Gregory Heisler

I looked at Gregory Heisler for techniques for my familiar portrait. He is mostly known for more than 70 cover portraits in TIME magazine. I looked at two particular themed portfolios – “Quiet” and “Simple”. I didn’t want to create an image that was too busy or eccentric.

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Quiet:

When looking at the elements within each frame, there are multiple similarities. The main one being that they are black and white but also that the subject in each photograph looks sad and full of emotion. Most of them are looking away from the lens with heads tilted and hanging low.

The lighting covers only a portion of the face casting a shadow on the other part adding to the emotion of the picture and there are no mid-shots. I like that there is a difference in backdrops; either plain or within public settings. Within all of them, I feel like there is a calm serenity to the photo that gets you thinking of the subject’s thoughts and feelings – through the emptiness of the backdrop.

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“One of the keys to lighting isn’t what you light

but what you don’t light.” – Heisler

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Simple:

The elements within this portfolio are not that much different to the Quiet portfolio as again they are all in black and white. The expression although not full of emotion or sadness are not happy expressions either. Subjects are looking more towards the camera or upwards above. Again, the lighting covers a portion of the face but in greater amounts that can be seen on the backdrop. The background of the subject is out of focus in some photos to draw in the person gaze to the face.

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I wanted to bring elements of both these portfolios into my final familiar portrait. I felt that these techniques would be easier with a familiar subject than a self or stranger portrait.