ENC 2135
Project 2
Phocusing on Friendship in Portraiture
There comes a time in everyone’s life when Christmas, birthdays, or some other gift infused holiday rolls around and one special item seems so desperately needed that it holds the number one spot on their gift list. However, after receiving this much-desired item, it quickly gets shoved into the back of a drawer or tossed in storage to collect dust indefinitely. This was certainly the case with an item I had pleaded for on my eighteenth birthday. After weeks of begging and wishing, I received a brand-new Nikon D3400 camera and two different detachable lenses. However, not knowing the first thing about photography, it was placed in a drawer to gather dust for the following eight months. It was not until I joined the Phocus Photography club at Florida State University that I finally dusted off my new camera and put it to use.
3 cups
Blueberries
3 cups
Flour
Lens
18-55MM
1 cup
Sugar
Flash
OFF
Lens Release
push & twist
1½ cups
Butter
Mode Switch
Auto vs. Manual
Shutter Button
To Capture
The Phocus Photography club is the first and only all-inclusive photography club at FSU. This allows students to grow and develop their skills alongside fellow members of the club through collaboration and friendship. There are two main aspects of membership to the club: outings and meetings. Outings are scheduled trips in which members of the club meet to practice their photography skills. Certain outings usually highlight one topic of photography to practice. For example, the first outing was a practice in portraiture, where members were tasked with taking portraits of fellow members. Another outing took place at St. Mark’s Wildlife Refuge, where the beautiful flora and fauna gave a perfect setting to practice landscape photography. At the conclusion of each outing, members edit their photographs and upload them to a shared google drive folder for everyone to critique at meetings. At the beginning of meetings, the best photographs from previous outings, which are chosen by the officers, are displayed and commented on by the members of the club. The club spends time describing what they like, do not like, and what they believe could strengthen the specific pictures for each of the chosen photographs. Next, instructional PowerPoints crafted by the officers of the club provide information pertaining to different subjects in photography. This includes topics such as lighting, exposure, composition, and portraiture.
Combining friendship and photography is the Phocus Photography club’s specialty. The ability to offer and receive constructive criticism on photographs allows the photographer’s skill set to grow immensely. During the actual occasion of photographing peers, it is helpful to receive tips and tricks in real time as the pictures are being taken. It is possible that the photographic art of portraiture, in particular, can be immensely benefited by a strong relationship between the photographer and the subject.
Portrait photography captures the essence of the subject using appropriate photographic techniques. The most important aspect of taking an effective portrait is the process. A reliable process is the key to increasing the quality of the images and conducting a successful photo shoot. Portraiture does not simply include snapping a quick photo of someone sitting around. A good portrait is one that echoes an ideal version of the physical qualities and personality of the subject. The four fundamental aspects of portraiture to keep in mind are posing, perspective, composition, and lighting/exposure.
The position of the subject in the portrait is perhaps the most obvious signal to his or her personality. Limbs suspended in movements and a laughing face would be significant of a quirky personality, whereas crossed arms and a furrowed brow would be indicative of a more serious individual. Perspective has to do with the position of the photographer. For example, an aerial photograph taken of someone lying down is usually light and fun, however a photograph taken of someone from below where the camera is facing up can show the dominance of the subject. Composition is the placement and arrangement of all aspects in the photo. One popular theory for effective composition is called the “Rule of Thirds,” which places a certain distribution on one-third of the photograph both vertically and horizontally. Adjusting lighting and exposure offers endless possibilities to how a portrait can turn out. Knowing which settings of these aspects best reflect the personality of the subject is the key to an amazing portrait. In order to know which of these settings would be most effective for the subject, the photographer must know the personality of the subject well. This is why joining the Phocus Photographer club allows effective means for improving skills in portraiture.
THE QUIRKY PORTRAIT
THE SERIOUS PORTRAIT
THE RULE OF THIRDS
Nan Goldin, a photographer who began her career in the 1960s, is perhaps most well-known for her portraits of her friends, family members, and lovers. Sarah Ruddy writes, “Goldin's slideshows, depicting the lives of a very specific group of artists, became almost indistinguishable from the lives themselves.”[1] Ruddy uses the example of Goldin’s former lover, Brian, to describe the influence of their relationship on his portraits. The images display Brian’s face fading solemnly into the half-light (see images below).
