Setsuki

These two images are from a brief initial shoot with Setsuki. btw, that's her real, given name! I'm always excited when I get a very genuine portrait such as this one below. They are not easy to come by, despite the fact that I'm always trying. It depends more on the person I'm working with, rather than necessarily what I do. There are certain qualities that need to be present. Things such as eyes that can lock with the camera, yet be translucent as well. Expressions that are natural and relaxed, almost detached. Usually someone who feels comfortable wearing little to no makeup. Still, the right time and place- not to mention luck, play a large role. I can't help to be painfully aware that some of the most memorable portraits were created by extremely capable photographers, yet could never be repeated or matched. They remain well known solely for that one image, rather than their complete body of work.  Steve McCurry's "Afghan Girl" or Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" are good examples of this phenomenon.  A rarer thing is a photographer who can consistently attain superb portraits, such as Richard Avedon, or Yousuf Karsh. But even Avedon has "Dovima with the Elephants", and Karsh has "Winston Churchill". Of course, I don't have that defining image yet- perhaps never will. But there are a few images that I capture that give me hope that there is still a chance...