Telling a Story with a Portrait

Berkley Chop Shop barber Ed Jablonski relaxes in his chair as he waits for his next client. Jablonski's rockabilly look combined with the vintage atmosphere of the Berkley Chop Shop make for a sharp image.

Ed "Eddie Bones" Jablonski

On the docket this week was portrait photography. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But each person on this planet has a story and it likely cannot be told in just a thousand words. The challenge in portrait photography is telling a person’s story with just an image.

I’ve always loved seeing rugged black and white photos of interesting people, where the shadows fall deep into the wrinkles of their face as if to expose a lifetime of hardships and struggle. Or when the light bounces gracefully off of someone’s eyes, so that even the most intimidating person’s warmth can be felt through the image.

I knew creating a photo like those I’d admired would be tough. When we got the assignment a few people came to mind that I knew would be interesting to photograph. Given the right amount of time in their environment, I was confident I would come up with something special.

The first person I wished to photograph was the owner Found Sound, a record store in Ferndale. I imagined the colorful background of albums and how that medium of recording art compared to the medium of photography. Unfortunately he had the day off when I stopped in, and I wasn't feeling the vibe to photograph the other workers.

The next person that came to mind was my barber at The Chop Shop in Berkley. It is a vintage style barbershop, complete with old-school chairs, craftsmen tool chests, and a rockabilly vibe. While it seems like a hip and intimidating place to some, it is small room full of genuine conversation and laughing families being made to look their sharpest.

On the day I came in, my barber was also off that day. Each of the other barbers has their own unique character and story, and probably the most intriguing of the bunch was Eddie. He happened to be available for a few moments as he waited for his next client.

Eddie can usually be seen parking his motorcycle up front, and suavely gliding into the shop. His arms are covered with tattoos, his jeans are cuffed over his boots, and on this day he sported a vintage western-style hat. He asked if he should remove his hat for the photos and I told him definitely not.

I quickly posed him in his chair right at the front window of the shop. The room is very small and it was tricky to get a good distance away, at the right angle, all while avoiding my reflection in the many mirrors throughout the shop. I hunched as far into the window as I could, or as far back from his chair – almost into the lap of another client who was getting their haircut – as I snapped his photos. Just as I asked for one additional pose, his client walked in. Without wanting to impeded his business, I took a few close up shots and got out of his way.

The toughest part of this assignment was going into the persons environment and asking to take a moment of their time. The right angle, figuring out the settings on the camera to adjust to the lighting, and getting the subject to feel comfortable and natural is also tricky.

While I think my images are good, I really would’ve like some more time to try different poses, angles, and get him to feel more comfortable in front of the camera. The pressure of his client waiting weighed on me and I felt like I would be overstaying my welcome if I pressed on.

In the end, he seemed excited to see what I shot, and he gave me his Instagram info so that I could share it with him. While I knew the assignment would be challenging, I wasn’t sure what aspect would be the most challenging.

I think the experience helped me in knowing what to aim for next time I wish to take someone’s photo in their environment and I will be better prepared for it. Coming up with natural poses is something for me to work on. As well as playing with settings to help the images pop.