Taking portraits in context brings a richness to the image, often because there is so much story to be told. Rather than a simple head and shoulders picture, you can see the life laid out as the details emerge. I was concentrating on this when taking pictures of two older pharmacists. One was in his carefully curated home with images of family, and the other was surrounded by his interests. The differences between the close ups and the wider views are obvious. I took all of the images in this post with two speedlites to enable sharper pictures than could have been the case with natural light.
Now see the wider picture…
Orchids, pictures of his children and grandchildren and a much-loved vase contribute to the detail.
Head and shoulders work well but…
Stand him up, and his surroundings pose and posture tell us more about him. He spent his working life in a community pharmacy, and then retired to provide service to a hospital pharmacy instead! He worked well past the normal retirement age.
My other subject was a pharmacist who moved into supplying high-end cameras, and from there, became involved with a firm manufacturing sewing machines. He sold these all over the world. These things are happy memories for him.
Just a piece of his history is seen here but moving back you get a broader view.
The room is full of things that have real meaning and his collections tell you more about him. Turing through 180 degrees…
A close look suggests he likes books and music but a wider approach shows how much.
His collection of records, CDs and books is very large and he has built up expertise and specialist equipment over a lifetime. Hard to believe that he is still working part-time!
Two lives very well lived surrounded by what matters to them.
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