Is Photography an Art? Capturing Emotions

Whenever I'm contacted to do a photoshoot the first thing I ask is, "Once you get to see the final pictures what do you want to see; how do you want them to make you feel." Since I don't edit my work (not even my event/model photography) it's imperative I understand what the client wants. But simply asking, "what do you want" will only get you so far since not everyone comes with a clear idea. However, asking them how they want to feel always gets me the answer I need.

These guys were shooting for their Reggaeton Album cover (now on iTunes)

What I enjoy most about portrait photography is getting to understand the people I photograph. Even if two people want to give off the same emotion in their pictures, they will always produce completely different images because each person brings their own unique personality into the images. The images I produce also depend on how quickly the model and I are able to build a relationship (rapport). 

High-school friend with her Boyfriend

College friend

My Barber
I've known these models for quite a long time so it's a lot easier to produce images
that are closely aligned with the emotions they want to express.

My style of model photography is ever evolving and maturing. My process for improving does not just lie in producing better images (using composition and lighting) but also getting better at expressing the individuals in the image. Many times I've discovered that by trying to capture the portrait of someone I end up including my self in the image. My landscape and still like photography require me to transmit my emotions into the final image, and usually I end up doing the same process with pictures of other people. It's a bit intimidating at times considering that I expose my inner feelings to anyone that closely examines my work, but on the flip-side it's also interesting to imagine that every image I take becomes a page in a wordless autobiography.  

Achieving Profound Understanding:

Next time you view an artwork I challenge you to not only examine how the image makes you feel, but to also ask yourself how do you think the artist felt when making the image. When I take a portrait I become aware that the portrait is also one of myself; how I "see" and "feel" about the person is sometimes expressed through my work. See if you can spot the emotions of the artist, and ultimately if you can have a conversation with the artist through the art.

Sincerely,

Rafael Migoyo (Ravimi)

Contact: ravimiart@gmail.com 

Website: www.ravimiphotography.com

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