A portrait is never just a face — it's a feeling, a story, a soul. The truest test of a portrait isn't whether a relative says 'that looks like them.' It's whether a stranger feels they've met the person.
It's whether a stranger feels they've met the person.
Realism and intuition
I approach portraiture by blending realism with intuition. Accuracy matters — the set of an eye, the weight of a jaw, the way a hand rests. But accuracy is only the doorway. The room beyond is the subject's inner life.
Before I draw a line, I spend time with reference photos and, when possible, with the person. I'm looking for the micro-expressions that repeat — the half-smile that surfaces when they forget the camera, the angle of the head when they're thinking. Those are the truths worth keeping.
When someone tells me they pray to a portrait, or that a piece now hangs where the family gathers, I know the work has done what portraiture is for: holding a presence steady, so others can return to it again and again.
