Photograpy for Me

 

Everyday people. For over forty years this has been the focus

of my photography. Men, women and children, young folks

and old, folks of every persuasion and all walks of life, white,

black, red, brown and yellow whom have drawn me to capture

and portray them on film and digitally.

Since 1822 and the invention of photography, the rich and famous

have long since been sought after, highlighted and promoted by

photographers around the world. Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison,

Walt Whitman, Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, Madame Curie, Emily

Dickinson and many others were brought into the eye of the public

at large through books, newspapers and photography.

Since I was a young man in the early 1970s, I have had an avid

interest in the diversity of people and their cultures. I was often

criticized by my first wife and others for taking photographs of

non-family members and friends. Who wants to look at pictures

of people they don’t know? It’s a waste of time and money. But I

was not to be discouraged or deterred.

I took my camera with me to every festival and fair. Much of the

time when I was simply out-and-about, my camera went with me,

and was slung over my shoulder ever at the ready. I did not hesitate

taking random, candid shots of interesting subjects, or asking the

unsuspecting bystanders if I could take their picture which oft-

times puzzled them. I like your outfit, or you have a striking stature

or an appealing face, I would explain.

I did not preclude taking shots of family or people I knew. I had

to make sure all of my subjects posed naturally according to their

current time and place, but with sincerity whether seriously somber

or silly. It’s the love gleam between lovers, the facial similarity

shared by mother and daughter, the inseparable bond between friends,

the close-up glare of hopeless despair, the expression of inner-peace

and tranquility. Unique and beautiful faces all.

My goal is to capture the honest essence personality of my

subject, portraits exuding character and individuality not a pre-

determined, stilted snapshot is a must for me. Wait for it…

There, right there! No, “Say cheese!” from me.

                                 

Chris Hanch 10-17-2023