»Why we like Portraits«
For long time I have pondered the »WHYs« of portraits. Why do you we people want portraits? Why do we enjoy portraits? Why do we think portraits are somehow important?
I have no scientific answer. I have an unscientific one, based on personal experience. Portrait photography is communication, a way of seeing intimately into another life, a way of trying to understand that other life.
Working with great people - that's what makes real photography tangible and worth living for me. I want to find the access to people - to get their acceptance. When they accept you, they start to give you the image of themselves. They allow you and let you into their space. My best photos were given to me.
That's another reason why I'm going to meet a lot of people, because I'm interested in each of them - and I experience a lot through them.
For me, it is the image of a person in the sense of a character study - of course, capturing the essence of a person is precisely what portraiture is all about. Lighting and sharpness are craftsmanship - depicting people in such a way that you see more than just the facade, i.e. inside the person, the art.
I want to touch people with something for the first time. To face new challenges and have the courage to risk something, not to repeat myself.
No one has claimed that this is easy, that's why this »challenge« excites me every time again. Because in any case, a picture of a person is not automatically a portrait. At the end of the day my photos shall help people to be satisfied with themselves.
In my opinion it reflects what makes us human.
