What Happens Before the Photograph

A portrait doesn't begin when the camera comes out.

It begins with a conversation.

Long before the shutter is pressed, we're getting to know each other. We talk, we laugh, we slow down. Somewhere along the way, the camera becomes less important than the person standing in front of it.

That is where every meaningful portrait begins.

You don't need to know how to pose.

You don't need to practice your smile.

You don't need to worry about being photogenic.

My job isn't to ask you to become someone else.

It's to help you become comfortable enough to simply be yourself.

Some of my favorite photographs happen in the middle of a sentence.

When people stop thinking about the camera, something changes.

Expressions become genuine.

Posture relaxes.

The portrait stops being performed and starts becoming honest.

The best portraits rarely happen in the first few minutes.

Trust takes a little time.

That's why I never rush a session.

The goal isn't to take photographs quickly.

The goal is to make photographs that still matter years from now.

Eventually there is a moment.

You don't notice it.

Neither do I, at first.

But somewhere between conversation and silence, everything comes together.

That's usually when the portrait appears.