lc portraitguide fa02 - photopedagogyor a portrait in maiduguri, borno state, nigeria on or a...

LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

P101. M

ake remarkable portraits 02. Share rem

arkable portraits 03. Inspiration

LensCulture’s essential guide to m

aking and sharing remarkable photographic portraits

Po

rtrait

Ph

oto

grap

hy

© Maxine Helfman

01. Make rem

arkable portraits 02. Share remarkable portraits 03. Inspiration


P2Introduction

Wh

at is it a

bo

ut p

ortra

it p

ho

togra

phy th

at m

ake

s it so

spe

cial fo

r bo

th p

ho

togra

ph

ers

an

d o

ur a

ud

ien

ce?W

hy do some portraits m

ake themselves a perm

anent hom

e in our visual mem

ory? And w

hat makes the

difference between a decent ordinary portrait and

an extraordinary one?

In this guide, we attem

pt to find some answ

ers! Through conversations, advice and tips from

some

of the best portrait photographers today and other experts around the w

orld, our aim is to unravel som

e of the m

ystery around portraiture.

Introduction

P3LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

With

in th

ese

pa

ges, w

e’ve

cu

rate

d fa

nta

stic inte

rview

s, stu

nn

ing p

ho

to e

ssays a

nd

lists o

f he

lpfu

l reso

urce

s to

arm

you

with

info

rma

tion

an

d

insp

iratio

n. O

ur h

op

e is th

at

this gu

ide

will h

elp

expa

nd

an

d

cha

llen

ge yo

ur o

wn

po

rtrait-

ma

kin

g, no

w a

nd

in th

e fu

ture

.

© H

arris Mizrahi


P4Table of C

ontents

03. IN

SPIR

ATIO

N

Project Spotlight

Book R

ecomm

endations

Film R

ecomm

endations

Portrait Projects

01. M

AK

E REM

AR

KA

BLE

PO

RTR

AITS

The Secret Sauce: W

hat Makes A

Good Portrait?

There’s No M

agic Formula: Interview

w

ith photographer Richard R

enaldi

Charge The A

ir: Interview w

ith photographer Todd H

ido

Creative Instinct, D

iscomfort,

and Discovery: Interview

with

photographer Maxine H

elfman

8 10

17

23

30

31

34 41 46 51

60747678

02. SH

AR

E REM

AR

KA

BLE

PO

RTR

AITS

Submit Your W

ork: Deadlines for

Portrait Aw

ards and Com

petitions

The Secret Sauce: What M

akes A

Strong Submission?

Show Your W

ork In Progress:

Interview w

ith Karen McQ

uaid, C

urator at The Photographer’ Gallery

Photography As A

n Expression of Indulgence: Interview

with

photographer Sarah Bahbah

Feedback and Review

s: The key to grow

th, connections and finding your voice

Get O

ut Of Your H

ead: Interview

with N

adav Kander


P5

A p

ortra

it! Wh

at

cou

ld b

e m

ore

simp

le

an

d m

ore

com

plex,

mo

re o

bvio

us a

nd

m

ore

pro

fou

nd

?”

“

— C

HA

RLES B

AU

DELA

IRE, 1859

P601. M




01

. M

AK

E

RE

MA

RK

AB

LE

PO

RTR

AITS

© Kensington Leverne

P701. M




If you’ve downloaded this guide, you know

that creating portraits isn’t as sim

ple as it sounds. Portraiture is a tricky beast. When w

e’re starting out, know

ing and understanding the traditional rules of portraiture - soft directional light, an engaging expression and posture - can help us im

mensely. B

ut it doesn’t always result in an im

age that moves our

audience. Breaking the rules and experim

enting can do the same, or not!

Conscious or unintended, or just plain lucky, som

etimes w

e manage to im

bue that indescribable elem

ent into our process and it results in a remarkable

image. W

ith time, practice and reflection, the frequency of rem

arkable work

only increases. Some photographers succeed w

ith such consistency that w

e can only assume they’ve w

orked out a few things about portrait-m

aking w

orth sharing - so we asked them

!

In this chapter, read interviews w

ith recognized portrait photographers to discover their tried and tested personal approach to creating com

pelling portraits. D

ive in and take some tips for yourself, there are plenty to find.

Go

on

, get o

ut th

ere

a

nd

ma

ke re

ma

rkab

le

po

rtraits.

P801. M




“ I think a good portrait em

powers the subject,

and is ultim

ately a collaboration between the

subject and the photographer. T

rying to im

pose

too much on the subject oft

en creates a forced-

looking im

age that the viewer can’t relate to.

Makin

g a conn

ection and allow

ing the subject

to present them

selves to the camera is oft

en

all you need for a good portrait.”

JEN

NIFER

MU

RR

AY

Executive Director, Filter Photo

LensC

ulture Portrait Aw

ards 2019 Juror

“ I think a good portrait says a lot m

ore

about the photographer than about the

person portrayed. The subject or person

you choose to photograph, the place where

you position someon

e, the mom

ent you

capture, the selection, the editin

g, the use of

light—all of these elem

ents are the choices

of the photographer. I think w

e are all

(uncon

sciously) searching for recogn

ition,

for somethin

g we kn

ow, som

ething about

ourselves. I think that is havin

g your ‘own

style’ within the m

edium; the refl

ection of

the photographer can be seen in the work.”

R

OB

IN D

E PU

Y

Photographer

LensCulture Portrait A

wards 2018 W

inner

Wh

at m

ake

s a

goo

d p

ortra

it?

THE SEC

RET SA

UC

E:

P901. M




“ I look for authenticity, en

gagemen

t, a

tender an

d compassion

ate point of view

,

and sen

suality. I think it’s about a sen

se

of presence, w

here you feel like the subject

is not on

ly looking at the photographer,

but looking at you. It’s about som

e sort

of deep looking—

a presence rather than

self-consciousn

ess. Sometim

es it’s about

quality of light, or mood. If a portrait has a

narrative, I’m

usually drawn to it. I don’t

necessarily m

ind if som

ething is staged,

but when thin

gs start to feel too artificial,

I think it’s a crutch.”

R

ICH

AR

D R

ENA

LDI

Portrait Photographer

LensC

ulture Portrait Aw

ards 2019 Juror

“ Just as the defin

ition for photography is in

transition today, the idea of w

hat makes a

good portrait is changin

g. There is n

o set

rule to defin

e portraiture anym

ore. It does

not m

atter if the work is an

alog or digital,

handm

ade or computer-gen

erated. What

is importan

t is originality, m

astery of one’s

medium

and bein

g able to conn

ect the viewer

with the subject.”

D

EBO

RA

H K

LOC

HKO

Executive D

irector and Chief C

urator, Museum

of Photographic Arts

LensC

ulture Portrait Aw

ards 2019 Juror

Wh

at m

ake

s a

goo

d p

ortra

it?

THE SEC

RET SA

UC

E:

P1001. M




INTER

VIEW

WITH

PO

RTR

AIT

PH

OTO

GR

AP

HER

, RIC

HA

RD

REN

ALD

I

The

re’s

No

Ma

gic Fo

rmu

la

P1101. M



Interview with Richard Renaldi - LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

Questions by C

at Lachowskyj

Answ

ers by Richard R

enaldi

C_ I w

ant to speak a bit about how you started w

orking w

ith portrait photography. I think there are a lot of m

isconceptions surrounding the genre—people w

rite it off as an easier m

ethod to tackle. Because portraiture is

so historical and all around us, dabbling in and focusing on that genre actually takes a lot of guts. W

hat first drew

you to portraiture?R

_ It’s interesting you say that, because I hear it a lot. A

nd, as you said, it is quite the contrary. When I teach

photography, people have a lot of anxiety about photographing strangers and approaching portraiture. I think portraiture is a lot m

ore complicated than w

e give it credit for—

especially street portraiture. I’ve always

been attracted to the genre because I like people—I like

to look at them, observe them

—and the cam

era is an extension of the eye that legitim

izes that stare.

I w

orked as a photo researcher at Magnum

in the 90s, so I saw

a lot of photos in a reportage style, and I think that inherently gave m

e the desire to slow things dow

n and engage w

ith my subjects. W

hen I started using an 8x10 view

camera, that really allow

ed me to reinvent m

y process and start from

scratch. I could really dig into what

it meant to m

ake a portrait of a stranger on the street.

