Lots of things to consider when we photograph people. Or so it seems.
Big decisions to be made about camera, lenses, film (or which lever to pull on your computer). Then there’s light, lighting, viewpoint, moment. But I’ll bet that whenever you’re presented with a photograph of yourself, the first thing you’ll be looking for is ‘what you look like’. Of course that photograph was brought to you by the wonder of cameras, lenses and all the above but the thing that really stands out is the fact that what is up for discussion is a representation of a real person.
So I would say that beyond having a working camera in your hand with some means of recording an image, the MAIN thrust of all your efforts needs to be on LOOKING AT PEOPLE AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE.
Here’s a photograph of my brother from 1998. It’s alright and everything but I remember not really paying attention and I feel it shows.
And here’s a recent photograph of one of my boys where I feel I WAS paying attention.
