5 DECISIONS BEHIND EVERY PORTRAIT - The creative process of my portrait photography
A portrait doesn’t just happen. It is built through a series of choices. Before I press the shutter, I have usually already made several decisions. Not necessarily consciously. Not always in the same order. But they are there.
Which face do I want to photograph? Where do I want to photograph it? What light fits the idea?
Does the styling support the person? And finally: how much energy am I willing to bring into the room? For me, a portrait is never just about the camera. It is about the decisions that happen before the camera becomes important.
01 – I look for a face with character
For my portfolio work, I don’t photograph just anyone. That might sound obvious. But for me, it is one of the most important creative decisions. I look for a face that makes me stop. A face where I immediately think: „Wow. There is something there.“ Maybe it’s the eyes. Maybe it’s freckles. Maybe it’s a very strong, symmetrical face. Maybe it’s something I can’t quite explain. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a traditionally beautiful face. It has to be a face with character. Something that stays with you. I find people on the street. I find them through model agencies. Sometimes I see someone and immediately think: „I want to photograph that person.“
I choose very deliberately. Because my portfolio is not a collection of random faces. It represents my visual language. If I am a portrait photographer, then the person has to be part of the signature. The face is not something I put into the photograph. The face is where the photograph begins
02 – I choose to go outside
The second decision is simple: I want to go outside. Natural light is a huge part of how I see photography. I could build the light in a studio. I could control every variable. But that’s not what excites me most. I like walking outside and discovering what is already there. A wall. A reflection. A narrow street. A tree. A piece of glass. A patch of shadow. Something that wasn’t designed as a studio suddenly becomes one. And because the light outside is never completely under my control, I have to stay awake. I have to look. I have to react. That’s exactly what I like about it.
03 – I find the light that belongs to the idea
Once I know who I am photographing, I start looking for the light. Not just good light I am looking for the right light. I usually have an idea in my head. Maybe a moodboard. Maybe a feeling. Maybe just a vague image of what I want the final portrait to feel like.
Then I walk. I turn. I look at the shadows. I look at the reflections. I watch what the sky is doing. And eventually there is that moment when I think: Yes. That’s it. The light has to fit the person. And it has to fit the mood. Hard light can be right. Soft light can be right. Backlight can be right. Even light that technically shouldn’t work can be exactly what I need. I don’t look for the objectively best light. I look for the light that makes sense for this photograph.
04 – I look at the clothes
Then there is something else that can easily get overlooked: „What is the person wearing?“ The clothes don’t have to be spectacular. But they have to belong to the photograph. Sometimes the outfit is exactly what I imagined. Sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes one small change is enough. A different jacket. Another colour. Less styling. More simplicity. I look at the person, the face, the light and the mood and ask myself: „Does this all belong together?“ Because every element in a portrait should support the person. The clothes shouldn’t compete with the face. The colour shouldn’t fight the light. The styling shouldn’t destroy the mood. Everything has to work together. And that includes what happens later in post-production. I don’t believe in simply putting the same preset on every person. Different skin. Different hair. Different eyes. Different character. So I adapt the colour and grading to the individual. If someone has incredible eyes, I want the image to lead you there. If the freckles are what make the face special, I want to emphasize them. If the hair creates something unique, I want to see it. Not mass production. Individuality.
05 – I walk in with 100 percent
And then there is the decision that probably sounds the least technical. But it might be one of the most important: I bring everything I’ve got! I don’t believe I can walk into a shoot half interested and expect someone else to give me 100 percent. If I want energy from the person in front of my camera, I have to bring energy first. So I walk in with passion. With enthusiasm. With curiosity. With 100 percent. Because if I see a great photograph, I want them to know that I see it too. That energy can change something. You can see it happen. The person starts to believe you and then they start to believe in themselves and suddenly the photograph becomes different. This is not about being loud for the sake of being loud. It is about genuinely being excited about what you are creating. If I don’t believe in the photograph, why should they?
Five decisions. One photograph.
When you look at a finished portrait, you usually see one thing: the photograph. You don’t see all the decisions behind it. You don’t see me choosing the face. You don’t see me deciding to go outside. You don’t see me walking around looking for the right light. You don’t see me checking the clothes. And you don’t necessarily see the energy that went into making the person believe that the photograph could be great. But all of those things are inside the final image. That’s what makes photography interesting to me. The photograph isn’t created when I press the shutter. The shutter simply records the decisions I have already made. And maybe that’s what CREATE really means.
Not simply taking a picture. Choosing. Choosing the person. Choosing the place. Choosing the light. Choosing what belongs. And then choosing to give everything you have to the moment. Five decisions. One portrait. And hopefully, something that feels unmistakably like mine.
Then make the next decision.
