The honest shot is the more interesting shot, every time.
My daughter, Annika
The most memorable portraits are simple, strong and true. They convey personality, presence, emotion, values, and ideals. They awaken our senses and make us feel. They go beneath the surface and remind us what it means to be alive. In short, they are authentic and real. — Chris Orwig
There is nothing wrong with presenting yourself in a certain way. For example, you may want to project confidence in your LinkedIn headshot, even if you don’t always feel very confident. But regardless of what mood your portrait conveys, most people who look at a photo can tell the difference between a polished pose or expression and something that shows the real you. And in a world where authenticity is increasingly valued, you’ll want a portrait that doesn’t hide your true self.
What is authentic portraiture?
Perhaps it’s a tautology, but you can’t fake authenticity. Drawing it out isn’t always easy, though. All of us, whether we realize it or not, have over the course of our lives built up a persona, a mask of sorts, as a way to protect ourselves from criticism or ridicule—real or imagined. Nowhere does this protective mask show up more reliably than when there’s a camera around. With authentic portraiture, the photographer strives to lift up the mask just long enough to capture the real person underneath.
There are two occasions on which our mask disappears. One is only very briefly during unguarded moments, such as when we are distracted by something, or deep in thought. The other time is when we feel genuinely safe—from judgment, criticism, or ridicule—in an environment of complete acceptance.
In portraiture, the photographer acts like a mirror for the subject—not just in posing, but emotionally as well. Becoming someone at ease is a journey that begins within. It starts with a desire to be so at peace with yourself that your internal state reflects back to the subject and conveys a sense of kindness, acceptance, and love. This is one of the reasons why I find portrait photography to be less of a craft and more of a calling—what the world needs more than ever is people who share, project, and reflect love into others in an authentic way. — Chris Orwig, Authentic Portraits
As the photographer, it is my job to ensure that our portrait shoot is a safe space where you can simply be yourself, without judgment of any kind. You need to know in your heart of hearts that I’m not trying to embarrass you, or make you look silly or unattractive. On the contrary, I’m trying to catch that most elusive essence that is your uniquely beautiful spirit, and have it shine out through the photo. And since the photographer acts as a mirror, I must be my most authentic self as well. To the extent that I feel comfortable and at peace with myself, I will project that to you in a way that I hope will make you feel comfortable and at peace as well. Once that is established, it takes away the anxiety of having your portrait taken, and the end result will be the better for it.
My mother, Josephine
The subject as collaborator
Too often, portrait photography is seen as transactional: you give me your face, and I take a picture of it; I tell you how to pose, and you change your posture. But really that’s not how it works at all. A portrait is—or should be—a collaboration between photographer and subject. That collaboration can feel different depending on how we connect. Sometimes it feels like a dialogue, sometimes a like dance, and other times it may feel like a quiet meditation. The important thing to understand is that as the subject, you are an active participant in the process. We will spend most of our time simply conversing with each other while trying a few different natural poses—and hopefully make that deeper connection that lets the camera capture not just the light that reflects off your face and body, but also that which emanates from within.
Accepting your authentic self
The social psychologist Charles Cooley wrote, “We define ourselves through our perceptions of what others think of us.” He had a name for this phenomenon, “the looking-glass self”. So when we see a portrait of ourselves, we judge it not by how our friends see us, but how we imagine our friends see us. We may think the portrait in which we have a bit of a forced facial expression makes us look cool, and that the one where we’re just being our natural selves looks awkward. But if we asked our friends which of those two portraits is the most interesting and attractive, they would pick the authentic one every time. It may be an acquired taste to you—at first you might not like it much, but it will grow on you and you will come to love it, especially once you start getting positive feedback from others. To give you an example, check out the headshot on my Contact page. When I first got that photo back from the photographer, I didn’t like it at all—I thought it made me look goofy. But after having a bunch of people tell me how much they love my smile in that picture, I started to like it more and more. Eventually I liked it enough to put it on my website and social media.
The next step
If the idea of having your authentic portrait made sparks your interest, it’s time to contact me to set up a free (and commitment-free) consultation on the phone or over Zoom. Since this is a collaboration, we’ll need to have a brief conversation about logistics. As a rule I do not use any special studio equipment other than maybe a simple backdrop. I prefer to rely solely on natural light—whether that’s in the open outdoors, or indoors with light filtering in through a window. If necessary I will apply a gentle dose of fill flash, but I find that elaborate lighting setups take away from the organic sponteneity, and therefore the authenticity, of the shoot.
In terms of the portrait itself, I will have some initial questions for you. For example, would you prefer a close-up or environmental portrait (where, for instance, you’re shown at your workplace, in a park, or engaged in your favorite hobby)? Are there any props you want to include in the picture? The answers to these questions will help us decide on a location for the shoot, and will allow me to figure out some technical and lighting issues beforehand. Once we get these and a few other considerations out of the way, we can set a date for the actual shoot.
But the first step is to complete the form below to set up a consultation and/or ask any questions. I look forward to hearing from you!