HISTORY IS ABOUT PEOPLE, AND PICTURES HAVE BEEN USED TO
a series of courses and workshops, primarily with the
DESCRIBE, COMMUNICATE, REMEMBER, AND CELEBRATE. THE CURRENT
Community College. My approach to portraiture is
FOCUS OF PHOTOGRAPHER ALAN PEARLMAN’S WORK IS PORTRAIT
faces and good light. In most of the photographs, the
PHOTOGRAPHY, A CONSCIOUS ACT THAT INVOLVES COOPERATION
what they do. Some of the portraits are of people
BETWEEN SUBJECT AND PHOTOGRAPHER. WITH PORTRAITURE, THE
encountered for the first time in the streets, shops,
IDEA IS TO USE THE SUBJECT’S LIKENESS TO COMMUNICATE THE ESSENCE
I’ve learned to work quickly since the subjects are often
OF THE PERSON IN THE PORTRAIT. HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON ONCE
outstanding past and current faculty at the Santa Fe straightforward and traditional. I look for interesting subjects’ clothing or the setting says something about I’ve met before, while many are of people that I have restaurants, galleries, clinics, and offices of Santa Fe. busy people in their workplace.
OTHER WORK
WROTE, “THE MOST DIFFICULT THING FOR ME IS THE PORTRAIT. YOU
In an ongoing project titled Land of Enchantment I’ve
HAVE TO TRY AND PUT YOUR CAMERA BETWEEN THE SKIN OF A PERSON
photography to explore the interface between the
AND HIS SHIRT.” IN SEPTEMBER, PEARLMAN WILL BE EXHIBITING SANTA
undeveloped beauty that remain in New Mexico. The
FE FACES AT VERVE GALLERY OF PHOTOGRAPHY, 219 EAST MARCY STREET,
destructive nature of these changes with the hope
SANTA FE. THE EXHIBITION RUNS FROM SEPTEMBER 6 TO NOVEMBER 2,
marginally successful efforts to curb them.
used the style of traditional black-and-white landscape developed landscape and the small areas of relatively goal of the project is to focus attention on the of contributing to the continuing but thus far only
WITH AN OPENING RECEPTION ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 5 TO 7 PM. LOOKING AT AUGUST SANDER
smile initially because that’s the expected behavior when
Over a period of almost fifty years, Sander produced
one is asked to be in a picture. That “camera face” is
thousands of portraits of the people of Germany for a
usually not of great interest. Through conversation and
documentary project he called People of the 20th Century.
direction, I work for an expression that I hope will engage
He used a large-format camera on a tripod and available
the viewer of the final print and remain true to the subject.
light. Since the speed of film at that time was relatively slow, the subjects were carefully posed and arranged
MY APPROACH
to accommodate long exposures. The subtle tonality of
I’ve been making photographs for a very long time,
Sander’s prints adds significantly to the compelling nature
but became seriously interested in portraiture through
of the portraits. Although some of his picture titles and aspects of his system of classification may seem quaint or even demeaning today, the photographic quality and the scope of the work provide us with an invaluable and artful record. Sander’s work has been an inspiration to many photographers, including myself. Through the portraits in my current series, Santa Fe Faces, I’ve tried to capture an instant in the city’s rich history and some of the fascinating diversity that is Santa Fe today.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHOTOGRAPHER AND SUBJECT In my view, the relationship should be an honest and respectful one. By definition, a portrait is a picture of a subject who has agreed to cooperate in the process and has thus put some trust in the photographer. To paraphrase Richard Avedon, every portrait should say something factual about the subject, even though it is impossible to
photograph by
capture the full truth in any picture. Most subjects will
Carolyn, 2009
Dana Waldon