decisions ...

to be taken. I have to choose one of these two images. On one hand I've got what I was looking for, in the first image, a portrait of Him, the main subject is not a bouncer but David - ok, dressed ready to go to work ... as a bouncer in a pub, but still the strength of the photo is on the person and not on the role he plays. On top of that, I framed it inspired by Richard Avedon and, to be honest, I believe it worked, I mean, the composition. It's a pity his expression is not that strong.

On the other hand, the second image is stronger because of his gaze, his pose and the lighting. I asked him to hold his hands in that way so I looked for a non-frontral pose but still keeping him able to stare at the camera. However, it's not David anymore, it's a bouncer. I photographed the role, not the person. 

It's here where the dilemma comes. Choosing the strongest image or keeping myself loyal to my first intention. Well, I still have some time to make the final decision ... but something tells me I've already done it.

similarities

From time to time it happens that when I take a look for first time at one of my photos it brings to my mind another one. This is the case with this picture. It was something unintentional, I mean, it isn't a transcription and I wasn't inspired by anything in particular. 

The other one, the one which came to my mind is the Diane Arbus' portrait of a travesty (click here to see it) at her house. There are many things that don't match between the two images. For instance, the cigarette isn't held by the same hand - actually, in my version, the cigarette is almost hidden between her fingers -, one of them has a plain background, the other one hasn't; the use of the flash is completely different in both cases and so on.

Despite of all those differences, I find they have something in common. It's as if they shared the same kind of aesthetic. Whatever the point is, I'm happy when it happens because it makes me think I have some potential, something to be developed and bring out as often as possible.

last night ...

I did something unusual, I opened the messenger and I met some friends there. One of them paid me a compliment, a really special one. After seening this photograph, she told me I'm the Avedon from the Canaries (Canary Islands) ... I wish!

The thing is that friends are rarely impartial or objective. Some of them are, of course; even sometimes they are too impartial. That is good, though. Listening to those impartial friends I keep in touch with reality. Probably the best example is Lalo (webpage, blog). He is the kind of person who would never lie to you about what he thinks of a picture. 

On the other hand, thanks to those ones who told me I was good at taking photographs I started taking photography as a serious option, a real one. I couldn't stop taking pictures, I started taking classes and, for a while, I even joined a local photo club. There something happened that I didn't understand at that point. They asked me what I liked most of photography. Portraits was my answer and they started laughing. They told me taking a good portrait wasn't that easy. I didn't get offended but I didn't share their opinion ... They were so right!

Certainly I'm not an Avedon, I'm not gifted. I have to work hard to get a good portrait. Good portrait? I still wonder how to know when a portrait is good and when it's not. So, I use a trick to discard the bad ones and keep the not-so-bad ones. Photographers used to hang their prints up outside the darkroom to get bored of them. That is it, time is the clue and the trick.

I have adapted that trick as I mainly - but not only - shoot digitally. I usually set my favorite photo as the wall paper in my computer. I spend a lot of time looking at it, a lot of time. I could say it is almost an obsession. The problem is that sometimes I get lost in the details and can't see the whole image. In those cases there is nothing better than stepping back.

Now, I'm putting my trick into practice with this very last portrait I took few days ago there in the Canary Islands. Although I like her expression - you couldn't imagine how difficult it was to get her relaxed -, I'm not that sure about the background. It's too busy in the most important area of the photo, by her head. So, I´m not sure if her expression outweighs my disappointment with the background. In a couple of weeks the balance will tell me what was heavier.