Documentary Portraiture Lesson

11/20/10 5:42 PMDocumentary Portraiture Lesson

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Documentary Portraiture

To make a documentary portrait of an individual thathas impact is not as easy as some people might think.Numerous factors have to be taken into account. Ofcourse, the first thing that needs to be mastered isexposure in order to provide a fine print for viewing. Myrule of thumb is to overexpose one f-stop, andunderdevelop thirty to forty-five seconds. This approachwill render a negative that is similar in nature to theZone System.

Putting exposure aside, since I'm mainly interested inhelping you capture a portrait that has impact, let's takea look at four images from my 'Dyer Street Portraiture'series: These images would probably fit the 'street shot'category, but they are staged in the sense that thesubjects are posed in relation to their surroundings. A20mm lens (extreme wide angle) is used to 'condense'the view, and show the backdrop/background. Thesubjects' posture and expression come across asnatural, but their 'look' is manipulated through constantencouragement. They're not smiling, and in my opinion,a documentary portrait should not include this kind ofexpression. As soon as a subject smiles for the camera,he or she breaks character. This action dilutes thenature of the image, and it becomes nothing more thana standard studio portrait.

DSP-1

DSP-1 shows a young woman wearing headphones, andtuned-out to her surroundings, oblivious to what's goingon around her and possibly to the portrait session aswell. She is Hispanic, and stands in front of a walladvertisement in Spanish. Her portrait is staged in frontof this advertisement to enhance the ethnicity of theimage. She's positioned right to allow thebackdrop/background to come through with this ethnic



message. The words in the advertisement 'race' across(left to right) the image to provide excitation. Thisimage is not just a portrait, but also a visual statementabout ethnicity and oblivion.

DSP-2

DSP-2 shows an old man in his failing nightclub. Hisbusiness has dropped-off, and he feels isolated. Hisportrait is staged indoors, and he's positioned right-foreground to show the emptiness of his club behindhim. He sits alone at a table that should be filled withcustomers, and his hands-posture conveys reflectionand contemplation. This image is not just a portrait, butalso a visual statement about isolation and loneliness.

DSP-3

DSP-3 shows a young man in front of his 'Headstand'shop. He's positioned low-center -foreground to allowthe shop sign (above) to overpower the image, andconvey the 1960s -1970s era. His posture, expressionand attitude are in direct relation to the word, 'Head' in'Headstand'. He's making a stand as well, and theadvertisement signs to his left and right convey sales toperpetuate a bygone era. This image is not just aportrait, but also a visual statement about attitude and



perpetuation.

DSP-4

DSP-4 shows a young man in a blood bank. He'spositioned left-foreground to show the advertisementsign, 'This man is a paid blood donor.' He's down-and-out selling his blood to survive, and his circumstance isin direct relation to the sign. His posture and expressionconvey a sense of concomitant pride and humility. Thisimage is not just a portrait, but also a visual statementabout survival.

A portrait is just a portrait, but a documentary portraitmakes a connection between the subject and his or hersurroundings. And this connection conveys a visualstatement about the social condition.

A response Chambers received from a reader: "Justcompleted the Photo-Seminars series concluding withyour piece on Documentary Portraiture. The subjectcontent on the human condition presentation by yourDyer Street Portraiture series was somewhatdisconcerting; these photos were definitely not thecotton candy glamor queen shots. Assessing the conceptof creating a studio portrait vs an ageless portrait isevaluating the selection of the appropriateness of one ofthe facets of the gesture of a smile vs non-smile gestureleans more depth and ambiance to the portrait. Theoverall impression of your portrait lesson left the impactof a haunting punch.

I Believe my preference is your masterfully deliveredjab of enlightenment. Perhaps with a slight upper cut (ashort swing blow from beneath to the opponents chin) -your portraiture article helped me to condense and tofine tune my portrait style into - in your face - definedmore precisely as close up and personal, simplify, cropout the surrounding unnecessary clutter and to utilizethe look and non-smile gestures to the advantage of themoment while seeking the authenticity of the moment

http://www.photo-seminars.com/



being photographed. At the moment your e-mail wasbeing generated, I was reflecting upon the followingquotation: The so-called past is the top of the heart; thepresent is the top of the fist; and the future is the backof the brain. Zen saying."

Dyer Street Portraiture

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Documentary Portraiture Lesson