Walden - Relationship portraits: caputure emotion in black & white photography

Copyright 2016 by Tim Walden

All rights reserved.

All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc., P.O. Box 538, Buffalo, N.Y. 14213

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Editors: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt and Beth Alesse

Acquisitions Editor: Harvey Goldstein

Associate Publisher: Kate Neaverth

Editorial Assistance from: Carey A. Miller, Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder, Ray Bakos

Business Manager: Adam Richards

ISBN-13: 978-1-68203-030-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015953689

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

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Table of Contents

Contents

T hese fourteen points help to explain what my portraits are all about. They explain not only the great wisdom in knowing what to do, but also the importance of knowing what not to do.

1. Capture, Adjust, and Refine

I see the moment and capture it while the magic is happening. Then, I make quick adjustments and, if the magic is still there, more captures. If the intimacy is still evident, I will refine and finesse the pose, making the photograph artistically and technically excellent as well as emotionally rich.

2. A Portrait Can Be a Piece of Fine Art

To be considered fine art, a portrait has to be technically excellent. More importantly, it has to have artistic qualities that represent the subjects heart and passion. Our printed portraits are archival, museum-quality images that are printed on acid-free paper with full tonal ranges. They will be around for many generations to enjoy.

3. Is My Photography Investment-Worthy?

When digital came along, we started seeing all the cool things that could be done with this technology. As we switched our tools from film to digital, however, we remained investment-worthy by continuing to produce portraits with timelessness, simplicity, and richness.

4. Capturing Emotionally Rich Images

When photographers deal with emotion, their images have an impassioned richness that elevates them above the ordinary. Showing who our subjects are, and the stories in their hearts, raises our work above the customary likeness-capturing images.

5. Learn the Story

What we have learned in our relationship-photography journey is that there is a story behind every face. When you learn your clients story, it changes the way you see them and how you capture their images. Photography is not just about learning where to put the lights and how to set your lens. It is also about telling peoples stories.

When you learn your clients story, it changes the way you see them and how you capture their images.

6. Body Language

Posing has purpose in that it can flatter the client. However, body language is more important to me than posing structure, because body language represents the individual. There is magic in that subtle shrug of a shoulder or the tilt of a headand observing that is what tells me when to push the button. That is the magic of the body language and it brings me back to point 1 on this list: capture, adjust, and refine.

7. Respect Your Art and Others Will, Too

As the photographer, you need to be the first person to respect your art. Each of our portraits is signed, dated, and delivered with a certificate of authenticity. We treat our work as fine-art. If a portrait does not have our seal, it is not a Walden original.

8. To Excel in Photography, Do Less

A photographer may be a great jack-of-all-trades without being a great artist. The reason our work is great is because we take the time to finesse each image while still keeping it simple. Our clients dont choose us because we do everything connected with photography; they select us because we focus on what we do very well: fine-art photography. That is what it takes to make us world-class.

9. The Enemies of Creativity

As artists, it is our job to recognize the enemies of creativity and work with our clients to combat them. For example, the most authentic portraits of children seem to occur at the start of the session (usually in the first five to ten minutes). This is when the child is expressing feelings of unfamiliarity in the studio and trying to figure out what is happening. The enemy of creativity? Not photographing at this particular time. Let the parent know this in advance so they dont expect you to wait to begin shooting until the child is completely at ease.

Our clients dont choose us because we do everything connected with photography; they select us because we focus on what we do very well: fine-art photography.

10. Our Portraits Are Limited Edition

All of our top-of-the-line images, our Signature pieces, our black & white relationship portraits, and our color portraits are printed by menot by a professional lab. Our clients do not procrastinate on ordering their valuable portraits; they order everything with the initial purchase. Limited editions are valuable items, and that is what we want our portraits to be.

11. Simplicity for Elegance

Our style decisions (the clothing, lighting, backgrounds, color of the walls, etc.) all evoke simplicity and elegance. I want our clients to wear dark clothing, like black dresses and turtlenecks, because they are forgiving. Our main lighting pattern addresses the essentials of the subject, while our background lighting is like spice. Using these methods, we expand the tone of a black & white portrait to make it unique, elegant, and dynamic.