Are People People or are they Subjects?

October 4, 2010 Dalen

I got to thinking about portraits today and came to the conclusion that there are 2 ways to photograph people. We either produce a great photograph or a great portrait, and rarely are these qualities combined. In a great photograph the person is a subject, an accessory to enhance the image. If an image is a story them the person is a mere character in the film. It’s about what her curves, stance and facial features can contribute to the story, it isn’t about HER it’s about the finished product. In a great portrait, the photograph is about HER; her facial expressions; her personality; you feel as though you can feel what she’s feeling because the moment was captured so perfectly it seems as though a little bit of her truth had leaked out and landed on the film.

In a world where the media tells women that they should be 5’9″ and weigh 100 lbs and the most beautiful models of the world are airbrushed to perfection, is it constructive to utilize women as subjects in photographs? Could we be perpetuating the problem? Should we be celebrating a woman’s heart instead of her physical attributes?