As an assigment for my photo group I had to take portrait pictures of another person in it; we all drew names and I got Chris. I was excited and nervous… Excited because Chris is a very calm and patient person that would let me play with my camera and flash settings; but nervous because I haven’t taken many pictures of the men by themsleves (ie without a pretty finacee/girlfriend/bride/wife by their side.) And pictures that I take of my husband on a weekly basis while tinckering with my equipment don’t count – the slightly annoyed look on his face doesn’t appeal to most people. So the day of the assigment came…
and I was glad to have a good friend that was not only ok with taking pictures at the Oakland Mountain View Cemetery but was maybe even a bit excited. I love this location and I have used it for Marianne’s shoot, but this time we were there right before sunset when lighting is soft and warm – the nature’s present to any photographer.
Chris in his true nature was patient and kind, and I was trying to sift through dozens of articles and webpages that I have read on how to photograph men in my head. The overall body position, the camera angle, the apeture settings – all of those executed correctly can give you a good picture. But I wasn’t satisfied with just a good picture, I wanted a great one. I wanted a pictures that would speak to the Chris’ character – at least the way others (meaning me – because I hold the camera) view him. I wanted something more than a portrait that earns you “thumbs up” from your friends on facebook, but makes you stop for a second and explore the outer expression of the rich inner world that it within each of us.
Frantically trying to think of anything I saw a beautiful collonade… I knew that was it. If you have known me long enough you would know how much I love architecture and dream of becoming an architect some day only to prove my dad wrong (a subject for another post or even another blog.)
Maybe it’s the perfectly symmetrical shape of the columns, or slightly uneven color and texture, or maybe how the granite itself provides an interesting background without being boring, but I felt satisfied and at peace with my work.
Maybe it wasn’t columns themselves, but the atmosphere that they created, the loaded symbolism and ancient history they have inherited. You can almost feel immortal and superior, like the Greek gods, standing beside them.
It wasn’t your typical night at the cemetery – I was happy with the photos I took, and I think Chris was too (or at least he was too polite to say otherwise). And before we knew it
the sun was down and we had to return to the land of the living.
Tags: oakland, People, portrait photography
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