My Style of Photography
First, there was Traditional portraiture, which was mostly about how you look. It really had to be that way, as people were required to stand fairly still in order to get a good picture, and the photographer didn’t really know what the camera had captured until the film was developed. People couldn’t smile and often looked stiff. Proper posing was of the utmost importance.
Then, along came Photojournalism with its focus on what’s happening in the moment. Photojournalism originated in news reporting, where the important thing was to capture the action, a moment frozen in time that encapsulated the current situation in one or more pictures. The pictures were real and affecting, but a really good photojournalistic picture is difficult to take, as often the most “natural” events are not the most photogenic.
In the past few years, there has been a type of photography I will call Fashion photography, where the focus is on evoking a kind of artificial mood. For example, the photographer may give prompts such as “Now throw your head back and laugh” or “Put your hand on your hip and show me your best come-hither look– pretend you’re in Vogue magazine.” This type of photography can be fun and produce great images, but lacks a certain authenticity.
Now, I see an exciting, new type of photography, called Experiential photography, starting to come into its own. Pioneered by such diverse photographers as Jesh de Rox and Jim Garner, Experiential photography is all about how you feel, and capturing in pictures the feelings you have in the important relationships in your life– your relationships with significant others, your family members, your pet, or even yourself. Each picture is a window back to how you felt in the moment, cherishing the ones you love and the connections you feel.
Of course, in traditional portraiture and even more so in photojournalism, emotions could and often would be recorded; however, that was not the primary focus. In portraiture, the photographer is very much the director, setting people up in poses, sometimes controlling the scene down to the exact placement of a hand, or the precise angle of the tilt of the chin. In photojournalism, the photographer fades into the background as much as possible, not altering the scene unfolding in front of him or her, but still very active in choosing the focus. And, of course, many photographers employ all of these styles to some extent, creating a personal hybrid that works for them.
In Experiential photography, however, the photographer’s job is to set the stage, providing a series of prompts to bring what is important to the forefront of the subject’s mind and emotions, but allowing them to interpret and express these feelings in a natural way. It’s better to not even think of it as a photoshoot but more as an experience of love and depth that is being captured photographically. The photographer is not trying to control everything in the picture to make it “perfect,” nor is he or she stepping back completely and being the invisible observer. The photographer is not even giving more creative, evocative prompts for fashion-y type poses. Instead, he or she is collaborator, witness, and connector to what is Most Important to the person or people being photographed. An experiential photographer has to have a good grasp of the elements of traditional portraiture and know what makes people look good as well as be able to photograph photojournalistically and capture moments as they happen. But the experiential photographer goes one step beyond, by participating in the creation of the circumstances of the picture without controlling the situation or people.
Although it might seem simple on the surface, it is really quite a revolutionary method. It requires that the photographer love his or her subjects, and to find the best, most particular and original parts of every person. It is an extraordinary discipline. Since starting to photograph this way, I not only like people more, I like and accept myself more. It has brought me back to why I take pictures, which is that I feel like it is the most special and important job in the world, to document these important relationships. None of us have forever on this earth, and so we need to remember every day what is most precious in our lives. I lost my mother when I was only five years old, and I would give almost anything to have just 10 more minutes with her. We never know when our last day with a significant other might be. I have a picture of my mother and me that my uncle took when I was a baby. He managed to capture a dramatic moment when we were both looking at the camera, faces half in shadow. I will always treasure that picture because it reminds me of our relationship, and that once I was cherished.
Almost everyone has had the experience of being able to recall a memory better after seeing a picture. With experiential photography, the experience you are having while being photographed is so intense that looking at the pictures brings back all those wonderful feelings. It is actually physically relaxing and de-stressing to look back at a picture in which you felt connected, relaxed, and happy. For a couple, it can be a very healing experience. How often do you get to really connect with each other? Especially with our current, busy lives, especially if you both have jobs, kids, pets, especially if it’s been a while since you got to spend some concentrated time together, it is easy to let the feelings that brought you together start to slip away or turn into negative emotions. It is easy to get defensive and start putting up walls, even to start feeling a little contemptuous of your partner.
But remember how you felt at the beginning of your relationship– when everything was new and exciting, when you could talk for hours, when you felt like you completed each other? Remember when falling in love didn’t feel like falling at all but like uncovering a beautiful part of yourself that you forgot was there? An experiential photography session (we call it “BeLoved”) allows you reconnect with those feelings and remember what brought you two together. It creates a space where you can treasure each other and remember what is most Important in your life– the relationships you have with your loved ones.
“Every beloved object is the center of a paradise.”
– Novalis
The next two blog posts will be BeLoved sessions that we have photographed with two wonderful couples. Stay tuned!
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