SashaManuel.com

As someone drawn to colours, I’ve always had this fascination with mixing and matching, identifying which ones will make the whole thing work and what won’t. This applies to styling, for both personal and work, and to composing photographs.

I play with light. Still not very good at it but I’m learning. I appreciate how applying light in varied amounts can change a photograph. Ambient is always preferred but experimenting on various lightning techniques have allowed me to see its advantages, too.

Portraiture is a tricky field in photography. The subject is capable of changing the mood of your photo. Humans are a very dynamic specie; emotions and personality can be captured in a single photo. That’s probably why I’m drawn to it. I love studying human behaviour and I do enjoy getting to know my subjects. You’ll notice that the less comfortable the subject is around me, the poorer the photo I’d be able to take. I can try dissecting it further but I’d rather not.

And then there’s the location. Another element in taking portraits that you will need to pay close attention to. Unlike studios, where you can actually control the light, location shoots can prove to be challenging. You’ve got to be conscious of the time when the light is best for that perfect photograph. Of course, we all know we can’t stop time while we figure out what to do, right?

Last portrait I took was last month. I miss taking portraits.

Trivia: Photo taken on the sands of Bohol Beach Club around noon-ish, April 2007. Thanks for being a good sport, A!

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