So it was a huge relief to know that I was going to be photographed by my friend Star Black. She'd taken my picture before--not a portrait, but casually, and I'd loved her portraits of Mark, Louise Gluck, and others. I went to her apartment. She made me coffee, strong coffee. I stood by the window, she held up her camera, and soon we weren't exactly in clock time anymore--no other way to put it. I thought we'd be done in--a half hour? Forty five minutes? Over two hours later the two of us were sitting before her laptop, pressing the delete key over and over, until our eyes were stitchy and we were a little sick with our looking. I learned this: a good portrait is not just a collaboration between photographer and subject, but also a collaboration between light, posture, and thought, all of which are never still. It takes a lot of work to make it look easy--300 tries in this case--and then you come across a shot and you think, ah, so there it is. The life in motion, but fixed at the same time.
Anyway, this was taken for Unbuilt Projects, but it's likely going to go on The Burning House too.
17 comments:
i like it---imploring but not forceful, honest but not awkward. (sounds a bit like i'm describing a wine)
Hah! Thanks, Nancy.
Love it. Nothing else to say.
Thank you, C. Dale!
I love how your eyes are captured in this photo--perfectly aged with wisdom but still youthful and curious.
Thanks so much, Jesse. Happy holidays to you.
It's true about your eyes and the all of the life in them. You seem really present in this photograph. It's wonderful.
Thank you, dear Susan. xx
Funny, it's always the casual pictures that trouble me, those candids of parties or whatnot that people seems so fond of. I guess it's my control freak itching to have some sway in the matter of what's going to be in the frame... the idea of what is & isn't contained in the frame of course being one of those central ideas I always come back to surrounding writing, etc. No escaping it!
Your picture is so so lovely! Seems like Star has a sensitive eye.
Gorgeous. I love it because it looks exactly like who you are inside and out. Can't wait for the book(s)!
Thanks so much, Sophie. That means a lot to me. I know just what you mean, especially in Facebook-land, where pictures are often posted and tagged w/out much consideration of the subject.
P.S. Not to mention that untagging feels vain and ungrateful.
Paulette, that is so dear. Thank you very much. xo
I love the natural light. Now I want to offer you some tea, instead of vodka.
Thanks, Gwynne. That's reassuring. The tea. A friend of mine said that I looked like a Russian chess player, which made me wonder, what am I giving off these days?
"I learned this: a good portrait is not just a collaboration between photographer and subject, but also a collaboration between light, posture, and thought, all of which are never still."
Perhaps this is why I never like casual photos of me—no thought goes into the collaboration.
Perhaps this also explains why Neil said to me, once, "I can't take your photo, I know you too well."
Elizabeth, A profound statement from Neil--and from you too. The big grin seems to serve the casual photo best, but the big grin does not work for the portrait. And when the subject of the casual photo is caught in between things (mouth half open)... Well, I know just what you mean.
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