Portrait: ‘In what sense can a literal image express the inner world and being of an individual befo

I agree that candid photos are definitely more likely to show the real person, while planned, deliberate photos can create tension and lead to the subject 'putting on a mask'.The extant to which people feel the strain on camera, of course is different. It depends both on the person, the photographer and relationship between them (or lack of thereof).Here are two photos of girls wearing kimonos in Asakusa, Tokyo that I took recently - one is candid, the other is not. I think the difference is clear.

t doesn't mean that the girls in the candid shot are more fun or more interesting, it just shows difference between deliberately posing for a portrait and just ignoring the lens. Another interesting point, in my opinion is how the proliferation of cellphone photography affects people today.

To me it seems that some people are much more relaxed while 'on camera' due to photography being so commonplace, while others simply seem to be 'wearing a mask' almost all the time. Some people lose their inhibitions about being photographed, while others become all too seal-conscious, always ready to pose.

My response;

very interesting point you have raised about the candid image. I was wondering if you feel that even taking a candid image with the subject not necessarily paying attention to the photographer can be truly a "literal" representation of them. With so many factors like your own interest and fascination, could you still be glorifying or over exerting a situation due to your own needs for taking the image ?.