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Just when I thought another day would pass without seeing a stranger, Ben turned up at our door selling Karate lessons!
He was heavily tattoed, but I didn't think there was any need to show more than this head shot which tells more of himself than arms full of black red and blue. "Daisha" is his 16 month old daughter, the name of his son is emblazoned among the biomechanicals on his left arm, and he suggested that he may not do the same on his right arm if he were to do it again.
I told him it wouldn't be a problem, all he has to do is have another child and name it "Outlaw".
He'd been a farmer and a rifleman in the army before setting out to establish his karate business. He canvasses door to door for customers seven days a week, and runs classes at night.
All the best Ben!
Is a simple head shot enough? - Discuss!
10 comments:
I'm quite chuffed with this shot, the lighting wasn't entirely accidental, neither was the fading lighting on the background.
Heck I'm noticing stuff before I shoot. I was still nervous though.
You have every right to be chuffed, I love the horizontals in the background. If the head shot says what you want it to say its definitely enough. I'm still finding it hard to cut the top of heads off, at least when taking the photo. Think it comes from years of being told that cutting the top of someone's head off is bad.
Is a simple head-shot enough?
Portratis come in many guises: look at the Archibald Prize finalists announced this week. In this project we have been concentrating on head-shots and on context shots. When Peter includes the word "simple" in his provocation, we delve to a deeper level? In a portrait, is it sufficient to show what a person looks like on the outside or is it more important to attempt to show what a person looks like on the inside: physical attributes vs character?
Maybe, by our choice of subjects and Peter's plaintive cry of "beige" we are acknowledging that is is just as important to show character.
Once again proving that cliches have survived through the ages for a reason ... you can't judge a book by its cover.
Now to Ben ...
Please forgive my typing here and in the previous comment: I am sitting here starkers, dying my hair red and cannot wear my specs ... too much information! Deal with it ...
Ben is not a SIMPLE head shot: the tatt sees to that. But so does the straight clear gaze and the smile. So does the short back and sides and the earring hole. So many things indicate character. So yes: it is a head shot, but most complex.
Need I say I like it ...
If Ben has been a farmer, a soldier and a karate instructor, how old can he possibly be? He looks about 28 ...
My daughter reckons that you no sooner secure a job, than you owe it to yourself to start looking around for the next opportunity. That people of her generation look to upgrade their positions every 18 months or they are going backwards.
Let's see how her generation deals with the next five years ...
I agree with Julie. It is not a simple head shot. There is so much told in the "markings", the haircut, the diret gaze, the chipped front tooth. And the simple background is perfect. Actually its perfect because it is not a simple flat surface, so interesting without getting in the way. And I like the way you have no fear of chopping off the tops of heads when it makes sense to do so.
The comments on this blog make for essential reading. Despite my commitment u-turn, I am picking up some useful tips and loving the photos. This one in particular. Chopping the head off occurs in TV too - especially during in-depth interviews. But only on tight shots and usually when the subject is to one side with looking room. I think it makes you take the subject more seriously.
Okay ... I will acknowlege to being short two peas in the pod!
Peter, there are a couple of things in your commentary that have puzzled me all afternoon: biomechanicals, and "Outlaw".
Biomechanicals lead me to think that Ben has a metal arm. This could be as a result of his army service. But how can he do karate with a mechanical arm?
His daughter's name - Daisha - is clearly on his neck. On his mechanical arm is his son's name and I gather his right arm is undecorated. I figure there is some sort of crossword/scrabble hint to the suggestion of "Outlaw".
I am flummoxed ...
It's the red hair!
The BioMech is a tattoo meant to give the impression that the skin is peeled back, and all the cogs and tubes that make the arm work are clearly visible beneath. It's highly detailed, and even has a couple of eyeballs in there "to make people ask questions".
"Outlaw" is tattooed in large amateurish letters down his right arm. It was done by his mate the tattooist as he was learning. (Gasp!) He's currently having a sort of tribal pattern woven over and through it to mellow it a bit (hmmm... not sure about that), so I suggested that instead of hiding it, it would be easier to have a new baby and name it "Outlaw".
Sorry for my usual crypticism!
...*chortle*...
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