"A portrait photographer depends upon another person to complete his picture....My concerns are not his. We have separate ambitions for the image. His need to plead his case probably goes as deep as my need to plead mine, but the control is with me."
A portrait really is about needing to control, and generally I have little need to overtly exercise it because most portrait subjects expect to be directed by the photographer. That's why I was a little startled and amused by the charming teenager, Osmar, when I prepared to photograph him in Oaxaca last month.
As I placed Osmar against the wall so that the swirling graffiti would frame is full head of hair, he momentarily balked at his placement. It turned out he didn't like the small, odd remnants of paper from previously torn off posters. I told him I would remove them by Photoshop, but he demurred, insisting that we move over to a clean part of the wall. Then it was my turn to demur; pointing out that the wall markings were an important part of the composition. Osmar smiled, and declared "If this wall is essential, then I will fix it." And with that he began removing every small scrap of paper from the background for the next ten minutes.
As Avedon stated, "We have separate ambitions for the image." So much for my taking total control.
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