Portraits: Six-in-one, 3/21

Portrait photography in the San Francisco Bay Area is an embarrassment of riches. I meet young business owners, realtors, IT executives, founders, venture capitalists, students—and beyond. Most subjects identify with a core value or attribute. It might be candor or kindness, competence or trustworthiness, or something else entire. Whatever it is, the awkwardness of portraiture often prevents the value from shining through, as a photographer stares down the barrel of an 85 mm lens. When that happens, subjects rely on stale expressions and routine personas. That’s why I absolutely delight in knocking subjects off script and out of their comfort zones with all sorts of tactics. If you can navigate discomfort together, you can find the real thing that matters, which is pretty damn amazing.

Postcard. March 21, 2022