Yesterday, a friend asked me to if I would be willing to take pictures of her band. I like this lady, and I like taking pictures.
I said No without a moment's hesitation.
Because, I'll tell ya, I just do not enjoy taking pictures of more than one person at a time. It's a distinct limitation, to be sure. A valuable skill...but I can't get into it. Creating any kind of rapport with a group of people, tricky. It's about the composition, the mood. All the things I find secondary when photographing subjects.
My little act, it's about me getting to know my subject, getting them to relax, so I can get something different, better, interesting.
With several people, now it's like I'm on stage. And while my act still hits, the jokes still work, I can still get folks to do what I want...now I'm also a conductor. All the participants need to work together, visually. And that so rarely happens. They look different, they move differently, one person is looking the wrong way. Maybe two of the four people aren't giving me the right look at the exact right moment I need it.
Juggling and a performance and conducting, while also trying to get into a groove and compose the shot and make sure the light is right for everyone in my frame. Oy vey...I have a job! I should want to do all this, too?
The night I shot Ash and her friends, I alternated between taking pictures of all three of them, and shooting them individually. And frankly, the group shots were not where I was focused. Make 'em decent, sure, but it was mainly just a way of getting them comfortable with me, so I could shoot them one-on-one.
And it got me to a comfort level with Ash where I could take a shot like this, so no complaints. But being asked yesterday really did force me to articulate Why I'm not into group photos/band photos/etc.
And as hard as that can be for an artist, I think it's invaluable. Knowing Why you do something can only help illuminate your path going forward.
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