The Human Connection
Portrait photography presents a unique opportunity to understand and showcase representation. Every photographer has a different understanding of what it means to be represented and every photographer approaches representation differently.
What elements establish a “human connection”? It is a broad topic that covers a lot of ground. In the case of this article, the human connection relates to portrait photography and how photographers use their visual expertise to represent themselves and others. Although each image is categorized under the umbrella term of portraiture, there are embedded messages and narratives described within the subtle and bold details. It is because of these elements that a human connection can be established between the portrait and the viewer.
We have identified photographers that use portraits for different representations and purposes, including:
- Gender/sexuality identities.
Asian American Representation.
Native Americans.
Humanitarian/Geographic.
Occupational.
African American New Yorkers.
Women, Mothers, and Daughters.
- Catherine Opie
Catherine Opie’s photographs from the early 90s seek to understand sexuality in different communities. Moreover, she investigates the questions surrounding relationships, communities, and how they may intersect. Through portraiture of those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, Opie is able to capture separate identities and explore the ways in which sexuality may or may not play a leading role in one’s identity.
Opie’s workwork seeks to understand the importance in sexuality within one’s identity and her portraiture explores the different dimensions of identities. Her photographs capture the essence of identity through her subjects who become vulnerable in their own right. Opie represents a part of the LGBTQ+ community by giving them a voice in the medium of portrait photography.
Many of her portraits capture the essence of individuals and groups. Angela Scheirl, pictured above, sits before Opie’s camera dressed in a suit and tie. The attire is traditionally worn by men, but Sheirl poses confidently as if she feels comfortable wearing the suit and tie.
2. Tommy Kha
Tommy Kha’s self portraits seek to rectify society’s wrongdoings when it comes to how queer Asian Americans are represented. Instead of finding other voices to talk for him, Kha uses self portraits to represent himself the way he wants to be represented, not the way Western society views his identity.
Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee as a queer Asian American proved to be difficult as he didn’t have an outlet to express himself without being discriminated against. Since moving to Brooklyn, New York, Kha has found inspiration in editing his photography to give his audience a preview of his personal identity and how he describes his photographic language. Instead of leaving room for vast interpretation, Kha edits his photos by including his face and body parts to control how others see him. In his work, Kha controls the narrative and allows other to see him how he sees himself.
3. Martine Gutierrez
The photograph is part of Martine Gutierrez’s magazine Indigenous Woman. The image was made in 2016 but was not printed until 2019. It is a 54” x 36” (137.2 × 91.4 cm) photograph. The medium used by Gutierez is a chromogenic print mounted on Sintra (Whitney.org, 2021). Gutierez wanted to capture the “high-fashion glamour, as well as humor and the absurd” (Aperture, 2021). Showing identity as a way to be expressed, formed, and exchanged while also subverting the Western standard of beauty that is shown in many popular magazines. This emphasizes how many different biases are intertwined in our everyday media consumption.
4. Edward Curtis
The photograph is 9 7/8 x 7 5/8 inches with borders and was created using toned platinum prints. In this image, Geronimo (subject) was 76 years old and was taken the day before the inauguration of President Roosevelt in Pennsylvania. This rare border print was part of Edward Sheriff Curtis’s Portraits from North American Indian Life, p., 173 and Visions of a Vanishing Race, p. 19.
5. Lisa Kristyne
Meet Kofi.
Kofi is from a small town in the country of Ghana where he was taken from his family at the tender age of four so he could be used for child slavery on Lake Volta (Freedom — Ghana, 2020). Soon after his enslavement, he was rescued and taken to a rehabilitation shelter. At this point of time, he was finally reunited with his family.
The purpose behind Lisa Kristyne’s work is to create a human connection through her portraits that may not always be physically possible to experience as she “seeks to unify humanity and inform the viewer of the tangible humanness of individuals enslaved today (Slavery — Standard
Book, 2020). At first glance, one would probably not guess the story of five-year-old Kofi and all that he has endeavored in a matter of a short period of time. This is why there is such an utter amount of importance with having a name or in this case a narrative to a face. Kristyne quickly discovered that “the beauty of the photograph lies within the moment that people view the image and they have a visceral (a deep inward feeling) response.”
Lisa Kristyne’s work as a humanitarian photographer encapsulates the detail of people’s cultural influence and she further explained how she uses her lens to “reveal the common thread of what makes us human” Lisa Kristyne’s work carries great depth, contrast, and space just like the other portrait works of Richard Avedon and James Van Der Zee. Each portrait is its own fingerprint that has a different representation, narrative, mood, and purpose. As Kristyne wisely indicated, there are “lessons to be learned from humanity’s relationship with nature and our relationship with each other” (de la Photographie, 2021).
6. Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon was widely known for his American West Series of Portraits. This collection depicts what ordinary peoples lives consisted of and how their occupations intertwined with their identity. We as society, depend on some of these workers who we know nothing about. For others, growing up in the American West paints a complete different picture compared to those that live in other parts of the country.
Within Avedon’s portraits, we get a more intimate look into how people’s occupations shape their emotions, looks, demeanor, etc. Avedon has a distinct starch white background which allows there to be a narrowed focus on the subject themselves. Without having a brief description of the image’s context, the images would not have as much identification or human connection due to not knowing the person’s name or occupation.
7. James VanDerZee
The work done by James VanDerZee was solely focused on capturing portrait shots of African American New Yorkers. He specifically wanted to bring to light the continual growth of Harlem’s middle class. VanDerZee noticed that there was a lack of representation and odd generalization of what the African American class consisted of. They were not simply a poor classification of people; they were much more than that. James Van Der Zee took interest in
studio and staged images where there was representation of elegance, class, and structure just like the image Lady with Wide-Brimmed Straw Hat.
As documented in an array of his work, he was determined to encapsulate his subject’s personality, character, and intrinsic beauty which all lead to the depiction of ones identity and the human connection element. This was a chance for African Americans and the whole world for that matter, to see themselves framing the celebration of Harlem. VanDerZee’s work and influence traveled far outside the Harlem city limits. In turn, VanDerZee capitalized his career by going down in history as the one who produced the most comprehensive documentation of this period of history.
8. Sally Mann
Candy Cigarette is an image captured by Sally Mann in 1989. This image is a gelatin silver print. Most of Mann’s images are captured at her rural Virginia home and capture images of her children as they act out social roles. Mann’s images often raise questions regarding emotion and identity. However, her subject choice of her own children also suggests the importance of family. Mann is able to express human connection not only within her portraits but also when looking at how they relate to society.
9. Dorothea Lange
Migrant Mother is an image captured by Dorothea Lange in 1936. This image is a gelatin silver print that was printed in 1949. Within the image, we see the maternal connection between this mother and her three children. Through lighting, contrast, and posture, Lange is able to express the significance of the bond between this mother and her children. While Lange captures the physical connection between the subjects, the mother’s expression also captures the emotional connection that this family shares.
10. Anna Gaskell
Untitled #2 (Wonder) is an image captured by Anna Gaskell in 1996. Gaskell often plays with narratives and references the games, behavior, literature, and psychology of pre-adolescent girls. Untitled #2 is an image from Gaskell’s Wonder series that captures two young women reenacting a scene from Alice in Wonderland. As one twin initiates mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the other, the image feels very intimate, highlighting the significance of human connection within portraiture. The sense of embrace within the image also provides a very strong sense of connection and bond between the two subjects.
With contributions made by John Guerra, Megan Summers, and CC Yin.