Jonathan Yeo

I recently watched an interview between Michael Parkinson and Jonathan Yeo. Yeo is a self taught portrait artist who has painted a number of celebrities. During the interview we were offered a glimpse into the way he worked and perhaps for the portrait photographer his most telling remark was that he does not start painting immediately but spends a couple of days getting to know his subject so that he gets to 'meet' the real person as opposed to the public face normally seen. For the portrait photographer this offers an interesting challenge. Usually photography is seen as an almost immediate art and it would be unusual for either photographer or subject to anticipate a session lasting more than a few hours at the most. How then is it possible to get a photograph of the 'real' person. My guess is that it is not possible. The photographer may shoot more than a hundred images in a relatively short period of time and then choose a selection to show to the client who generally has the final say. It may be the case that one or two do show the real person but that may not be what the subject will choose who is seeking the most flattering or representative of how he sees himself.

One of the most difficult parts of person photography, I have found, is to get the person being photographed not to adopt a pose. I recently spent most of a day at a re-enactment presentation at a local stately home. The periods covered was the Tudors, Victorians and the Second World War. All the re-enactors were volunteers some with previous experience in the roles they were portraying (i.e. they had played the roles before not actually been there!) Without exception every time I, or the other photographers, pointed the camera at them they would stop what ever they were doing and pose. They then became mannequins in a shop window or museum case - they lost their personality. I found two things worked. Firstly, if the chance was there, I would engage them in conversation as though they were what they purported to be - even to adopting their language style. (I can now speak fluent 'Tudor' and recognise and use the social divisions of the particular time). I would keep the conversation going until another member of the public started to join in the conversation then I would disengage and start shooting. The other method was to become inconspicuous which is quite an achievement for someone my size. Here I studied the interaction of the group (there is consistency because they are playing a role and have to think about what they are doing) and found a position where I would not be in anyones direct line of sight and then took the photographs.

There was one piece of good fortune. A family member (a young girl about 10 years of age) was having her photograph taken by her grandmother. Although the girl was not part of the re-enactment she was dressed as a maid of the Victorian period. I found through observing what was happening that the elder family member would take the photograph using an iPad and then show it to the rest of the family. Once attention was elsewhere the young girl carried on playing the part as she imagined it would happen. She was totally absorbed in what she was doing and so she was the maid and behaved accordingly. It was at that point that I took my photographs.

Two points of interest during the Yeo interview the first of which was his view that the eyes were the key to a successful portrait. Luckily for him he could paint them as he thought they should be - a luxury not usually open to the photographer. Secondly, in response to a question from the audience, was to say that the young and developing artist should not mimic the work of others but to paint in the way that made them most comfortable. I could not agree more. It always seems to me that the insistence on study of other photographers is a necessity in becoming a good or even great photographer. The logic seems to me to be faulty as you are most likely to achieve the best you are capable of if you pursue a course that gives you the greatest satisfaction.