In th

is inte

rview

, Rich

ard

R

en

ald

i spe

aks a

bo

ut

disco

verin

g large

form

at

ph

oto

grap

hy, wh

at in

spire

s h

is nu

me

rou

s po

rtrait se

ries,

an

d w

hy po

rtraitu

re re

ma

ins

such

a p

erva

sive fo

rce in

ou

r p

ho

togra

ph

ic wo

rld.

Cover im

age on the left: Portland, ME, 2018. From

the series Hotel R

oom Portraits ©

Richard R

enaldiC

over image on the right: Jared and Seth; N

ew York, N

Y, 2013. From the series Touching Strangers ©

Richard R

enaldi

P1201. M



C_ H

ow did the idea for Touching Strangers com

e about? Was

it an experiment you w

ere thinking about for some tim

e?R

_ Definitely. I w

anted to engage with ideas about groups

on the street, and touch on that unseen adhesive tissue linking us all together. I w

anted to physically merge people

into one frame. W

hen I was thinking about how

to do it, I w

as shooting people on comm

unal benches at Greyhound

bus stations for the project See Am

erica by Bus. I started

encountering that same scenario, w

here I wanted to

photograph two or m

ore people—strangers—

in the same

frame. The extra challenge of coordinating this interaction

really appealed to me.

C_ W

hy is the relationship between photographer and

subject in portrait photography so important? H

ow do

you personally approach that dynamic?

R_ It depends on w

hat I’m looking for in each project.

When I w

as casting for Touching Strangers, I was thinking

about cataloguing different types of Am

ericans. But w

hen I w

as shooting Manhattan Sunday, I w

as thinking about approaching people w

ho were putting on that drag of

glamor, so to speak. They w

ere presenting this sort of ideal self to the w

orld for night life, so I was looking for

people who w

ere self-possessed.


Aaron and Ava; C

incinatti, OH

, 2014. From the series Touching Strangers ©

Richard R

enaldi

P1301. M



C_ A

s a teacher of photography, are there certain things you find yourself telling people over and over again w

hen it com

es to approaching the medium

? What’s a lesson you

find yourself returning to with each student?

R_ A

lot of people think that there’s some sort of m

agic form

ula, but no such formula exists. People just w

ant you to tell them

what to do, but you’ve got to go out

there and do it yourself. The only way you’re going to

get comfortable is if you do it on your ow

n. People want

to know how

to approach strangers. They want to know

w

hat to say, how to do it, and w

hat you need to do to m

ake them relax. For a lot of young photographers, it’s

really anxiety-inducing to approach somebody. Try not to

be thwarted by that experience. It only gets easier w

ith practice, and thinking about w

hat you can do to relax yourself first. That’s a big one.

C_ You m

entioned discovering a view cam

era, and how that

changed the way you approached the m

edium. H

ow so?

R_ I love w

orking with a view

camera because it slow

s things dow

n. It’s cumbersom

e, and becomes a conversation

piece in and of itself. People are a little mystified by it,

and their curiosity in it becomes an icebreaker. It’s a

formal portrait experience, but the w

hole process of it is a little m

ore casual. People can just relax because of the tim

e involved, and they have some tim

e to shake out their giggles and be m

ore present.


Left: 08:23. From the series M

anhattan Sunday © R

ichard Renaldi

Right: 06:41. From

the series Manhattan Sunday ©

Richard R

enaldi

P1401. M



C_ A

nd what do you w

ant people to take away from

your work,

no matter w

hat platform they encounter it on, w

hether Instagram

or an exhibition, or in one of your books?R

_ I want to leave that up to the audience. I just hope

I somehow

move them

to feel something. A

rt is very interpretive, and it should rem

ain that way. O

f course if you create som

ething with a certain intent, and people com

e aw

ay with som

ething completely different, you m

ight have to rethink w

hat you’re doing. But Touching Strangers w

as so broadly interpreted, and people projected their ow

n ideas onto the pictures—

their ideals and fantasies about w

hat was happening in that w

ork. I’m not overly conceptual.

I like to work on them

es and projects where I think there

are stories I’m telling and feelings I’m

exploring, and I like to leave those interpretations m

ore open.

C_ You’ve got a substantial Instagram

following, w

hich allows

you to share your dynamic w

ork with a w

ide audience. H

ow do you see Instagram

playing a role in the career of photographers today. Is it necessary?

R_ I’d like us all to m

ove away from

it, to be honest. I don’t think it’s necessary. Social m

edia is a double-edged sword.

I’ve definitely gained things from it, but screen tim

e is changing us, and its effects are profound. I don’t even think w

e’re fully aware of w

hat’s going on. I have a growing

concern about it. I think it’s changed the industry and made

photography too accessible, so that it’s harder to make a

career out of it. But I also think it’s m

ade great photography that m

uch more obvious. It’s brought m

ore people into the m

edium, so that’s am

azing. But based on w

hat we’ve

learned in the last couple of years, especially regarding the nefarious uses of the Facebook corporation, I think there are legitim

ate concerns. Instagram fam

e, as they say, is not terribly deep.


Left: Daw

n, Grand R

apids, MI, 2006. From

the series See Am

erica by Bus ©

Richard R

enaldi. R

ight: Kerry and Jason, Evansville, IN, 2007. From

the series See Am

erica by Bus ©

Richard R

enaldi

P1501. M



C_ I think it’s also im

portant to ask why you think portraiture

continues to be such a pervasive genre in photography. It’s been there since the very beginning—

it’s one of the first things w

e did with the m

edium, and it’s probably one of the

last things we w

ill do with it.

R_ Exactly. It’s because of hum

anity and our interest in ourselves—

our interest in the human figure. W

e’re interested in w

hat we do, w

here we are, how

we feel, how

w

e dress. We’re interested in the surface of ourselves, and

we’re also interested in the interior life of ourselves. There’s

interest in human psychology. A

ll of these things are within

the human shell, and our shell is very dom

inant when w

e’re alive, sitting in front of a cam

era.

—Excerpt from

interview w

ith Cat Lachow

skyj


Ekeabon and Andrew

; Venice, CA

, 2013. From the series Touching Strangers ©

Richard R

enaldi

P1601. M




P1601. M



“ There is som

ething un

deniably m

agnetic

about photo portraiture that defies easy

explanation

. I often w

onder w

hose identity

is revealed to me in a portrait that speaks to

me. Is it really the sitter, or is it som

ething

intern

al to me, that m

aps onto m

y mem

ory in

a powerful w

ay? Maybe a fragm

ent—

a mere

mom

ent in tim

e— is, aft

er all, the best way

to fin

d conn

ection with an

other person.”

P

HILLIP

PR

OD

GER

H

ead of Photographs, National Portrait G

allery

Nakisha. Im

age by © Tam

ara Dean - from

the Taylor Wessing Photographic P

rize 2016.Tam

ara Dean is represented by M

artin Brow

ne Contem

porary


P1701. M




TOD

D H

IDO

’S AD

VIC

E FOR

P

OR

TRA

IT PH

OTO

GR

AP

HER

S

Ch

arge

The

Air

P1801. M



Re

no

wn

ed

Am

erica

n

ph

oto

grap

he

r Tod

d H

ido

ha

s m

ad

e a

care

er o

ut o

f crea

ting

ima

gery th

at sticks w

ith yo

u.

In th

is gen

ero

us in

tervie

w,

he

offe

rs valu

ab

le in

sights

for p

ho

togra

ph

ers w

ishin

g to

ma

ke co

mp

ellin

g po

rtraits.

Interview with Todd Hido - LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

J_ In your opinion, what are som

e of the qualities that make

some photographic portraits stand out and apart from

ordinary photos of people? C

an you offer some exam

ples of great photo portraits that hold pow

er for you?T_ R

ichard Avedon’s portrait of Marilyn M

onroe. For me, it’s

the epitome of an unguarded portrait. It w

as apparently taken at a m

oment w

hen she didn’t realize she was

supposed to be “on,” and it shows w

hat I gather is the exact opposite of w

hat it was she w

as trying to portray, m

ost likely your typical flirty persona. But w

hat it actually show

s is a person who seem

s to be lost within herself

and looking very much inw

ard.

N

ow, of course nobody know

s what M

arilyn was feeling

at that mom

ent, and we all know

that photography is the best truth-teller and the best liar all at the sam

e tim

e. And things m

agically appear different when they’re

photographed, as Mr. G

ary Winogrand used to say. So

that leaves us with w

hat I believe is the most im

portant part of photography: that w

e, the viewers, fill the

photograph with m

eaning and bring our own issues

and concerns with us.

