There is a saying that most doctors make bad patients, and in that vein I think most photographers make awkward subjects. Most of us photographers don’t like being seen in front of the camera. Therefore, I am always a little hesitant about doing portraits for other photographers.
One day a photographer I really respect, named Kathleen Dreier, contacted me and asked if I would be willing to take some portraits for her professional work. I was honored that she thought of me for this project but then I got a little worried.
Kathleen is a well known member of the Tucson community and she covers a lot of the events here in Tucson. She specializes in a documentary style of photography that seeks to capture the essence of the moment that people are experiencing. She has a real sensitivity for the people she photographs coupled with a strong sense of curiosity about their story and their lives. You can find more of her work on her website at http://www.kathleendreier.com/ or on her Facebook page.
So needless to say I was a little nervous about this. I wanted to give Kathleen something that she would be really proud of and that truly captured her personality and spirit.
We enlisted Kristopher Osuna for hair and makeup duties and then set a date for the shoot. From the time Kathleen arrived she totally destroyed the myth about photographers making bad subjects. We had a great time and the whole shoot was very relaxed and filled with a lot of laughter.
We did most of the work in the studio and then at the very end we went out in my front yard and shot a few shots in the street as the sun was going down.
So Kathleen – thank you for trusting me to do this project and for making it easy on me by being willing to let your spirit shine in front of my camera.
