Character: The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual; the quality of being individual.
Portrait photography is far more than just pointing a lens at an individual's face and pushing a button to record an image. What makes a great portrait is finding the true character within the individual, and recording a specific moment that displays the individual's uniqueness.
I met a nice man today, a man with good character. His name is Robert Bubai. He is from Maine. While traveling to the west coast a year ago, his van broke down. He was lost, with no where to go. That's when a citizen of Cedar City invited him into their home, soon after he was able to get a trailer to live in. Here he is a year later, still loving life, and in no hurry to get to the west coast. In some way that shows the true character of our city....welcoming.
Let's be honest, most of us would be hesitant to approach Robert and start up a conversation, at least without knowing the character of the individual. That's one of the benefits of documenting life with my camera, I meet tons of interesting people that I may have never met otherwise. I had a great conversation with Robert; he is one of the happiest individuals I've ever met. After our conversation I asked him if I could photograph him and his dog, Sierra (which he named after the Sierra Mountains). He said yes.
To me, this first portrait reveals Robert's true character, and the second portrait shows the love he has for his dog, Sierra. If you happen to see Robert and his dog hanging out at the many festivals we have in town this summer, be sure to say hi, he will brighten up your day....