Questions by Jim

Casper

Answ

ers by Todd Hido

Cover Im

age top: From “Intim

ate Distance: Tw

enty-Five Years of Photographs, A C

hronological Album

” © Todd H

ido C

over image right: Selections from

a Survey: Khrystyna’s World, 2015. C

ourtesy of Alex D

aniëls Reflex A

msterdam

and Todd H

ido © Todd H

ido. Cover bottom

image: Selections from

a Survey: Khrystyna’s World, 2015. C

ourtesy of Alex

Daniëls R

eflex Am

sterdam and Todd H

ido © Todd H

ido. Image this page: ©

Todd Hido.

P1901. M



J_ As a teacher, w

hat advice do you give your students when

it comes to preparing for, and m

aking, successful portraits?T_ To be kind is m

ost important. A

fter that, be prepared with

a plan for how you’re going to m

ake the picture. An exam

ple in m

y case would be, every tim

e I photograph somebody,

I always scout out the spot I’m

going to photograph them

in and try to anticipate what the light is going to be like

and modify it if needed.

Som

etimes there is value in com

municating w

ell with the

person you are working w

ith. I have also found, however,

that not giving specific direction yields something that

seems to be very believable and less scripted, w

hich ultim

ately makes for a better photograph. I alw

ays avoid things that couldn’t have possibly happened, because I w

ant a sense of reality to permeate m

y work, w

hether I have com

pletely constructed the image or not.


© Todd H

ido

P2001. M



T_ One other thing that is very im

portant is what the person

will w

ear in the photograph. Wardrobe is obviously a very

important com

ponent in photographs. You could go with

whatever it is they’re w

earing if you’re bound to reality, but if you’re not, it’s very good to have the person bring several different things to w

ear, because having the right clothing m

akes a tremendous difference. I usually opt

for dark solids because it highlights their face in the resulting portrait.

J_ When you are w

orking with m

odels for your own

photography work, do you consider those im

ages to be portraits, or self-portraits, or som

e other kind of art altogether?

T_ I would consider the w

ork I do with m

odels to be a partial hybrid betw

een who they actually are and w

hat persona m

yself and the subject jointly decide we w

ant to create. Very often, the kind of w

ork I do lends itself the opportunity to explore m

emories of people w

e used to know

or projections of people we m

ight want to be.


© Todd H

ido

P2101. M



J_ Much of your artw

ork seems infused w

ith psychological pow

er and mysterious im

plications. The exterior of a home

at night could in some w

ays be considered to be a portrait of those people w

ho inhabit it. Can you talk about how

a photographer can infuse his or her im

ages with em

otions and a heightened sense of being in a charged m

oment?

T_ That is a complicated question to answ

er because for every person it w

ould be different. As an artist, I have

always felt that m

y task is not to create meaning, but to

charge the air so that meaning can occur. In all m

y pictures of people or places, I see som

ething of myself. It is no

mystery that w

e can only effectively photograph what w

e are truly interested in or—

maybe m

ore importantly—

what

we are grappling w

ith, often unconsciously. Otherw

ise, the photographs are m

erely about an idea or concept, and that stuff eventually falls flat for m

e. There must be som

ething m

ore—som

e emotional hook for it to really w

ork.

—Excerpt from

a conversation with LensC

ulture’s editor-in-chief, Jim C

asper


Selections from a Survey: Khrystyna’s W

orld, 2015. Courtesy of A

lex Daniëls R

eflex A

msterdam

and Todd Hido ©

Todd Hido

P2201. M



LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019 LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

P22

“ I like people of flesh an

d blood. An

d I look for

the mom

ent that it appears that som

eone is

present w

ith their appearance an

d absent in

their min

d. It fits m

y personality that I like

people as they are: without a fuss an

d with all

their struggles. I think that a good portrait

has the personality of the m

aker in it.”

Koos B

reukel Portrait Photographer

Taryn Simon, A

msterdam

2008 © Koos B

reukel

01. Make rem


P2301. M




Cre

ative

instin

ct, d

iscom

fort, a

nd

d

iscove

ry

INTER

VIEW

WITH

MA

XIN

E HELFM

AN

P2401. M



Interview with Maxine Helfman - LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

C_ B

efore we get into the im

ages, maybe you could tell us

a little about yourself—w

here you grew up and w

hat got you into photography.

M_ I grew

up in the 60s in Miam

i. My parents divorced w

hen I w

as 7. Divorce at that tim

e was not civil or w

ell-accepted in society, so I w

as a bit of an outcast. I pretty much drifted

with no direction until I discovered m

y creativity in my

mid-thirties. Through a job, I talked m

y way into store

display, then into styling props and sets for photo shoots. I eventually taught m

yself to shoot, which led to com

mercial

still life. I branched out into fashion and portraiture. In 2012, I decided to begin m

aking personal work.

Ma

xine

He

lfma

n h

as va

riou

s se

ries o

f com

pe

lling p

ortra

it w

ork

, all o

f wh

ich a

re in

spire

d

by Flem

ish p

ain

tings. W

ha

t a

t first a

pp

ea

r to b

e sim

ple

im

age

s be

com

e la

yers o

f co

mp

lexity, roo

ted

in e

mp

athy

an

d vu

lne

rab

ility.

Questions by C

ollier Brow

nA

nswers by M

axine Helfm

an

Cover im

age left: BIR

MIN

GH

AM

© M

axine Helfm

anC

over Image right: EXIT 219B

© M

axine Helfm

an

P2501. M




C_ You’ve said you get inspiration from

paintings. A

re there particular painters you return to?M

_ Certain painters inspire m

e: Michaël B

orremans, R

adu B

elcin, Lucian Freud, and Egon Schiele to name a few

. I’m

attracted to the awkw

ardness they depict. I like the challenge of transcending traditional photography to achieve som

e of the more unnatural qualities, in term

s of gesture and expression, that painters have the freedom

to explore.

C_ Your photographs suggest isolation on a larger scale

too. Racial diversity and adversity, especially, feature

powerfully in your w

ork. How

did that come to be a focal

point for you?M

_ I grew up during the civil rights m

ovement. M

y m

other embraced those of different racial and ethnic

backgrounds. I have a deep respect for the courage it took them

to fight for their rights. When I look at im

ages from

that time, I am

still deeply disturbed by the brutality w

ith which peaceful, hard-w

orking people were treated.

Sadly, we are w

atching history repeat itself. Through my

work, I connect current events w

ith the past to create conversation. A

rt allows us to have that voice.

HISTO

RIC

AL C

OR

REC

TION

© M

axine Helfm

an

P2601. M




C_ That really speaks to the atm

osphere you create in your w

ork. M

_ That is what I am

attracted to. I like things that feel uncom

fortable, the mom

ents and feelings that we all try to

avoid looking at: vulnerability, loneliness, fear, melancholy.

That’s where I find beauty, and I don’t w

ant to disguise it by m

aking the image feel com

fortable. I also prefer images to

be timeless, w

ithout distinct locations or props. I think it keeps the story uncluttered.

C_ It sounds like you trust your intuition a great deal w

hen it com

es to making photographs. A

ny final thoughts on that balance betw

een instinct and technique?M

_ I discovered my talent late and have a deep sense of

gratitude to have found this passion. When you absorb

yourself deeply in something, it becom

es your way of life;

it becomes essential. B

eing self-taught, mine is a process

of instinct rather than intellect. I totally let go. I don’t try to control the outcom

e. It is truly about the discovery.

–Excerpt from an interview

with C

ollier Brow

n.

UN

TITLED ©

Maxine H

elfman

P2701. M




P2701. M



“Portraiture is diffi

cult. Interactin

g closely with

someon

e, especially if that person is someon

e

you don’t know

, can be a nerve-w

racking an

d

confron

tational experien

ce, on both sides of the lens.

As the photographer, you have to be a quick reader

of people, and be able to pick up on sm

all details that

individuate the subject: the w

ay they gesticulate, and

so on. It’s all about chem

istry, whether it be good or

bad. Interestin

g things can com

e out of both kinds.”

SIO

BH

AN

BO

HN

AC

KER

Senior Photo Editor, The N

ew Yorker

© Paul D

’Am

ato

P2801. M




02

. S

HA

RE

R

EM

AR

KA

BLE

P

OR

TRA

ITS

© Mauro De Bettio

P2901. M




P2901. M




So

me

time

s it’s tem

ptin

g to ke

ep

ou

r be

st p

ortra

it wo

rk clo

se to

ou

r che

st, wa

iting fo

r the

righ

t time

to sh

are

, or th

e righ

t mo

me

nt to

com

e.

