Portraiture as Art
My journey in photography has been a wild one. I was trying to find myself as a photographer, as I was trying to establish my photography business. I attempted to give clients everything they wanted and more, while still developing my personal style, and keeping my artistic photography in a separate box. What I started to see in this attempt to keep my artistic style separate from my client’s needs, was a feeling of monotony and sameness. I was essentially regurgitating Pinterest, booking volume and although I produced what I considered beautiful photos, they weren’t showcasing the rare beauty or individuality of each person in front of my lens.
And then, one day the light bulb really went off. Why can’t art and the business be one in the same? Why can’t I help my clients find themselves, as I work on myself? Why can’t this journey though photography creates the space you and I need to make Art?
Once I had this paradigm shift, I noticed something wonderful, my work became honest, and more than that, my clients and I bonded and began to make art. I guess instead of mimicking a Pin on Pinterest, I decided to become the Pin, a mantra a tell myself often now...” Be the Pin, Morgan!”
Now, when I take on a new portrait client, I strive to create a one-of-a-kind experience. The images you get are more than what you look like, they will show who you are in this moment in your life! Your life, in art.
What does “being the pin look like”?
It usually starts with a cup of coffee and a conversation! We can meet at a local coffee shop or set up a phone call. Either way, I make sure coffee is involved.
Our conversation will be the jumping off point! I will ask questions about you; your family and what life looks like for you! I want to know things like what you love about other photos you have seen, and why you are looking for portrait work now. Once we have a chance to get to know each other I will send over some concepts! This is when the fun really starts to happen. We will spend the next few weeks looking at locations, themes, colors and possible props. Don’t get overwhelmed, I do most of the creative lifting! Your job is to help guide me by letting me know more and more about you.
Once the details are locked in and a date is set, your job is to relax!
Why go forward with this type of photoshoot? It sounds time consuming.
I look at photography and a photoshoot as more than a potential Christmas card. It can be a unique time to spend with your family away from technology, it can be the alone time you desperately need. It can be the time you have wanted to rest and recharge and love yourself! It can be a way for someone to rediscover their post baby body or embrace their full-of-baby body. It can be a way for you to express yourself, it can showcase an achievement, or help close a chapter in your life. The time you are dedicating to this is really time you are dedicating to yourself or your family. And it is time you will have documented for years to come. It is time you should look back on fondly!
An example of this concept driven photography is below. A good friend of mine is neck deep in her Master’s program. She has always been a ball of creativity, beauty and brains! She found this underpass and decided it was her time for a photoshoot! And she couldn’t have been more right! Through this process, the images below were created! And they are some of my absolute favorites. Because they showcase her bright personality, her grace and beauty. It’s her...in art!
