Roberto Kaplan’s Photo Blog

The Emotion of Portraiture

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 11:26:44 +0100

It is so gratifying to see the subject realise the depth of what having a portrait photo shoot is all about. I received this letter from Linda:

"Beautiful, beautiful!
It’s really me. First by looking at the “new variation” of the photo’s I saw something different but I couldn’t say what it was. Now, after some time, what I realise is, that you laid the focus on the eyes by changing colours in the background and on the skin. The photos force me to look into the eyes and the second look is at the “rest” of the photo. In becoming the focus the eyes give an insight of me beyond face and beyond body and form. This view gives a sort of hint what is the really important of this person, the photos show the being behind. And what I see is really encouraging for me. The pictures show characteristics of me that I know, so I feel they are really authentic.

I’m looking every day at “my pictures” and I enjoy the feeling of them. So you were successful in showing something I always wanted to see and the art is to catch the right moments and you got the right moments."

What happens when I shoot portraits?

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:19:26 +0100

Photographing people and their faces for me is one of the most fascinating aspects of my photography. Before the shoot I spend about 15 minutes chatting with the model to provide an atmosphere of meeting. The shoot demands a connection between the photographer and model.

Once the initial set up is ready, I take test shots and as I am comfortable with the technical side, I begin the deeper interaction with the model. This is repeated with each set up.

Here you can see one of the initial photos. The model and I have little connection and she is nervous. Once the lighting and camera settings are to my satisfaction, these are some of the photos I obtain.

One of the final results that I really like.

Self-made 'Steady Shooter' for Canon 5D Mark 2

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 19:29:50 +0100

For my street action photo shoots, travelling to different countries, I needed a very portable and inconspicuous system for shooting movies on the go. I tried the Glidecam pro and this did not do the trick for me. Out of frustration, I designed a system that works for my needs. I share this in case others of you could benefit from my experience and use the format. I also include a few clips taken with the unit. Watch video

Emotion through the eyes

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:54:46 +0100

Portrait photography for me is more than capturing a pretty face. There are moments during a shoot where deep emotion reveals itself through the eyes. According to Paul Ekman, through the eyes, emotion can be activated. When the eyes are happy, there is a corresponding signature in the brain wave activity registering this happiness. Likewise, the muscles of the mouth also respond to happiness and other emotion.

Look what happens when I crop closely.....!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:37:20 +0100

Did a portrait shoot yesterday using my new Canon 5D Mark 2 with a Canon 50 mm f1.2 lens. In the final production I cropped one of the pictures very close and came up with this result. I like it. Comments welcome.