“A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he’s being photographed, and what he does with this knowledge is as much a part of the photograph as what he’s wearing or how he looks. He’s implicated in what’s happening, and he has a certain real power over the result.”

~ Richard Avedon

The portraits in eyes of a stranger are the collaborative efforts between photographer and subject that Avedon is talking about. The photographer reacts to the subject through the lens of the camera; the subject reacts by presenting himself in a way that largely determines the outcome of the experience and the photograph.

“Rolfe Ross and I usually make our pictures quickly and without a lot of preparation,” says photographer Michael Poster. “We do not work in a studio, arrange lighting or dictate poses so the subject retains a substantial portion of control over the resulting image. It’s always surprising to me how generous and trusting strangers can be about offering themselves to the camera. Rolfe and I take that generosity and trust seriously; it inspires us to make honest pictures.”

eyes of a stranger
July 2 - September 2
Reception August 1, 6:00 - 9:00pm
Camerawork Gallery
Downstairs, in the Marquis Gallery
at the Laundry Building
515 Center Street, Scranton, PA 18503

Posted on July 2