September's edition of Photography Monthly featured a very interesting article about a self-taught photographer called Lee Jeffries who captures extraordinary portraits of mostly homeless people. PM describes these images as sinister but powerful, however I think they are stunning. They show a vulnerability and sadness that makes you feel their pain. Even the pictures of Roger Bannister and Ian Wright are soulful, and these are not people (that I am aware of) that are living rough in the streets. To get such expression in the photos he must have built up a relationship of trust with his subjects.
I have often seen faces that are interesting, even intriguing, although not necessarily beautiful in the stereotypical fashion sense, but was too shy to ask if I could take their photo, although in my mind I imagined how they would look as a gritty b&w portrait similar to Jeffries' images. In fact, in Russia, about 20 year ago, I saw an old babushka, whose face had more wrinkles than a walnut, and I had a b&w film in my camera. When I asked her if I could take her photo, she replied that she wasn't a monument and no I couldn't!
Jeffries uses a handheld reflector to illuminate the face and retain detail, a 24mm lens and ISO 100. He also uses a wide aperture to focus on the eyes, and soften the rest of the face, generally underexposes the shot and uses a very plain background to avoid distractions.
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