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Portrait photography gives us all different kinds of things.
You connect with interesting people you’d have never met otherwise.
You capture memories of your kids that will last forever.
And maybe you have some fun doing it.
But maybe portrait photography isn’t just about pictures — or the great experiences we have when making those pictures.
Maybe it’s the life lessons we pick up along the way, like:
Sometimes, photography is powerful enough to change your life. This is what happened to both photojournalist Ted Jackson and a homeless man he photographed in 1990. This photo created a strong bond between the photographer and his subject – who turned out to be a former football quarterback, Jackie Wallace.
Ted Jackson tells his story about the image and the man in the photo, whose life has been anything but kind to him. It’s a story about friendship and devotion, about life’s unpredictable paths and it’s bright and dark moments. It’s a wonderful story, but very sad at the same time.
No matter how much you love photography, let’s face it – sometimes it’s hard to talk yourself into going out and shooting. You want to go out there and take photos, but at the same time, you’re subconsciously looking for reasons not to do it.
The excuses can be many – you want to save time, avoid bad weather, or you’re simply tired. Photographer Joshua Cripps shares a valuable life lesson about forcing yourself to go out and shoot. When in doubt – just do it! And on some of the examples I’ll give you in this article, you can see that he’s right.
What drives you?
This week I wanted to venture into the ideology of our personality traits (or mine) and take a look inside to see what drives us (me). Ultimately to answer the question of whether it’s truly possible to see ourselves in a way which allows us to understand our triggers to keep creating and growing.
For anyone who has taken a look into me as a person will know that depression and humour are two of the biggest public expression I have. They are also two of the three things closest to my being and thus the keys to my drive.
The last thing, as cliche as it is. Is love.
My story is one of tragedy followed by good fortune. It is the story of death giving birth to life and of the power of photography to make it happen.
I had always considered myself a common man living a common life. Being the head of a business consulting firm provided me with little time to pursue some of my interests aside from work. I was concentrated on growing my company and making a name in the industry.
However, I would eventually come to learn that life is always unpredictable and that it only takes a split second for things to change forever. In December of 2009 my wife was diagnosed with Cancer and suddenly all my time and effort were being redirected towards fighting a four-year long battle which we sadly lost. She passed away in April of 2013 leaving me behind after 10 years together.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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