Photographic portraits and personality

I think one reason we love portraits, is that we see them as portrayals of the essence of a person. And yet a photograph can only show the outside – even what we might interpret from the look in an eye, is only a guess based on our own evaluation. This was particualrly brought home to me recently when taking photos of someone who doesn’t have good control of her facial muscles – what looks like a fierce glare may actually be a benign glance.

This summer, I started a project photographing people together with a mirror showing what lies in their heart.
What would you choose to show? It brought home to me how difficult it might be to choose one thing or person to show as in one’s heart.
You can see more of these portraits, and others, at my upcoming exhibition in Siegburg, from November 2016.