I requested that the newlyweds keep their attention on each other, and asked them a variety of questions while photographing their responses. Can you guess what questions I asked? Please leave your thoughts here on the blog.
Approaching portraiture in that way enabled me to capture the couples interacting naturally rather than posing for the camera.
When I was asked, "what should we do?" my replies included, "Get closer", "Look at each other", "Switch sides"...
We rarely see photographs of people turned around because we are habituated to look at the face and eyes to connect and communicate with others when we meet. I believe that when the face is not the focus, we are freer to simply look at the aesthetics of the couple and how they fit together noticing other details that might be passed by when they are facing us. It is not meant to be unflattering or irreverent, it's simply a rare view and another way of experiencing the couples, like sculptures.
Do you prefer seeing faces and expression? Do you reflect differently on what you are seeing when there aren't any faces to see? Does the lack of facial expression emphasize a different set of elements to consider? Please take a little time to leave comments here on the blog, I'd love to know your thoughts.
"The Bride of Frankenstein" is written on her t-shirt.
This project was meant to be seen in its entirety and to present the fascinating elements, expressions, aesthetics and ways of being that couples share. The body language, attire, and little details, all come together to show us something ineffable about attraction and love.
Share your impressions, I'd love to know what you think.
This post is the fourth in a series of portraits I created at the Chicago Marriage Court. All the couples were photographed shortly after getting married in a waiting area steps away from the court office. I asked the couples to react and communicate non-verbally to statements such as, "Think back to when you first met", "Think of something unexpected that happened on your first date", "Think about something you don't agree on", etc.
I'd love to know your impressions. Feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for visiting!
I took the opportunity to photograph couples with other family members when time allowed. I waited a short time to see how they arranged themselves and my only direction was usually for all of them to move in closer. I wanted to retain what they did naturally without much intervention. The families were always photographed at the very end of our time. There were many people milling about behind me much of the time which resulted in the couples and family members being distracted by those that were fooling around, making them laugh and shouting out all sorts of things. It was all part of the experience and I didn't ask them to look into the camera or to focus on me. They always eventually came back to paying attention to each other or looking at me.
I couldn't imagine what couples would do, but I wanted to see and feel who they were with as little intervention by me as possible. I had about 25 minutes with each couple if I photographed their wedding ceremony and afterwords. It was fascinating to work with so many people in such a short space of time. Many of the couples, over the course of photographing them, got more comfortable which allowed for some of the heartfelt and beautiful choices they made with each other. I respect and appreciate the art of posing and utilize it on many occasions but it's an entirely different approach to photographing people.
All the photographs in this series were taken toward the end of my time with them and after the marriage ceremony when I asked them to take a few minutes to do whatever they would like. Some chose to present themselves directly to the camera others didn't...Do you prefer one approach over the other? If so, why?
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I photographed more than 100 couples at the Chicago Marriage Court. I wanted the photographs to tell stories about their relationship to each other and reveal something of their nature and spirit.
Instead of posing the couples I suggested they place their attention on each other while I asked them questions and photographed them as they reacted. I asked them to not talk (much...) and try to communicate with their eyes and how they held each other.
The first series of photographs were taken in the waiting area just outside the court rooms and during the marriage ceremonies. I've introduced the project in Black and White for the first series then shifted to color. The photographs in this series were created in an adjacent area to Chicago Marriage Court where I photographed all of the couples with some surprising and wonderful results. I'll be adding photographs regularly, so drop by for a visit.
Thanks for taking the time see what I've been up to.
This is the first couple I photographed. I wanted to photograph couples in a way that would reveal a part of their story with as little intervention by me as possible. Being in front of the couples with a camera can put me at a deficit because people have a natural inclination to present themselves. I was looking for a more natural, less intentional reaction. I developed a series of questions that I asked the couples while suggesting they place their attention on each other. I refined my approach over the course of the project.
I've introduced the project in Black & White to focus on the similarities shared among all the participants and to focus on their expressions and the feelings they share. The following posts will be in color and I made that choice to convey more information and see the differences among them.
