Portrait Photography | Dawoud Bey

What I really likes about his style of work is the way he makes you feel a connection with the person in the photo. It really brought me back to when I was in high school and made me remember all the different people that I had in my classes. You’re looking at these people you have never met and yet you almost feel like you know them because you remember someone that was similar to them. You can make out the popular person, or the gothic person or even that shy girl that never talked to anyone. You look at them and it reminds you of that person that you knew. Bey does a very good job lighting his subject and making them stand out against the harsh distracting environment behind them. The lighting that he uses is very soft and almost feels like window light. The way he positions his subjects compliments the type of person that they are. The subjects all have a story about who they are and what they have been through. The photos Bey took almost make you want to learn more about the person to see who they are. Im also very impressed at how little time he had to work with and the fact that he was able to learn the person and figure out a position that best compliments them.

One thought on “Portrait Photography | Dawoud Bey

  1. rmichals

    Bey’s agenda is to make you like these students. He wants to challenge negative stereotypes about young people and I think he succeeds. The lighting is fantastic. It does not call attention to itself and I agree at first seems like it is natural light.

    Bey in the video attributes his ability to work fast to his time doing street photography. Whether or not you want to be a street photographer per se, I agree with him that doing some street photography improves timing and composition skills.

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