Portrait Research

Having never done photography before, I found it rather difficult to think of cool creative ideas for this portrait project. However, thanks to my friend (Carrie) who inspired me with a piece that she had done last year, where she explores portraiture through dance sequences - using a slow shutter speed and strobe lighting to create this effect.

I love the effect this technique has, as it cleverly shows movement in a single photo. To me, the models in Carrie's photos look free; I would like to attempt to show freedom through movement in a single photo. To achieve this, I believe that I would need to lower the shutter speed and increase the exposure.


I began my research by investigating photographs that had a long exposure. I discovered that most of these photos were quite dismal - the expressions on the models faces were bleak and empty. This is where I realised that getting my model to dance around should hopefully create a more joyful image.

The first photographer I explored was Bill Wadman, who shot portraits of dancers with a slow shutter speed, capturing their every move creating a blur. When viewing his work, it looks as though the dancer is moving from one form to another; there is usually two sides to a person.

I furthered my research by investigating another photographer (Johan Lindqvist) whom also uses a slow shutter speed to capture movement through dance. I like how Lindqvist is able to capture the dance as a blur, whilst still having the models face looking directly at the camera - clear. This is something that I would like to replicate.