Photographing People
Growing up, my grandfather, who is the sole reason I take photos, used every family event as an opportunity to line his grandchildren up from youngest to oldest to take a group photo or capture wonderful portrait shots of us. After inheriting his photo archive recently, I’ve found those photos and more going back to the 1950s, which have provided me with tons of inspiration to advance my own photography. I had become comfortable snapping shots of cityscapes and landscapes and typically shied away from photographing people for years. However, until recently, I have included more people in my images, whether strangers on the street or people I know who have posed for me. It’s changed how I approach photography; I now seek out people to photograph instead of wasting film on random shots that I used to take. I’ve gained confidence, first in asking someone if I can take their photo and, secondly, in being able to compose the shot, which is a skill in itself. Below are a few portraits I’ve made of friends that I’ve uploaded to my portfolio: vsco.co/greentothebone.
