Now that I have started to tweet (@Lisaberg1), I want a place that allows me more than 140 characters to think and talk. There’s so many components that go into photography but it all comes down to making great images.
I had the pleasure of working with Ines and her grandson, Marcos, in late afternoon light by the Hudson River. Marcos is a model by profession, but I was also struck by Ines’s elegance and beauty. She was visiting Marcos from Argentina, and for many women (like those in the U.S.), laugh lines, wrinkles and crows feet are seen as ‘a problem’ from aging that needs to be fixed (whether through plastic surgery or Photoshop). However, her face and character reflected the large life she has led and is still leading. My goal was to capture that, as well as her close relationship with Marcos.
I felt that natural, end-of-the-day light would emphasize who she is as opposed to any artificial lighting. Shooting right before dusk, during this ‘golden hour’ is unique. Like those special moments in life, it’s fleeting, lasting only a few short minutes.
Retouching is so commonplace that I automatically put the image in Photoshop and clicked on the blur tool. It seemed second nature to me. However, I looked again at the image and stopped myself immediately. I saw that there was nothing to ‘clean up.’ To alter anything on her face would alter her beauty and her being. It’s such a strong and true image.