A Portrait of Eyes
What if we only looked at each other’s eyes and nothing else? Forget the head and the body and the skin. Our eyes, those soul gateways, are the common denominator between us. You can’t tell a person’s religion from their eyes alone. Or their political party. Or even their sex. When you look a person in the eye, you are connecting to their heart and seeing beyond mere visual perception.
A portrait begins like this. I look into a person’s eyes. I see them. I listen. By the time the camera is raised they have already gotten to know me as I truly am. We are well on our way to establishing a connection.
The best portraits, the most effective, happen organically when talking and walking. Like the portrait above. We were simply walking through the neighborhood surrounding Brian’s office when I happened to see this old house with a perfect lightscape. But we had been talking, and getting to know one another. So when the moment presented itself we were ready. He was comfortable and not afraid to look me in the eye.
And to me that’s what this photo captures, that gaze, those eyes. When I look at this portrait I see a human being. For me this is a portrait of eyes. But all portraits are like that for me. I’m not really interested in a person’s skin, or hair, or make-up. I’m interested in their eyes. That’s how we connect. And that’s what my photographs attempt to do, connect you to whomever you’re looking at.