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HOWPORTRAITS LIE — What to be aware of in your portrait photography
What is the purpose of a portrait?
Aristotle put forth the notion that we judge how ‘good’ something is based on how well it fulfils its intended purpose. So what does a good portrait do that a bad one fails to? What should a photographer aspire to achieve when they make a portrait of someone?
One of the most common pieces of praise I hear about portraits is when people say things like “You’ve really captured that person’s soul.” or “That photo really embodies who that person is”. I think this is often the general perception of what a great portrait does. This is nonsense. One single image can’t communicate the complexities, nuances, contradictions, thoughts and feelings of a human being. I think at best this is a misunderstanding of what photography can do, and at worst, a deliberate manipulation of how an audience perceives a person or people.
To explain the latter a little more, we need to look at Dorothea Lange’s iconic image of the Migrant Mother.
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Comments
41 responses to “HOW PORTRAITS LIE — What to be aware of in your portrait photography”
Really interesting thoughts. Thank you Jamie!
an honest and aware video
Just discovered your channel this morning.
I'm finally getting sincerely into photography (35 mm on my dads old Pentax sp1000, shooting in B/W as it is the economically more viable and color film is generally fairly tough to come by at this time but I am enjoying B/W immensely) and the perspectives and advice you provide are priceless (and, as it turns out, FREE!).
*this is entirely subjective but I also very much enjoy your voice and composure.
Anyways, thanks <3
Personally, you put way too much thought into a picture. Simple and effective triggers anyone's mind. I have far too much more to worry about than 50 things about a portrait that may "lie" or not.
Its so rare to find something on youtube I enjoy that makes me think
It's propaganda photography to push communistic laws like Welfare that communist cripples people
I like your portrait deffinition. Portraits lies as human beeng. We are used to lie to find truth, just because truth is elusive without concesions so we invented truth as the truth behind a"good portrait" ….That kind of truth that change with our mood…This last concept we can say is true.
It is actually simple. It’s a great portrait.
It’s a political and journalistic lie.
You can take great picture of Hitler and still be an honest photographer.
You can’t use that same picture as an honest journalist to show Hitler was a good guy.
Photography and journalism are not the same thing and should not be judged in the same way.
$.02 😉
I'm sure there was an experiment (prob on channel 4) were they asked a group of photographers to photograph the same person. However, for each photographer they gave the person a different back story and asked them to capture something about the person. Individually viewed the images seemed to do this, but when put together, there was little difference in how any story was seem from the images
I don’t have an issue with editing or even composing but lying is lying. If someone changes a photo but honest about it it’s fine to me. But creating a fake story and lying doesn’t seem right, even for a greater good. If it’s that important just find a family in the actual situation described
I love your channel
So I do you not influence your shot, as photographer? I think that as artist there is no way to not give the audience our point of view of what we are reproducing
Love your content. ✨✨
Awesome video – much appreciated and very well done! I subscribed too.
Wonderful content!
Your videos are really great 👍🏻
To me a portrait tells a story I want to tell, an emotion I want to convey or a specific point in time, sometimes all three!
Love this video. Never knew the migrant mother was from Nipomo. I used to live over there. That area of CA is gorgeous now!
Stunning work.
I was just drinking my morning coffee, scrolling through my youtube recommendations. Realizing, that most of these are 3 minute videos which aim to hook and provoke me to click on the next one without having learnt anything. That’s when I remembered this channel, and was not dissappointed. I wish there were more channels like Jamie Windsor’s. Thank you!
Don't leave comments as I don't know much. I love following you and the approach towards photography that I want to learn about. I might never learn enough and I thank you for sharing
Philosophy and photography – really my cup of tea ❤️ you earned a new subscriber bro
Without doubt some of the most intelligent, thoughtful photography videos on YouTube.
Many thanks, Sir.
What about Instagram?
What is it's contribution to the photography? How big is the impact on photography because of a 1 second of attention in phone format photographs, no matter the circumstances of the viewer surroundings?
I interpret an image my way you, yours. An anguished look may actually be brain freeze from eating ice cream too fast.
When I look at an image I look at it's execution any concept of it saying anything except to me in my own head is in general as much bull shit as that image of woman and her kids telling me lies and attempting to manipulate me. It's one reason Nan Goldin is not my cup of tea.
It's been well over a hundred years of image creaters and presenters trying to tell us what to think. As a Vietnam vet you can't possibly imagine how tired I am of some photographer and or marketing person presenting us as troubled people in need of help. Yes war is hell but living is great. STOP trying to tell some bullshit story and just take a decent photograph.
Jamie you're a star
Lying about a photograph is simply wrong.
I wonder how many people donated wealths because of this Photo? 😅
A photograph is some photon information collected at a specific time interval and place chosen by the photographer.
This video is the reason I'll be subscribing to your channel. You are a deeply completed, well -researched person. I look forward to more of your work.
Hey! Great video as always! What focal length would you say was used with the iconic portrait Lange took?
Hi, I really appreciate your work and your channel is certainly one of the best on photography on youtube. Could you recommend some books on the most theoretical aspects of photography, but not the technical ones? I notice in your videos that you have a deep and sensitive eye on photography and I would like to study a little more. I have difficulties to find materials in Brazil!
Crazy how I grew up in Nipomo Ca and never heard of the picture during school ..
This video was so well thoughtout and it was extremely interesting 👍
these videos are fantastic: a continuation of John Berger's project
Portraits can tell you a little about the person, a little about their condition, a little about the commonality of the human condition, a little about the photographer. Or they can tell you that it's just a person sitting there and it required no more than pushing a button and you need to read the title or byline to add information.
Portraits at best only tell you a little. If anybody thinks they tell a lot is only because they already know about the person and are able to connect or project that knowledge into things they see in the photo. Most other portraits are influenced on what the viewer finds pleasurable or is interested to look at. Women with wardrobe and makeup, and an attractive face is a better portrait than a regular looking man in a t-shirt and cargo shorts.
Hej Jamie, any chance you put some of the sources out there for this vid?
Great video, love your work!
6:22 Hol up! The kid is blonde…
Why are you always trying to portray your opinion as fact?
Great channel, a really refreshing and informative change to the usual materialistic equipment obsessed usual out there on YouTube. Keep it up