‘1001a’
courtesy of ‘dr_kim_veis [”o ]’

I’m fascinated, endlessly so, by good portrait photography. It is but a moment in the life of a person — sometimes a stranger, others someone we know, but only through the spotlight. That moment is often telling. The individual’s character, their outlook on life, even their mood are forever immortalized in one sixtieth of a second. The portrait also reflects on the photographer, perhaps in a more subtle way. What does their use of color, light, and framing convey?

Dirk Mevis‘s portrait leapt out at me from the We <3 DC pool. His use of light to highlight not just his subject but also the tableau around her is subtle, yet eye popping. The subject is also intriguing: what’s she looking at? Is she worried? What is she waiting for? And what do those wilted flowers add to the picture? And the darkness?

A good portrait leaves the subject as much a mystery as before. Maybe even more so. This one is worth seeing large.

Samer Farha

Born in Lebanon, Samer moved to DC to go to college. A lot of good that did him. Twenty-two years later, he still lives in the area. When he’s not writing for a blog or tweeting incessantly, he wanders the streets (and the globe) photographing whatever gets in his way.