In this chapter, we encourage you to share your w

ork with the w

orld, with your peers

and mentors, and w

ith your online comm

unity. Why? B

ecause sharing is the best w

ay to build relationships within the photography com

munity. Sharing allow

s you to access different perspectives, w

hich can both give you new ideas or cem

ent your ow

n. Sharing can open doors for growth and for exposure. A

nd sharing can result in a boost in confidence or an injection of m

otivation to keep going, keep creating, and keep learning.

When looking at the volum

e of images shared today, it can be overw

helming to try

and work out w

here your own w

ork fits. Our aim

with this chapter is to highlight w

ays in w

hich you can navigate sharing your portraits in a manner that w

orks for you.

P3001. M




Su

bm

it you

r wo

rk

JAN

UA

RY

World P

ress Photo Aw

ards - Portrait C

ategory

Photographer of the Year (PO

Y)

- Portrait Category

Sony World Photography A

wards

-Professional Portrait C

ategory

Portrait of Hum

anity

FEBR

UA

RY


wards

Head O

n Photo Aw

ards - Portrait C

ategory

MA

RC

H

iPhone Photography Aw

ards - Portrait C

ategory

AP

RIL

Kuala Lumpur International

Portraiture PhotoAw

ards

MAY

Martin Kantor Portrait P

rize* M

ust be of a prominent A

ustralian

Portrait of Britain

* Subject must live in England, Scotland,

W

ales or Northern Ireland

JUN

E

Taylor Wessing Photographic

Portrait Prize

OC

TOB

ER

Travel Photographer of the Year A

wards - Faces, People and

Cultures category

P3101. M




“ Be thoughtful in your editin

g process. It is better to

have less work that is carefully selected an

d works

together, than a variety of differen

t projects. I am

looking forw

ard to viewin

g works that challen

ge

our ideas around portraiture.”

D

EBO

RA

H K

LOC

HKO

Executive Director and C

hief Curator, M

useum of Photographic A

rts


wards 2019 Juror

“ When you are presen

ting your w

ork, you have to be

your own toughest editor. D

on’t add more just to

show that you have don

e more. A

good sequence is

like music—

one photo should take you to the n

ext

and the n

ext. Sometim

es these links are chrom

atic,

sometim

es geometric. B

ut don’t be overly rational

about it. Fun

damen

tally, it should be a sensation

and a feelin

g that guides you.”

A

LESIA G

LAVIA

NO

Senior Photo Editor, Vogue Italia LensC

ulture Portrait Aw

ards 2016 Juror

Wh

at m

ake

s a

stron

g sub

missio

n?

THE SEC

RET SA

UC

E:

P3201. M




“ Start with a very stron

g photo—on

e that grabs the

viewer’s atten

tion and forces him

or her to stop and

study the image, to read the caption

, to wan

t to see and

learn more. You n

eed to hook the viewer right aw

ay!”

JIM

CA

SPER

Editor-in-C

hief, LensCulture

LensC

ulture Portrait Aw

ards 2019 Juror

“ Put your best pictures up fron

t—don’t try to

tell a nuan

ced narrative or sequen

ce here. It’s

more about m

aking a good fi

rst impression

with killer photographs.”

D

ENISE W

OLFE

Senior Editor, A

perture

Wh

at m

ake

s a

stron

g sub

missio

n?

THE SEC

RET SA

UC

E:

P3301. M




“ The n

umber of photographers out there is equal to the

num

ber of valid approaches to portraiture, so, you

should submit som

ething that represen

ts your point of

view, your aesthetic. L

et life happen in front of you,

follow w

hat’s there, and the w

ork will com

e.”

ELIN

OR

CA

RU

CC

I

Photographer

“ Be clear an

d direct with how

you describe the work to

the jurors. There are diff

erent con

texts where you can

be more playful w

ith language an

d style of writin

g, but

from m

y point of view

, an onlin

e submission is perhaps

the context w

here clarity of comm

unication in term

s

of inten

t and con

cept are most useful.”

K

AR

EN M

CQ

UA

ID

Curator, The Photographer’s G

allery


wards 2019 Juror

Wh

at m

ake

s a

stron

g sub

missio

n?

THE SEC

RET SA

UC

E:

P3401. M




Sh

ow

you

r w

ork

in

pro

gress

THO

UG

HTS FR

OM

KA

REN

MC

QU

AID

, C

UR

ATOR

AT THE P

HO

TOG

RA

PH

ERS’ G

ALLERY

Installation view. The Photographers’ G

allery, FreshFacedandWildEyed, 2012 ©

Kate Elliott

P3501. M



Interview with Karen McQuaid - LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

C_ W

hat is the history of portraiture like at The P

hotographers’ Gallery?

K_ Interestingly, as the gallery approaches it’s fiftieth

birthday, we are re-engaging w

ith our own exhibition

history in a variety of ways. W

e’ve shown som

e artists and photographers over the years w

hose work has had a huge

impact on the thinking about portraiture in w

ider culture and art, such as A

ndy Warhol in 1971; R

ineke Dijkstra

in 1997; Sally Mann in 2010 and Zanele M

uholi in 2015, to nam

e a few. A

ll of these artists have very different relationships to portraiture, the act of photography and their w

ider practice.

Ka

ren

McQ

ua

id, a

lon

g-time

cu

rato

r at Lo

nd

on

’s lea

din

g p

ub

lic institu

tion

de

dica

ted

to

ph

oto

grap

hy, offe

rs insigh

t a

bo

ut p

ortra

iture

at Th

e

Ph

oto

grap

he

rs’ Ga

llery, a

nd

a

dvice

for p

ho

togra

ph

ers

loo

kin

g to sh

are

the

ir wo

rk.

Questions by C

oralie Kraft

Answ

ers by Karen McQ

uaid

P3601. M




K_ Eva and Franco M

attes, who have w

ork in our current A

ll I know Is W

hat’s on The Internet exhibition, stretch the edges of w

hat constitutes a portrait at all. They are exhibiting stock avatars in place of individuals to protect their anonym

ity.

C_ H

ow does your audiences respond to portraiture?

Is it more captivating than other w

ork?K

_ I can’t really get behind the idea that one sub-category of art or photography is m

ore ‘captivating’ than the other. O

f course there is something in the fact that figurative

or facial representation, in any visual art form, provides

an easy way to draw

people in. But that in itself is not

enough. The content and the context must also challenge

and fit. Cuny Janssen com

es to mind—

we show

ed her portraits of children and young people from

conflict regions back in 2005. H

er work alw

ays combines portraits w

ith environm

ental or landscape shots from the sam

e regions.

C_ H

ow does TP

G approach the genre of portraiture, and

what do they look for from

portrait photographers?K

_ One of the m

ost ambitious public art projects w

e’ve ever undertaken w

as a portrait comm

ission called The W

orld In London. In 2012, The Photographers’ Gallery

comm

issioned 204 photographers, both established and em

erging, to take portraits of 204 individual Londoners who

were born in countries com

peting in the Olym

pics. It was

a celebration of London’s cultural diversity, and indeed of portraiture itself. The range of photographic approaches w

as really satisfying.

In term

s of an approach to portraiture specifically, we are

led by the individual projects and the artists we w

ork with.

I’d say in terms of installation and form

at, we also look

for new and interesting w

ays that people are making and

showing portraits. V

ivienne Sassen’s Anelem

ma (2014)

installation had two large rolling projection scrolls full

of her figurative fashion images, m

ixing light, reflection and sound.

P3701. M




C_ In your opinion, w

hat steps have the most im

pact on a photographer’s career? Should all photographers aim

to sign to a gallery or publish a photobook? A

re competitions

and portfolio reviews critical for exposure?

K_ Sadly, there is no one answ

er to any question that starts w

ith “Should all photographers…?” G

etting your work seen

is crucial, that’s a given. How

ever, sometim

es I feel a real im

balance between a photographer’s focus on prom

otion and circulation and their focus on the w

ork itself. The strongest im

pact on your career that you can make is

concentrating on making the best w

ork/project/book or exhibition you can. That has to com

e before everything else. I urge photographers to be choosy about w

hich prizes and portfolio review

s they enter—don’t feel pressure to

overspend and attend them all.

K_ Portraiture is com

pletely central to what she does, but

there is extra strength when she interm

ixes it with other

genres. Bettina Von Zw

ehl showed A

lina in 2004—portraits

taken of young wom

en all listening to a composition by

Avro Part. The sitters, mostly m

usic students, were left in

the darkened soundproof room w

ith the piece of music, and

the artist captured the image via flash w

ithout warning.

