Friday, January 16, 2015

Is it okay to photograph people from behind?


Some photographers think that photographing people from behind is a common mistake. The main part of a person’s body is the head (and the face), so you must never take photographs from behind.


Some photographers take photos of people from behind because they are shy to face them.

Others (and I) think that sometimes you don’t need a face in a shot to create interest.

Sometimes when you look forward the scene is nice but ordinary. And the things from behind can be very interesting.

“I have nothing in my hand”.

 I liked how this young woman was playing with her horses. She decided to have a lunch and demonstrated her empty right hand to the horses, hiding her left hand with something eatable in it.

Sometimes the subject may have passed the photographer (even a good one with his/her camera ready) before he/she had a chance to shoot from the front.

"Two by two"

 It was an interesting scene: two bridegrooms, two brides and two photographers… They were looking for the beautiful place to take photos… (And found Opéra de Monte-Carlo after a couple of minutes…)



“He and she”.

It is said that photography inspired Impressionists to represent momentary action in the day-to-day lives of people. And I could say that was inspired by Impressionists …


The summer vacation.

The warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea… Tossa de Mar, Catalonia, Spain
When you see this little girl from behind, without an identifiable face to focus on, she becomes the symbol of childhood. So the photograph is not the portrait of a certain girl, but the image of childhood or the symbol of summer vacation.


“Little Red Riding Hood”.

This young girl wearing a red hat and her boyfriend appeared at the right time… I included them into my image with pleasure…



“Let us dream”.

When the viewers don’t see a face in a photograph, they are encouraged to take the place of the subject in their imagination.

Takeaway points: 
You might like to take portraits of people showing their eyes and smiles. And sometimes you might like to photograph people from behind,  discovering something new.

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