A Twist on Classic Portraiture

One of my favorite types of portraiture is the classic, timeless look.  I love the idea of a single main light coming in from one side.  Call it the 45/45, loop, closed-loop, Rembrandt, or whatever.  Beautiful portrait lighting and an interesting subject can make for a fascinating image.

But what happens when you take the traditional, and twist it up a bit?  I think it’s possible a trend is emerging with some of my portraiture.  Nothing calculated, mind you.  It started somewhere, and just seems to continue on.

For artists who’ve been creating for awhile, patterns will inevitably emerge.  This is where personal style is developed.  But given enough pieces of work to sift through, an outsider, or the artist themselves, might observe a tendency for particular subject matter.  I think the trick is for the artist to realize this is happening, without spending too much time questioning or otherwise over-analyzing for reasons why.  That might be the beginning of the end for that branch of the artist’s work.  Let the audience decide what it might mean and you’ll get a hundred different interpretations of the artist’s intent or motivations.  That’s fine.

A few evenings ago, a friend of mine showed me some large bruising on her thigh.  She’d just finished a musical performance and explained that this is what happens when she hits the tambourine against her leg during shows.  I immediately pulled out a photo of another musician we both know whom I’d photographed sometime after a surgery which resulted in a large scar on his torso.  Of course, my hope what that she’d get the idea to be photographed displaying her bruises.  I think I do see a trend emerging.  I’m just going with it.

Eldridge Goins

Jazz Mills