friends + follows
A collection + thoughts on the og candid - the reverse portrait.
VISUAL READ ☞ PROGRESS BAR ABOVE | GALLERY
My favorite type of portrait photography is the candid. For those of us who aren’t models, the natural feeling is to feel self-conscious in front of another’s camera (guilty).
A candid removes the room for feelings of self-doubt and it allows for the most authentic representation of your subject in the moment.
To be media literate, we must remember that photographs are not reliable representations of objective reality. They are rarely objective. The frame, the settings, the camera, the editing – the photographer is God of a shot.
Unless you’re a photojournalist, your photographs are more art than reality – but the candid – that is as natural as you can get.
It doesn’t hurt that my friends are beautiful people. When I capture their faces, that outside beauty is evident. In a clear, alluringly lit portrait – they shine.
But when I shoot a follow, you see their beautiful souls. They are as they are:
Active.
Loving.
Calm.
And onto a destination.
The reverse portrait is a picture absolute.
They’re definitely conscious and annoyed at the sound of my shutter over their shoulder – likely with some ignorance only some of the time. But even still, the reverse portrait is a picture absolute.
Perfect for the digital age. For the public, the subject’s privacy is slightly preserved. As the photog, you recognize them, you remember them in that moment, without needing to see their faces. But better still, a stranger can descry their energy, say that could be me, or my friend, and truly put themselves in the frame.
a stranger can descry their energy
You can imagine that you’re at the shoreline, with your family, listening to the waves…
Thinking back on that winter, walking in the cold air, waiting on Christmas…
See a place you’ve never been, and hope to one-day share that scenery.
And no doubt I see that to some it’s just the back of someone’s head. ‘Oh that’s nice,’ move on, next photo. But to me, it’s more.
To that I say, ‘but it’s a damn attractive head, right?”
So, do me a favor, love.
If you ever hear the shutter over your shoulder, you’re beautiful, don’t change a thing you’re doing. I only ask that you count to three before you turn around. 🙂
gALLERY
Photographs in this collection
☟ All captured + edited by BCP ☟
Want to download some of my pics for your own projects?!
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Brittany is a self-taught media maker and a professional admin. + communicator based in RI. She is the creator of the Black Swan District, her blog + portfolio that showcases her quirky work + the work of anyone and everyone who has something to show or say. Learn more about the founder +/or how to share your stuff on the bsd.