The Formula

I call it the formula. Because those three ingredients are all that’s necessary. I don’t use lights. I don’t use artificial backgrounds. And I ask you to be authentic which means just being yourself. Surely you can do that? I know you can, because it happens every time. Well, almost every time. Every once in a while a person is so bottled up inside themselves that they just get scared and self-conscious.

But most of the time the formula works. I like to sprinkle in my own encouragement, my own belief in you too, and that helps. I talk to you a bit and we get to know each other. Trust forms. Your walls slowly come down. All the while I’m clicking away as I capture your authentic magic. 

This is a very informal process. It has to be. Because we’re not looking for the stiff parlor portraits of the 1890’s. Though I do try and capture the classic structure of those early portraits. Posture is important. You looking right into the camera is important. But there is an ineffable quality I’m after that only comes from the spontaneous and coincidental arrangement of sunlight and form. You are a work of art and I treat you that way. Which is why these photos can be so stunning and unforgettable.