When it comes to photography, Mark Bryant, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., has done a little bit of everything. Based in Missoula, Montana, the two-time PPA Diamond Photographer of the Year has robust portfolios of commercial, architectural, and fine art images. But it’s in his insightful portraits where all these disciplines unite. By combining skills from multiple specialties—and not being afraid to break a rule or two—he strikes a delicate balance between artistry and technique where stunning, dramatic portraits emerge with astounding regularity.
COLLABORATIVE GIVE-AND-TAKE
The concept for a portrait emerges from conversations Bryant has with his clients prior to their sessions along with his own ideas. “In most situations, I’m pretty comfortable directing the situation, directing the vision,” he says. “However, it’s really important to listen to the clients’ vision as well, and honor what they want.”
During the session, Bryant builds confidence and a sense of collaboration. If the client has strong opinions about the portrait, he photographs them the way they want, following their ideas, and then asks them to trust him while he tries his vision for the portrait. “I am who I am, but I can be flexible based on their vision,” he says. “The collaboration can go in so many different directions based on the client, so the process doesn’t always look the same. The key is to find some common ground that you can build on and make them feel as important a part of the project as you are.”
RULE-BREAKING DRAMA
Bryant has adapted a variety of approaches from his commercial work for use with his portrait work. His lighting in particular often borrows from commercial lighting setups. He doesn’t feel bound by traditional portrait lighting, instead preferring to use different techniques to elicit a certain feeling.
“I might be able to apply a little bit more of a commercialized look but still evoke some kind of mood that will elevate the portrait to where I want it to be,” he says. “I like drama in a portrait, so I’m always asking myself how I can keep that drama where the person is the main character but surrounded by the overall feeling of the portrait.”
Sometimes creating that drama involves using techniques that stray from standard photographic rules, from manipulation of lighting ratios to non-traditional color harmony to unconventional leading lines. For Bryant, that’s OK. “That’s all part of building drama,” he says. “Technique is very important, but evoking emotion is much harder and ultimately more important to the portrait.”
As a photographic competition judge, Bryant certainly knows the rules that govern a good portrait, but he likes to break them to create tension that encourages people to take another look. For example, he might play with compositions that veer away from the standard rule-of-thirds portrait, like cropping the image across the subject’s forehead or eliciting a traditionally “masculine” pose for a woman. He may pose a group so everyone is looking toward the middle. Whatever it is, Bryant says he is always looking to incorporate a twist on how things are normally done. This sets a mood and causes people to question what they’re seeing.
PUSHING FURTHER
Experimentation is critical to Bryant’s process. He captures what’s expected first, making sure he’s covering the standard bases, and then pushes further. Sometimes this means little movements, slight adjustments in posing. Sometimes it means a more dramatic shift in the portrait’s concept or an entirely new lighting setup. It’s all a process of trying to find out more about his client so he can create something interesting that fits who they are.
“I’m looking for something different, a sense of confidence, or mystery, something that works,” he says. “I never want to stop at the standard look that delivers a salable portrait. I know a portrait is a true representation of who a person is, but it’s also a representation of how the photographer sees them. So, I try to get a feeling of who they are before putting my stamp on things.”
To do this, Bryant gets his subjects talking. If he can get them comfortable talking about themselves, he learns pretty much all he needs to know. It’s not a complex process—maybe a little bit of background research, then asking some questions and giving them a platform to share. The key is to be a listener, not a talker, he says.
From there, he tries out different things during the session, continually gauging what makes his clients comfortable or uncomfortable. He wants their confidence high, in themselves and in him, so he’s looking for posing and portrait concepts that reinforce that confidence. It can be a balancing act between boosting client confidence while ever-so-gently expanding their comfort zones to try more innovative concepts. However, Bryant has found that if he starts simple, moves slow, and covers the safe options first, he can establish trust and get client buy-in for something beyond the average.
All the while, he’s making adjustments on the fly. However, he prefers not to explain what he’s doing so his clients don’t get distracted by the technical details. “I don’t want them thinking about the process,” he says. “If they start thinking too much about what I’m trying to do, they tend to overthink it. To prevent that, I have to be completely engaged with them. That is the difference between being good technically and really connecting with the person on the other side of the camera.”
A STYLE OF YOUR OWN
For portrait photographers looking to add depth to their work, Bryant stresses the importance of finding a style of your own, but not getting stuck in that style. “You need to have a complete understanding of lighting, lighting ratios, color harmony, composition, and then be confident enough in yourself to break those rules if it works for you in certain instances,” he says. “Don’t be safe all the time. Venture as far away as you can if you’re creating something that doesn’t need to be technically perfect. I find that a photographer’s vision is as important as all the rules. The question is, what are you willing to do to communicate that vision and create something extraordinary?”
Jeff Kent is editor-at-large.
Tags: portrait photography
