Empathy in Portraiture

I find myself thinking about empathy this morning, and how that plays a role in my work. It is my belief that empathy is a quality that enriches nearly every experience, from having one’s portrait taken, to falling in love.

My goal for my work is to hold space in every shoot to connect with the model or client so that we can capture the most of them. The more comfortable the subject is, the more depth and emotion we’re able to capture in a single frame.

Sources of inspiration for my work are Phil Sharp and Ivan Weiss, two photographers based in London, England. My understanding is that they both hold the perspective that it takes time to connect with someone well enough to capture their essence and the depth of their character (of course, I’m paraphrasing).

With empathy at the forefront of my approach to every shoot, I hope that I will be able to best accommodate the needs and emotional openness of each model, client or subject.

That’s it for now.