This is a session I did a couple of months back, but never had the time to post about. At the time I kept thinking about the general look of a person in a portrait and what it takes to change it completely. I found myself a willing victim model and the fun began. Check out these portraits below. What do you think?

Portrait1

I'm going to assume that everybody thinks these are good portraits. They're not groundbreaking and aren't going to win any contests for sure, but they are solid and display him in an appealing manner. Now how about these?

Portrait2

These pictures still make me laugh. Same man, same outfit, same location, same lighting, same lens, same angles, same everything. All we did was add a handful of props. A bow tie. Glasses. An iPod. Books. A bag. And we revealed his socks. Isn't it crazy how little it takes to change the whole feel of an image? Only a few props can do it. But is it really the props?

Portrait3

Suddenly, the bow tie doesn't look so silly anymore. The real difference is in the model's body language and facial expression, not as much in the props as the previous images suggest. This session certainly reminded me that part of the job of a photographer is to get the desired emotions out of the model or client. I'm the one responsible for the feel of a portrait and the fine details make all the difference. Photography certainly does teach you to really SEE what's in front of you.

Here are a couple more to lighten up your Monday morning. Special thanks to the model who was up for this fun little session!

Portrait4

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