sjmurray 33,696 Posted July 19, 2016 Taken at a friend's birthday party in 1968. I think this is one ofthe earliest examples of a style of portraiture that began when Istarted bringing my 35mm camera to parties and living rooms and justshooting people in ordinary situations. Link to comment
Jack McRitchie 150 Posted July 19, 2016 And that was precisely my take on this shot. Before I read your account I was thinking that your portraits never seem staged or glamorous, always straight up and without pretense. It's a very recognizable feature of your photography and you've apparently stuck with it through the years.. Link to comment
jlg 0 Posted July 19, 2016 His pose is OK. What I object though is the reflection on the glasses and the shoot from below (or slight inclination of his head up). I read your biography. It's an interesting approach to portraits, although I tend to think with a bit of care one can get better snapshots (either being careful with what gets into the photo and looking for it - without necessarily staging it - or waiting for the magical moments). Link to comment
sjmurray 33,696 Posted July 20, 2016 Thanks for the comments, guys! Jose, I actually like the reflections in his glasses. Its a reflection of the party going on in front of him. This was a party of 18 year olds drinking whisky. I was one of them and I had a new camera to play with. Who knows how much Seagram's 7 I had in me when I took this shot! Doing this style of snapshots you realize that the "magic moments" come and go very quickly. You don't have the luxury of waiting like you do in a studio. Its all reflex. I like this shot very much because it is a genuine moment and expression of a friend of mine. The lighting is very good for a living room shot with natural light. The whole idea of "documentary portraiture" is to capture something you can't get in a studio. Link to comment
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