or her face seems close to what I want.
Recently, I was able to produce a series of portraits for the Samoens tourist office a desire to communicate about those who embody the soul of this village.