The resulting portraits were very m

uch about the idea of absorption and captivation, and the audiences really added to that charged exchange in the exhibition space.

C_ A

s a curator at The Photographers’ G

allery, you have a unique perspective on com

petitions. Is there anything you w

ish you could comm

unicate to the photographers about how

to create a compelling subm

ission?K

_ It is very different to encounter work through a subm

ission site than through the intim

ate space of a photobook, a gallery or a bespoke digital presentation. You don’t need to be overly descriptive; just be sure that judges w

ho want

to know m

ore about the project and your intention for the w

ork can get that information via your text.

P3801. M




K_ You should budget annually for these sorts of

opportunities, much as you w

ould for a studio or equipm

ent—it is an investm

ent in your work. Select one

or two key aw

ards or reviews, and don’t do m

ore than you can afford. A

s a reviewer I try to ensure that the

competitions or review

s that I take part in are good value for photographers. I also say that the younger festivals are often the ones w

here the contact time betw

een photographers and review

ers is more relaxed

and generous.

C_ You’ve been a frequent portfolio review

er around the w

orld. What are a few

pieces of advice you find yourself offering m

ost frequently to aspiring or emerging

photographers who are looking to break through in

their careers?

I w

ould say be open to sharing work in progress in a

portfolio review session. It is often m

uch more beneficial

than sharing work that you feel is already very finished.

If you have made every decision about the w

ork, reviews

can be a bit of a wasted opportunity.


allery, Lorenzo Vitturi: D

alston Anatom

y, 2014 © Kate Elliott

P3901. M




K_ I w

ould urge photographers to consider reviews as a stage

for presenting work before publishing and exhibiting—

not everything has to be tied up. That w

ay you can actually consider feedback and have som

e space in the project to respond.

A

lso, be sure to think about a few key questions that you

want answ

ered about the project before you head into any review

session—perhaps in relation to sequencing, form

at, production, accom

panying text, etc. It’s good to have a few

concrete questions ready and waiting in case the

conversation doesn’t flow naturally.

Furtherm

ore, when you are at these m

eetings, it is so im

portant that you spend as much tim

e sharing w

ork and ideas with other photographers as w

ell as w

ith the “experts.” Keep an open mind. R

eally valuable collaborations and connections can com

e from all

directions at these events—not just from

across the review

table.

–Excerpt of an interview by C

oralie Kraft


allery, Rosangela R

enno: Rio-M

ontevideo, 2015 © Kate Elliott

P4001. M



P4001. M



“ Win

nin

g this prize and bein

g selected by Phillip

Prodger, H

ead of Photographs at the N

ational

Portrait G

allery, not on

ly made us happy an

d gave

us intern

ational recogn

ition, but it also en

couraged

us to contin

ue inn

ovating, thin

king an

d doing,

going beyon

d established models an

d boundaries.”

A

LBA

RR

ÁN

CA

BR

ERA

LensC

ulture Portrait Aw

ards 2017 - Juror’s Pick


©

Albarrán C

abrera

P4101. M




INTER

VIEW

WITH

PH

OTO

GR

AP

HER

SA

RA

H B

AH

BA

H

Ph

oto

grap

hy as

an

expre

ssion

o

f ind

ulge

nce

P4201. M



Interview with Sarah Bahbah - LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

A_ The them

es in your work are sim

ultaneously complex

and familiar. W

hat inspires these topics?S_ The them

es I work w

ith are inspired from a real place, and

learned on the back of living. I have learned to completely

imm

erse myself in w

hatever situation I am experiencing,

be it good or bad. I take on the experience of great highs know

ing very well that w

ith them com

e deep lows. I can’t

romanticize logic, and subjectivity helps m

e create.

It sounds tragic and rom

antic, but I feel more inspired

when I am

wholeheartedly experiencing everything this

world has to offer. I delve heart-first into these offerings

from the universe, because it is a part of m

y process tow

ards liberation. As a form

of control, the patriarchy has conditioned w

omen to find sham

e in their indulgences. I express m

y indulgences through my w

ork as a way of

reclaiming m

y female identity. This is w

hat stimulates

my conceptualization.

Me

rging cin

em

atic p

ortra

its w

ith a

chin

gly-ho

ne

st su

btitle

text, Sa

rah

Ba

hb

ah

’s p

ho

togra

phy exp

lore

s e

mo

tive n

arra

tives o

f love

, sex, a

nd

rela

tion

ship

s from

a

wo

ma

n’s p

ersp

ective

. In th

is in

tervie

w, sh

e reve

als th

e

insp

iratio

n b

eh

ind

he

r insta

ntly

reco

gniza

ble

ima

ges, a

nd

h

ow

sha

ring th

em

on

line

ha

s co

ntrib

ute

d to

he

r care

er.

Questions by A

lana Holm

bergA

nswers by Sarah B

ahbah

Cover im

age © Sarah B

ahbah from her series Love You M

e Neither

P4301. M




A_ I feel your aesthetic is like a photographic version of a

graphic novel, or a series of film stills. Som

etimes the

expressions and close-ups remind m

e of Roy Lichtenstein

illustrations. How

did you arrive at combining text and

images in this w

ay?S_ M

y style of photography has definitely been inspired by cinem

a. I am really draw

n to foreign films because of the

way I experience m

y interaction with them

. While the

beauty of foreign films are kept at bay because of cultural

incompetence, the translated subtitles are an active

attempt at understanding them

. In my tum

blr days, I was

always captivated w

ith screenshots and snippets of foreign film

s, and I found myself interpreting the subtitled im

ages w

ith my ow

n narrations. That’s when the idea occurred to

me - how

unique it would be to create a story that appears

as film, but w

as in fact, a series of cinematic photographic

stills. Paring subtitles with still im

ages has been a powerful

to personalize my w

ork while still keeping the them

es approachable and interactive.

A_ W

hy do you think your work has resonated so w

ell w

ith your audience, particularly on Instagram?

S_ I think my art resonates because I produce w

ork that is accessible and extrem

ely relatable. My w

ork is based on engaging honestly w

ith the self, emotions and relationships,

and a lot of people find my expression of these them

es com

forting and empow

ering. In some w

ay, Instagram is like

a shared visual diary or dream board, so aspirational w

ays of being can be posted as encouragem

ent.

© Sarah B

ahbah from her series I could not protect her

P4401. M




A_ W

hat role does your Instagram account have in your

career? Can you describe how

your efforts or experiences on that platform

translate into your client work and your

artistic practice, or vice versa?S_ Instagram

is what helped launch m

y career as a recognized artist. M

y first series Sex and Takeout received so much

love on Instagram, and since then m

y audience and attention have kept grow

ing. For this reason, I am still really

active on Instagram, and I do fram

e my w

ork to fit into the Instagram

format, but I do this so I can stay connected and

personable with m

y audience. The platform itself does not

inform m

y practice or art.

© Sarah B

ahbah from her series I Love You M

e Neither

P4501. M




A_ Instagram

provides an unmediated connection betw

een the photographer and their audience. H

ow have you

found the experience of having such a large comm

unity that is invested in your w

ork, right there on your phone? H

as anything surprised you? Are there parts of that

accessibility that you find challenging?*S_ M

y relationship with Instagram

is double-edged. On

one side, I feel truly blessed to have an international com

munity of people invested in m

y work and supportive

of me. It has been a really incredible process to open up

like this, and to be received so well. B

ut on the other side, I am

quite a guarded and introverted person. I am som

eone w

ho regenerates by taking time out for them

selves and turning inw

ards. What has been really challenging

for me is being constantly present and “live.” I am

still learning to find the balance betw

een these two seem

ingly contradictory w

orlds.

–Excerpt of an interview w

ith Alana H

olmberg

© Sarah B

ahbah from her series D

ear Love

P4601. M




THE K

EY TO

GR

OW

TH, C

ON

NEC

TION

S A

ND

FIND

ING

YOU

R V

OIC

E

Fee

db

ack

&

review

s

© Mirjana Vrbaski

© Donato Dicamillo

P4701. M



Feedback and Reviews - LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

Po

rtfolio

Revie

ws

Many photography-related events and festivals offer

20-minute portfolio review

sessions for photographers to show

their work to influential experts in the industry and gain

valuable feedback. This is an excellent way to m

ake in-person connections w

ith people who can help you in your career.

