Challenging Portrait sessions

I was  recently asked to make a print of a portrait I did in 2007. I had asked several friends to let me photograph them in exchange for an 8 X 10 because at the time I was just building up my portfolio.

The young man in this picture was hating every minute of the session. I tried to work as fast as I could because he just wasn't holding it together very well.  I managed to get several good shots nonetheless. There was no way I was going to get him to smile so I just went with whatever pose he gave me.

Like my son, he was also autistic, which made it even more challenging. Trying to work fast and making sure he knew what to expect was key. Just like whenever I try to take pics of my son, it was important to get him into some sort of comfort zone...even if it's just for a few minutes to get some level of cooperation. I was actually surprised I was able to take as many pics as I did. I worked with him for approximately 15 minutes.

Getting up high and turning the camera slightly gave me something a little more interesting than just a straight on frowny-face. At one point I played with the photo in Photoshop to "give" him a smile. The best I could get was a smirk, but it just wasn't him.