Rixt Photography

As a portrait photographer I search for the balance of intimacy between two strangers. In various cultures photographing a stranger is an infringement on their being, the photographer is seen and felt to snatch away a piece of the subjects persona. When I started I felt this exact emotion. It made me weary and insecure. I was taking away something from my subject. Through the years I have learned to accept that portrait photography is in some way similar to sitting down in a crowded subway and being aware that you are touching the person next to you. I learned that there is no acrimony in this. Infact it is precisely that sense of release, and the agreement to step up a level together, and in doing so discover what part of the subjects persona he or she is willing, needing and able to show and share. For a split second. The result is a unison of needs and means.