Bronze Bullwinkle Brother Moose
Vail, Colorado February 2012; Winter Photo Walk. This creature’s striking features combined with its natural pose provided me the opportunity to capture its well rehearsed “serious look.” One of the more difficult obstacles for photographers to overcome, especially in portrait work, is getting clients to just be themselves allowing the camera to “like them.” Surely, at one time or another each of you has heard the expression, “the camera likes… so-n-so.” Plainly, this moose does not suffer from the anxiety often associated with having one’s picture taken; anxiety that often destroys otherwise worthy images. I should mention, however, that being a life-size bronze statue does have its advantages in this regard. The likelihood of repeatedly capturing compelling images is significantly increased when photographers first focus on their clients’ uneasiness with being photographed. Ironically, the simple suggestion of them pretending to be someone else (usually a famous person works best) is a great tool for helping clients become more comfortable in front of the camera, i.e. take better pics! One could, I suppose, just as surely suggest they imagine being a carefree bronze moose.