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Ruddy describes Goldin’s process of photographing Brian as one where it seemed she needed to protect herself from him. The photos display brittle love and a sense of loss. In the years following this shoot, Brian began to beat Goldin brutally. Goldin’s familiarity with her subject allowed her to capture the true essence of her abusive lover, and the images are among her most well-known and influential works. In this case, the close relationship between the photographer and the subject allowed the resulting photographs to reflect the true essence of Brian’s personality.
Chase Whitehead, a junior and the treasurer of the Phocus Photography Club, has been a member since his first year at FSU. Chase has plenty of experience with photography, having done it for many years even before he joined the club, and is a strong believer that having a relationship with a subject improves the quality of the portrait. He says, “When you know the person or subject of your photograph it makes the whole experience much more comfortable. It’s not awkward to say ‘hey move your arm this way’ or ‘smile a little less.’ Also, you know their best angles and where the light hits them just right.” Chase believes incorporating friendship into photography is special because it is important to get a real closeness with the subject. The photographer then knows what the subject does and does not like about themselves so it is easier to figure out which features to highlight. He compares photographing strangers and friends through his graduation photo business, saying,
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"I’ve taken photos of people I am very close with and complete strangers, and while it really isn’t impossible to get a really good picture of a complete stranger, it’s a lot more difficult. The process can be filled with awkward silences in between shots making the subject uncomfortable, which definitely shows up in the pictures. When it’s a friend, you’ve usually reached that point where you can have complete silence and it’s not a big deal, so when it happens during a shoot you don’t really think about it. But when it’s someone you don’t know at all, it is definitely there and both the photographer and the subject notice it for sure."
"I’ve taken photos of people I am very close with and complete strangers, and while it really isn’t impossible to get a really good picture of a complete stranger, it’s a lot more difficult. The process can be filled with awkward silences in between shots making the subject uncomfortable, which definitely shows up in the pictures. When it’s a friend, you’ve usually reached that point where you can have complete silence and it’s not a big deal, so when it happens during a shoot you don’t really think about it. But when it’s someone you don’t know at all, it is definitely there and both the photographer and the subject notice it for sure."
The picture shows how comfortable I am with Emma. She is literally standing on top of me to get a cool perspective for a portrait taken from above. If Emma had been a complete stranger, this means of taking the picture would have been very awkward, and I do not think I would have allowed it to happen at all. However, because Emma and I had formed a relationship and were comfortable with one another, this fun and quirky way of taking a portrait was effective. The photograph below shows the resulting portrait of me from Emma’s angle.
My own experience in the club has certainly reaffirmed Chase’s testimony. Having been both in front of and behind the camera, I can absolutely attest to the fact that the photographs taken of me by people I am comfortable with are far better than the ones taken by complete strangers. Emma, a friend I met through the Phocus club, quickly became a close to me after a few club meetings. The photograph to the right shows Emma taking a picture of me during our club’s portraiture outing.
A successful portrait is one that displays the personality of the subject. I think this particular portrait of me is very effective in reflecting my personality. The movement of my face and my open smile signifies that I am laughing, and the fact that I am laying down on the ground shows a sense of carelessness. The bright light around my face and hair that fades to a darker color as the eyes move away from the picture brings the focus to my smile, and the leaves scattered around my torso add an element of amusement. These are all qualities that describe my personality perfectly. I am laid-back and I love to laugh, and I believe these aspects of my character are mirrored in this photograph. Think about if Emma had been some random stranger I decided to hire from a random photography business. The resulting photos would have probably been obviously posed pictures of me sitting on some bench with my legs crossed and displaying a fake smile, which would not have been reflective of my personality at all. In this case, the friendly relationship between Emma and I gave way to an excellent portrait. This is only one of many examples of a strong relationships resulting in a magnificent portrait taken by and of Phocus Photography club members.
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