:: exercise #6 results {less is more} | 30 people pictures ::

For Exercise #6, we were supposed to explore the poetic aspects of people pictures -- to make thoughtful and reflective shots which are simple yet profound.

Ever since I was a kid, I've always been fascinated by e.e. cummings's work. Oh, how I wanted to be just like e.e. -- I swear I didn't start re-capitalizing my words until I started architecture school (where everything written in a drawing is capitalized).

Cummings's poems are intriguing in that their true meanings are not always clear-- yet they evoke very strong sensory experiences in the reader through rhythm, rhymes and punctuation. The poem "a pretty a day" is a perfect example of how he uses words to manipulate how one experiences simple,everyday objects (flowers), in order to evoke a deeper emotional experience.

While I was in NYC last weekend, I took some head shot portraits of my friend, A,  for this exercise (see the narrative portrait of A from Exercise #5). Like e.e. cummings's poems, a good head shot should be simple, yet be able to convey the more complex mix of personality and experiences of your subject. My friend is a talented actor, who is a Broadway wardrobe dresser, who is my photography mentor, who is also the loving dad of the gentlest bull-mastiff in the world. All four portraits are taken with the Canon 5D Mark ii, 50 mm F/1.2 L prime lens, indoors with natural light from large windows.

See my fellow photographers' "less-is-more" portraits:

Abbey Road Designs

Claudia Muir Photography

GSG Photography

Elaine Janet Photography

What Eyes See Daily

Workshop Group