Portraits

Faces speak volumes.

Shooting a music show recently, I was unexpectedly made aware of how expressive we can be and how we interpret those facial expressions. Some faces welcome and invite you in, others are guarded, some are downright hostile. A smile lights up almost anyone save the most disagreeable among us. A musician on stage and performing, lost in his or her art, is hardly aware of what his or her face is saying - we are treated to grins and grimaces, to struggle and rock hard determination, to ecstasy and exhaustion - all accented by light and color, shadow and sound, impossible to capture. Next to these expressions, talent can almost become secondary. The lens sees what it sees, no more, no less - and it records as best it can, hoping for one magical moment when everything comes together to make a portrait. Only rarely am I truly satisfied with the result - magical moments are intense and fleeting, angles change quickly, microphones rear their heads like weeds, musicians move as unpredictably as the music, light is altered and lost at what proves to be a critical instant. No one ever told me it would be easy.

These same faces - off stage and out of the limelight - can often be just as provocative. Some tell stories of sleepless nights and too much tequila, of rehabs and too many nights on the road, of long hours and misspent middle age. Others are like road maps of one night stands and bars with forgotten names, dime-a-dance gin joints and after hour jams, always on the way to somewhere else. But some are young, fresh faced and innocent with major talent and dreams beyond measure, drawn to the music like moths to flame, filled with ambition, hope and an inexplicable need to perform.

Most, however young or old, whether just starting out or having seen it all, just want to make music. They have day jobs, wives, kids, parents, dogs, ordinary lives. Their eyes are clear, their smiles genuine and their faces shine with the pure joy of being able to perform. As musicians and individuals, each of their lives is a portrait.
So it is with us all.