The last time I took E's portraits, we were hanging out with some friends at the San Franciso Art Institute. It was probably two years ago. I didn't have my own lighting equipment then, and whatever was available didn't give the best results.
I do remember the similarities between the old photos we took and this series from earlier today. I tend to photograph E's profile much more than asking him for a straightforward pose. With him, I'm compelled to take a moody picture rather than a straight way of capturing his features.
Since we weren't taking headshots that he could submit for acting auditions, I got an opportunity to experiment. How much can you reveal about a person in a photo even if you obscure his face? How much of him could I put into light?
I may have been giving E directions on how to position himself in front of the camera, where to focus his gaze or which way to tilt his head...but I believe I was not just projecting my ideas on him. I was very much reacting to his character, or how I know him, and my job was to find out how best to present it.