He

arin

g or re

ad

ing a

no

the

r p

erso

n’s p

ersp

ective

on

yo

ur w

ork

can

be

on

e o

f the

b

est w

ays to

furth

er yo

ur

ph

oto

grap

hy, refi

ne

you

r a

pp

roa

ch, h

ave

you

r wo

rk

see

n, a

nd

con

ne

ct with

o

the

rs in th

e in

du

stry.Tip: O

ver prepare. Research the review

ers and determine

which are the best fits for your w

ork. Know

a few questions

you want to ask each review

er. Present your portfolio

professionally, in a manner that is easy to carry, open and

show w

ithout hassle.

P4801. M




Co

nn

ect w

ith Yo

ur C

om

mu

nity

Reach out to other photographers and arrange a tim

e to specifically look at each other’s w

ork in person or online. Many

other photographers are going through similar challenges to

you. Sharing feedback and experiences with others can help

you (and them!) m

ove past creative blocks.

Len

sCu

lture

Pro

fessio

na

l R

eview

sD

id you know that by entering a series of five or m

ore single im

ages in any of our awards, you can get a free w

ritten review

of your submitted w

ork? This is a unique opportunity for you to receive critical and constructive feedback on your photography from

top photo editors, curators, publishers, gallerists, educators, critics, consultants, and other industry professionals.

“I definitely needed a review like this. It’s exactly w

hat I was

looking for: a real critical, clever, and incredibly accurate review

. You’ve enlightened me about m

y weak points,

but instead of feeling hurt, it gave me the w

ill and the acknow

ledgment to w

ork on them and im

prove.” Giulia Parisi

Tip: Not all feedback is helpful. R

each out to people you respect and trust to provide honest and constructive criticism

. Be w

illing to show w

ork in progress.

P4901. M




Me

nto

ring

Many of the w

orld’s leading photographers mentor other

photographers, whether that be through a form

al, paid arrangem

ent or a free exchange of feedback and ideas. D

on’t be afraid to email and ask.

Pro

fessio

na

l Deve

lop

me

nt

Wo

rksho

ps

Keep an eye out for interesting workshops taking place near

you. Some of the w

orld’s best photographers offer tailored w

eek-long or weekend education experiences for sm

all groups that include review

s of participant work.

Tip: Do your research. not all photographers m

ake good teachers. C

heck reviews and talk w

ith others who have

participated before.

Tip: Respect others’ tim

e. Be clear about w

hat your are asking. W

ould you like a one-off review of your w

ork, or an ongoing relationship? O

nline or in person? What are your

goals for the mentorship?


P5001. M



“ Since the L

ensC

ulture Portrait A

wards, on

e of the

photographs from m

y book ‘Great In

teractions: L

ife with

Learn

ing D

isabilities and A

utism’, published by D

ewi

Lew

is, won silver at the R

oyal Photographic Society.

Aft

er the Len

sCulture com

petition, the G

uardian

weeken

d magazin

e ran an 11-page spread on the work,

and also in

cluded two dedicated photo galleries for the

series. Addition

ally, David C

ampan

y and I published

a book called ‘Adven

tures in the Lea V

alley’; that series

was also published by the G

uardian. I am

now

workin

g

with the arts organ

ization MultiStory on a book an

d

exhibition called ‘Fit to P

lead’. It’s about people with

learnin

g disabilities and autism

, specifically their

journeys through the crim

inal justice system

.”

P

OLLY

BR

AD

EN


wards 2016 - Jurors’ P

ick


© Polly B

raden

P5101. M




INTER

VIEW

WITH

NA

DAV

KA

ND

ER

Ge

t ou

t o

f you

r h

ea

d

Robbie Williams © Nadav Kander. Courtesy Flowers Gallery.

P5201. M



Interview with Nadav Kander - LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

Nadav Kander never received a university degree and

attended no formal, aesthetic schooling. R

ather, his autonom

ous pedagogy occurred at the beloved (and now

long-gone) Zwem

mer’s, a bookshop on C

haring Cross R

oad in London. Spending any spare m

oney he had, he gradually built a library of inspiration that he continues to reference today.

“All the w

ork I’ve ever seen that has sunk deep into me sits

on my shoulders like a rolodex. I see som

ething through my

camera, or think about som

ething, or start to print, and these im

ages pop into my head: Edw

ard Weston. Francis B

acon. Joel Sternfeld. D

iane Arbus. C

indy Sherman. H

iroshi Sugimoto.

Jeff Wall. Thom

as Dem

and. John Deakin. Jan Saudek. B

ill B

randt. Bill H

enson.

When this happens, I have to reckon w

ith these figures and contend w

ith their work. D

o I move tow

ards or away from

a particular im

age, a certain influence?”

Na

da

v Ka

nd

er sh

oo

ts cove

rs o

f som

e o

f the

wo

rld’s m

ost

imp

orta

nt in

divid

ua

ls. Tho

ugh

h

is style se

em

s so cle

ar

an

d w

ell-d

efi

ne

d to

da

y, this

ap

pa

ren

t certa

inty o

nly ca

me

w

ith tim

e, a

jou

rney h

e sh

are

s in

this exce

rpt o

f an

inte

rview

w

ith Le

nsC

ultu

re.

Cover im

age: Yibin I (B

athers, Sichuan Province. From

the series “Yangtze, The Long R

iver” © N

adav Kander. Courtesy Flow

ers Gallery.

P5301. M




Kander recognizes that outside forces must be dealt w

ith thoughtfully. N

egotiating with truly dom

inant figures is one thing, but Kander suggests there is a m

ore pernicious and increasingly unavoidable problem

: the influence we

feel from the im

ages that are surrounding us every day, the constant visual bom

bardment w

e are receiving on a m

inute-to-minute basis.

“People don’t look deeply enough anymore because there’s

too much to look at. Everyone is flipping, flipping, flipping.

I don’t think we can absorb w

ork of this level at such fantastic speeds.

“I don’t feel good when I see a w

hole bunch of work. I

feel like I’m sw

imm

ing in a dirty ocean. I need to be more

mindful of w

hat I’m doing and w

hat is authentic to me. I do

what I can to slow

down. I carefully choose w

hich galleries to visit. I rem

ind myself that I don’t have to see everything.

I try to stay true to myself.”

This adherence to mindfulness, and consideration in term

s of how

to spend one’s time, extends beyond w

hat images

Kander looks at. It also applies to the pace at which he

makes his w

ork.

Eddie Redm

ayne (Forest), 2016 © N

adav Kander. Courtesy Flow

ers Gallery.

P5401. M




“When I give m

yself time, I create the space to ask m

yself questions: am

I being too clever? Am

I being too influenced by those around m

e—from

market forces to gallery trends to

the artists I’ve mentioned? I’m

very conscious if something

is taking me aw

ay. When I get taken aw

ay, something is lost.

It’s as if I don’t like myself, as if I don’t feel good about m

yself because I’ve allow

ed myself to be w

eakened by external forces. It m

eans I haven’t found that charge in the work.”

To combat this com

promised feeling that Kander describes,

he arrives at his studio at 4 am each m

orning. There, he feels he can do all the things that keep him

centered.

“I look at the work, I edit it, I think. These are the tim

es that I can really center m

yself and be quiet. If I have three solid hours to focus, that’s usually enough to get back on track.”

Audrey w

ith toes and wrist bent, 2011. From

the series “Bodies.

6 Wom

en, 1 Man” ©

Nadav Kander. C

ourtesy Flowers G

allery.

P5501. M




With this im

age in mind, it’s hard to im

agine another, significant part of his life coexisting: at the eye of a hurricane know

n as a magazine photo shoot. Surprisingly,

though, Kander considers these two environm

ents not in tension or conflict, but in harm

ony.

“Making m

y own w

ork, when it is really m

y own, is such

an insular and lonely time. In contrast, I love w

orking w

ith people, collaborating with assistants, engaging w

ith m

y subject, working under pressure. The tw

o balance beautifully.

“I believe there’s no difference in the end result. In every case, I’m

looking for my view

er to be really excited by the im

age I have made. For the person and the picture to

meet... W

e have wide tastes in w

hat we look at—

so why

should we lim

it ourselves in the work w

e make?”

To maintain the energy for one’s personal journey tow

ards authentic self-expression, Kander’s drive is one of the key ingredients. In fact, he doubts that people get discovered. R

ather, those who fight to have their w

ork seen are the ones that succeed.

Barack O

bama I, 2009 ©

Nadav Kander. C

ourtesy Flowers G

allery.

P5601. M




“Today, it’s really hard to be seen among the

unbelievable amount of popular im

agery that is being show

n these days. There are so many m

ore opportunities than there once w

ere, but it’s never been harder to be seen w

ith coherence and impact.”

