PHOTOGRAPHER: Darius Bashar
MODEL: Made Wade
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT:
My brain seeks structure and certainty. Maybe your brain works the same way - maybe not. There is comfort in creating a process that can be templated and reproduced every single time.
Each portrait I share, I also include lessons that I've learned, but the truth is I can't vouch for any of them. Not because they are not true, but rather because they are all contingent truths. Each shoot, each person and each moment is unique.
When I think back on my time with Made Wade, the moment that stands out the most was at the very end of our shoot. I've mentioned before that I intentionally take off my watch before I begin every shoot and try my best to let go of time. This is very hard for me, as my brain seeks structure and organization. The reason I do this is because it allows me to get lost with the person in front of my camera. It allows for deeper and more sincere connection. Rather than base my portrait session on an allotted time, I base it on energy. This approach requires me to pay very close attention to how we are both emotionally doing.
At the end of our shoot, I remember getting that familiar gut feeling of "we got it D...time to wrap". I looked up at Made and let him know that we were near the end. Then for the first time since we started the shoot, I looked at the time and I realized this was my fastest portrait ever. I shared that with Made, he then quickly asked "you sure we got it?" At that moment my brain and my heart had two very different answers. I took a moment, processed and then decided to go with my heart. When we reviewed the photos together that night, there was no doubt my heart had it right, we definitely got it!
ONE LESSON FROM THIS SHOOT:
Photography is not math. There are no absolutes. 2 + 2 is sometimes 5. You can't rely entirely on logic when it comes to things like photography... but also things like life. What works with one person won't necessarily work with another.