Macdonell Photography, Toronto, ON

Ever since I interned with Yousuf Karsh in the summer of 1980, portraiture has been my preference and mainstay. Commercial photography came easy to me in photography school and I do practice some today for my clients as added service but portraiture has a whole other dimension. Portraiture still requires perspective and scale, but adding the human element brings in many dimensions rarely considered. I view portrait photography like a film director would, talking, relaxing, cajoling my subject through the session for a defining result. I understand the shoot must be fun, and I take as much time as necessary. I like to hear about my subject's history, desires and suggestions while setting up. Sometimes most of the shoot is spent setting up and talking, and the final shot is like an after thought. I love when this happens.