When Kander w

as starting out, the challenges were

different. If photographers succeeded in being shown,

it wasn’t w

ith the speed that images are being seen

today, as a magazine spread or being profiled in a

newspaper w

as a much slow

er vehicle than appearing on som

eone’s phone.

“That’s why I alw

ays tell young artists: print out your w

ork. Don’t just look on a screen all the tim

e. Make

your images tactile, m

ove them around. Your w

ork w

ill become m

uch more hum

an as a result.”

—Excerpt from

a feature by Alexander Strecker

Changxing Island III, Shanghai. From

the series “Yangtze, The Long River” ©

Nadav Kander. C

ourtesy Flowers G

allery.

P5701. M




©

“ I think above all, a photographer in

terested in

a career in portraiture should be doing as m

uch

personal w

ork as possible to fully develop their

visual language. F

eedback and exposure are also

importan

t, but having a clear photographic voice an

d

an understan

ding of w

hy you are shooting an

d what

draws you to your subjects is even m

ore essential.”

JEN

NIFER

PASTO

RE

D

irector of Photography, Wall Street Journal

© Vasantha Yogananthan

01. Make rem


P5901. M




P59P59

Ma

ny ph

oto

grap

hy pro

jects gro

w fro

m a

spa

rk o

f a

n in

itial id

ea

, ignite

d fro

m a

pe

rson

al exp

erie

nce

, co

nversa

tion

s in th

e ze

itgeist, th

e w

ork

of a

no

the

r a

rtist, or so

me

thin

g else

from

the

myria

d o

f hu

ma

n

expe

rien

ces w

e e

nco

un

ter eve

ry da

y.

When you’re stuck for an idea, or unsure how

to visually approach a new

idea, it can be helpful to dive into the work of others for inspiration.

In this chapter we’ve built a list of thought-provoking and varied resources

to stir the portrait photographer within. Pour over stunning features on

prize-winning projects from

previous Portrait Aw

ards, then make your

way through our curated list of notable and interesting books, film

s and projects related to portraiture.

P60P60LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

01. Make rem


P60 Ra

nd

yP

roject Spotlight

RO

BIN

DE P

UY

P61P6101. M



P61Portrait Spotlight - LensCulture Portrait Guide 2019

One night in 2015, as she rode her m

otorcycle through the expansive N

evada landscape, Dutch photographer R

obin de Puy stopped outside a casino in the sm

all town of Ely. That

evening she met R

andy, a teenage boy who w

ould become

the subject and inspiration behind a powerful, long-term

portrait series.

Cover Im

age: Randy #

5524 © R

obin de Puy. Left: R

andy #017101 ©

Robin de Puy. Top: R

andy #017005 ©

Robin de Puy.

P62P6201. M




Over the course of their friendship (three years and

counting), de Puy created a raw, revealing portrait

of Am

erican adolescence. The setting is sparse and unrem

arkable: an arid landscape punctuated by spindly tow

ers, or a car’s shiny, plasticky interior. Randy and his

brothers cavort through this terrain, their wiry bodies and

sharp, angular limbs stretching across the fram

e of de Puy’s photographs. R

andy himself is m

agnetic. The veracity (and intensity) of his em

otions translate seamlessly from

reality to im

age; rarely are we, as view

ers, presented with a subject

who is so vulnerable and unreserved.

—C

oralie Kraft

Left: Randy #

017429 © R

obin de Puy. Middle: R

andy #029454 ©

Robin de Puy.

Image on the right: R

andy #027826 ©

Robin de Puy.

P63P6301. M




“ In the end I w

anted to m

ake this homage to R

andy.

All these pictures. A

ll these film

s. I just wan

t people

to be overwhelm

ed by him, an

d hopefully fall in love

a little bit. Actually, at this very m

omen

t, people are

writin

g me letters or poetry or son

gs, only for R

andy.

An

d that’s pretty cool.”

- R

OB

IN D

E PU

Y

Image left: R

andy #1231 ©

Robin de Puy.

Top: Randy #

8230 © R

obin de Puy. B

ottom: R

andy #028564 ©

Robin de Puy.


01. Make rem


P64 The

Bo

mb

s Th

ey Ca

rried

AD

AM

FERG

USO

N

Project Spotlight

P65P6501. M




Taken in Maiduguri, the capital of B

orno State in Nigeria,

these portraits feature young wom

en who w

ere forced to carry suicide bom

bs by Boko H

aram, a m

ilitant Islamist

group based in Nigeria. C

aptured by the militants at an

early age (sometim

es as young as 13), these girls were

made to transport explosives in the hopes that they w

ould carry out suicide bom

bing missions in busy urban areas.

And yet, they survived.

Cover Im

age: Balaraba, age 20, stands for a portrait in M

aiduguri, Borno State, N

igeria on Sept. 22, 2017 ©

Adam

Ferguson. Image left: Falm

ata, age 15, stands for a portrait in Maiduguri, B

orno State, Nigeria on

Sept. 22, 2017 © A

dam Ferguson. Top: M

aimum

a, age 14, stands for a portrait in Maiduguri, B

orno State, N

igeria on Aug. 29, 2017 ©

Adam

Ferguson

P66P6601. M




The New

York Times com

missioned A

dam Ferguson

to take portraits of these young wom

en for an article about the horrific practice. To protect the identities of these young w

omen, Ferguson obscured their faces in

his photographs—som

e of them conceal their faces

with thin fingers and others hide their eyes in the deep

shadows surrounding their bodies. A

s single images,

they are affecting. As a series, they cut to your core.

Ferguson’s story was aw

arded first prize in People, Stories at the W

orld Press Photo A

wards, and an im

age from

this series was nom

inated for the World P

ress Photo of the Year.

Aisha, age 14, stands for a portrait in M


igeria on Sept. 21, 2017 © A

dam Ferguson

P67P6701. M




“ I try to come up w

ith an idea that acknow

ledges the subjects’ journey as som

ething that

intersects w

ith the arc of history. I’m lookin

g for an image that show

s a facet of the sitter that

can act as either a symbol or m

etaphor for this intersection

. I always have an idea, a startin

g

point, then the in

tuitive and un

expected unfolds.”

A

DA

M FER

GU

SON

Image left: M

aimuna, age 16, stands for a portrait in M



dam Ferguson.

Right: M

aryam, age 16, stands for a portrait in M



dam Ferguson.


01. Make rem


P68

Ge

ntle

me

n’s

Clu

bC

RISTIN

A D

E MID

DEL

Project Spotlight

P69P6901. M




Traditional photographic and media coverage of prostitution

has focused on only one half of the business. If aliens came to

earth and tried to understand what prostitution is about, they

would believe it is a business based on naked w

omen staying

in dirty rooms. W

ith Gentlem

en’s Club I tried to give visibility

to the other 50 percent.

Cover Im

age: New

ton, 43 years © C

ristina de Middel. Im

age left: Silvio, 28 years. © C

ristina de Middel.

Top left: Luis prefers not to say how old he is ©

Cristina de M

iddel. Top Right: M

arcus, 22 years old. © C

ristina de Middel.


01. Make rem


P70

In June 2015, I put an advert in a newspaper in R

io de Janeiro asking for prostitutes´ clients to pose for m

e in exchange for m

oney. My intention w

as first to see w

ho these people were, and to also invert the roles of

the business, as the clients would be selling part of

themselves. The response w

as massive. This is a

selection of the men w

ho accepted the deal.

Image left: C

harles © C

ristina de Middel. Im

age top: Maginô, 46 ©

Cristina de M

iddel. Im

age right: Luis prefers not to say how old he is ©

Cristina de M

iddel.


01. Make rem


P71

Co

me

He

ll Or

High

Wa

ter

CO

CO

AM

AR

DEIL

Project Spotlight

P72P7201. M




The youth of today live in a time w

here uncertainty about the future—

fuelled by a distrust of politics, institutions and the m

edia—has reached epic proportions.

The mass of contradictions created by past generations

has left them w

ith a lot of grey areas. As a result, they are

overcome w

ith apprehension and anxiety about their place in a confused and changing w

orld—a w

orld without any

reliable points of reference and a thousand different forms

of violence.

Cover Im

age: Antoine ©

Coco A

mardeil. Im

age left: Ana ©

Coco A

mardeil. Im

age top: Theo © C

oco Am

ardeil

P73P7301. M




It is this mom

ent in life, a time of soul-searching and self-

discovery, that I wanted to capture through this series of portraits.

This generation—the generation that w

ill make up the w

orld of tom

orrow w

ithout having much of an idea of w

here they are going or w

hat they want—

is just trying to keep their heads above the sea of stim

uli that surrounds them.

