Sunday, October 23, 2011

Photography - Portraits

Hi there!

My great joy as a photographer is to capture the life around us, and to deliver my feelings and thoughts through the photos. Still life, animals or people - we can always show them through our eyes, and through our point of view, and that is a powerful privilege. When we photograph people, especially head portraits,  it is more difficult. When I take a half body portrait or a head shot, I imagine the essence of the subject - how does he feel right now? how was his day? his history, etc. all of these questions help me to decide how would I like to show him to the world, I might be wrong with my assumptions about the subject (e.g the subject could've had a wonderful day, and I by mistake, thought he had a horrible one), but it doesn't matter - It's meant to be this way, the viewer will only see my side of the story, because it is the only truth that exists in my photo. However, I try to tell it through the look in the subject's eyes.

Let me show you some examples :


I was walking on the street of Jaffa, it was evening. Suddenly I stumbled upon a nice little street market, with a lot of art, junk and tourists. I was chatting with one of the stands owners, and I've noticed that someone was unpacking some packages behind him. It wasn't for long until I've noticed that this guy, has a special character. He is a good looking man, who seems to have a lot on his mind, the wrinkles on his face show us that he probably hasn't had an easy life, yet it makes his face more intriguing. The look in his eyes is full of sadness and thoughts about tomorrow. He hasn't had a lot of joy in his life, and the future doesn't look so bright either.
(Again it's all in the eyes of the photographer...)







Buenos Aires, Argentina. In a well located restaurant in the famous "La Boca" neighborhood, I was eating lunch with some friends, enjoying the fresh air, the music and the tango. An old and distinguish man walked towards us, and asked if everything is ok. He was talking with some of the Italian girls and told them, with a satisfied smile, that his parents are also originally from Italy. After he left our table, he continued with his job : shouting at the waiters, giving orders to the tango dancers, and chatting with the clients - running the restaurant just like he did for 30 years. I caught him standing at the entrance, looking to the horizon, contemplating, maybe thinking about his legacy. This man has a lot to handle, his eyes reflect his experience and good nature, his clothes - elegance. I was impressed.



A Brazilian show in Tel Aviv, Israel. A guest singer was invited to perform a song. I was sitting very close to the stage, and could really feel that she is enjoying the moment, her eyes were smiling, full of love. I had to take a picture of her - singing and enjoying the moment, it was so inspiring.











This one is also was captured to remind us the joy of the moment. The girl in the picture looks super happy and feels really good. You don't know if she had a happy, sad or boring life and it doesn't matter. When we look at this picture, we think - she is having a great time, at THIS moment, and so should we. Let's try to enjoy every moment of our life, even if sometimes it's challenging.








Until the next time!

Have a wonderful day.



Btw : You can see more of my work on my fan page on facebook.
          or on my Zazzle store, where you can purchase my art.

More art you can find on my lenses on "Pop Art", "Still Life" and "Abstract" - great art galleries, created by young and talented artists, make sure to check them out!

8 comments:

  1. I always enjoy your posts, Idan. Your Jaffa man looks quite content, in the eyes of this viewer, by they way. Very nice work!

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  2. Thank you very much Deb :) it's an interesting observation about the Jaffa man, never thought about him like that...

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  3. Wonderful portraits and I really enjoy your insights, Idan.
    Keep it up... and I'll will surely keep visiting!

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  4. Thank you very much Rosy! I am so glad you liked it :)

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  5. I love the portrait of the man in Jaffa, a face full of character!

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  6. Thank you Ruralfrance! he has a character indeed.

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  7. You have a wonderful way of seeing things and your photography is wonderful! I am a new follower from Zazzle!

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  8. Thank you Elizabeth, I am so happy that you liked the post:)

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