Image top: A

ske © C

oco Am

ardeil. Im

age bottom: C

amilla ©

Coco A

mardeil.


01. Make rem


P74

Bo

ok

reco

mm

en

da

tion

s

AU

GU

ST SAN

DER

: PER

SECU

TED/

PER

SECU

TOR

S, PEO

PLE O

F THE

20TH C

ENTU

RY

(2018)

Featuring images, contact prints,

letters and more, this new

book show

s specific chapters of People of the 20th C

entury, August

Sander’s life work that paints a

photographic portrait of Germ

an society under the W

eimar R

epublic.

DEA

NA

LAW

SON

: AP

ERTU

RE

MO

NO

GR

AP

H (2018)

Embracing the black body as

the central feature in her work,

portrait photographer Deana

Lawson upholds dom

estic scenarios as m

agical environments,

emboldening her subjects to be

comfortable in their ow

n skin as they pose in front of her cam

era.

DIA

NE A

RB

US: A

N A

PER

TUR

E M

ON

OG

RA

PH

(2012)

Universally acknow

ledged as a photobook classic, “D

iane Arbus:

An A

perture Monograph” is a

timeless m

asterpiece with editions

in five languages, and remains the

foundation of her international reputation.

FAZA

L SHEIK

H, LA

DLI (2007)

An aw

ard-winning book published

by Steidl focusing on the situation of young w

omen living in India.

MA

RY

ELLEN M

AR

K O

N TH

E P

OR

TRA

IT AN

D TH

E MO

MEN

T (A

PER

TUR

E, 2015)

Learn about Mary Ellen M

ark’s creative process for portraiture, covering issues such as gaining trust, taking pictures that are controlled but unforced, and com

pelling composition.


01. Make rem


P75

MIK

E DISFA

RM

ER, TH

E H

EBER

SPR

ING

S PO

RTR

AITS,

1939-1946

A fascinating collection of studio

portraits of the townspeople of

Heber Springs, A

rkansas.

NA

N G

OLD

IN: TH

E BA

LLAD

OF

SEXU

AL D

EPEN

DEN

CY

(2014)

An em

otive and confronting visual diary chronicling the struggles for intim

acy and understanding am

ong the friends and lovers of N

an Goldin. First published in 1983,

this monum

ental work rem

ains relevant today.

PIETER

HU

GO

, THER

E’S A

PLA

CE IN

HELL FO

R M

E & M

Y

FRIEN

DS (2012)

A series of close-up portraits

of the artist and his friends, all of w

hom call South A

frica home.

REA

D TH

IS IF YO

U W

AN

T TO

TAK

E GR

EAT P

HO

TOG

RA

PH

S OF

PEO

PLE (2015)

This practical book features technical tips as w

ell as starting points for those new

to the genre. R

eaders are given practical insights into the ideas and techniques of a w

ide range of historical and contem

porary photographers.

ZAN

ELE MU

HO

LI: SOM

NYA

MA

N

GO

NYA

MA

, HA

IL THE D

AR

K

LION

ESS (2018)

This monograph by A

perture features over ninety of M

uholi’s evocative self-portraits, each im

age drafted from m

aterial props in M

uholi’s imm

ediate environment.

WILLIA

M EG

GLESTO

N

PO

RTR

AITS (2016)

This book features Eggleston’s m

asterful portraits, including the artist’s first color photograph. There are m

any other familiar

and beloved images as w

ell as som

e previously unseen photographs from

his long and productive career.

Bo

ok

reco

mm

en

da

tion

s


01. Make rem


P76

Film re

com

me

nd

atio

ns

WH

AT R

EMA

INS: TH

E LIFE AN

D

WO

RK

OF SA

LLY M

AN

N (2006)

One of A

merica’s m

ore remarkable

photographers uncovers the details of her life and creative process as she begins w

orking on a photo series on death and decay.

RIC

HA

RD

AVED

ON

, ON

DA

RK

NESS

AN

D LIG

HT (1995)

Helen W

hitney’s documentary film

about an artist w

ho revolutionized the very concept of fashion photography.

AB

STRA

CT: TH

E AR

T OF D

ESIGN

: EP

7 PLA

TON

(2017)

Part of a Netflix O

riginal Series, this episode follow

s portrait photographer P

laton, giving an insight into his unique studio shooting and printing process.

AN

NIE LEIB

OV

ITZ: LIFE THR

OU

GH

A

LENS (2007)

An A

merican M

asters documentary

about celebrated portrait photographer A

nnie Leibovitz, through the eyes of subjects including W

hoopi Goldberg, Kiera

Knightly, Mick Jagger and m

ore.

GU

EST OF C

IND

Y SH

ERM

AN

(2008)

Cindy Sherm

an talks about being the m

aster of disguise through her photography role-playing, and delivers an intim

ate look at her artistic m

ethods.

THE W

OO

DM

AN

S (2010)

A peek into the life of Francesca

Woodm

an, a young photographer know

n for her self-portraits and photos of other w

omen,

usually nude.


01. Make rem


P77

Film re

com

me

nd

atio

ns

CH

EVO

LUTIO

N (2008)

A docum

entary about the famous

portrait Cuban photographer

Alberto D

iaz made of C

he Guevara,

one of the most recognizable

snapshots in photography.

NA

N G

OLD

IN - I R

EMEM

BER

Y

OU

R FA

CE (2014)

Docum

entary filmm

aker Sabine Lidl observes photographer N

an Goldin

through interactions with the

friends who becam

e her subjects.


01. Make rem


P78

Po

rtrait P

roje

cts

AN

ASTA

SIA TAY

LOR

-LIND

Stay

AN

YA M

IRO

SHN

ICH

ENKO

Ana loves you

ALIC

E MA

NN

Drum

mies

ALM

A H

ASA

RC

osmic Surgery

ATO

NG

ATEM

Self-Portraits

BIEK

E DEP

OO

RTER

Night W

alks With A

gata

CLA

UD

IO R

ASA

NO

South Africa Everyone Live

In The Same P

lace Like Before

Black W

hite &

DA

NA

LIXEN

BER

GIm

perial Courts (2003 - 2015)

DELP

HIN

E BLA

STC

holitas, the revenge of a generation

EMILY

BU

RL

Marilyn

ERIC

A N

YH

OLM

We are Tem

porary Reality

HU

MA

NS O

F NEW

YO

RK

HA

RU

KA

SAK

AG

UC

HThe O

riginal New

Yorkers

HEN

DR

IK K

ERSTEN

SPaula: Silent C

onversations


01. Make rem


P79

Po

rtrait P

roje

cts

HO

DA

ASH

FAR

Under W

estern Eyes

ING

VAR

KEN

NE

Citizen &

New

Citizen (from

2012)

JRInside Out

KA

TERIN

A K

ALO

UD

IG

enogram

KR

EMER

JOH

NSTO

NC

raigslist Encounters

LISE SAFA

RTI

She

LI KEJU

NThe G

ood Earth

JON

O R

OTM

AN

Mongrelism

MA

SSIMO

GIO

VAN

NIN

IH

ENKO

Variable Light

MED

INA

DU

GG

ERC

hroma: A

n Ode to J.D

. Okhai

Ojeikere

OLIV

IA A

RTH

UR

Jeddah Diary

PIETER

HU

GO

1994

PIX

Y Y

IJUN

LIAO

Experimental R

elationship

RA

PH

AELA

RO

SELLAYou D

idn’t Take Aw

ay My Future,

You Gave M

e A N

ew O

ne

VASA

NTH

A Y

OG

AN

AN

THA

NA

Myth of Tw

o Souls: H

and Painted Photographs


Len

sCu

lture

is on

e o

f the

mo

st po

pu

lar

an

d fa

r-rea

chin

g reso

urce

s for

disco

verin

g the

be

st in co

nte

mp

ora

ry p

ho

togra

phy a

rou

nd

the

wo

rld.

We believe that recognition and exposure are key for photographers of

all levels to move forw

ard creatively and professionally. Our m

ission is to help photographers succeed and, after nearly 15 years, w

e’re proud to offer career-changing opportunities alongside advice, inspiration and recom

mendations through our aw

ards, online magazine and free guides

like the one you’ve just read. ©

Medina D

ugger

P80


01. Make rem


P81

IGFB

TWlensculture.com

Go

on

, get o

ut th

ere

a

nd

ma

ke re

ma

rkab

le

po

rtraits.

lc portraitguide fa02 - photopedagogyor a portrait in maiduguri, borno state, nigeria on or a...

Documents