This week I was asked in an interview, whether I prefer to do portraits of men, women or children. I replied that I rather like to portray older people. The more wrinkles, the better. A young woman is often difficult to do because you can easily mess up a flawless face with some bad brushstrokes. Teenagers can become upset by how old or young they may appear. Middle aged people sometimes can be boring.
Now I think of it, I realize that maybe I do have a slight preference for painting children. Because of the huge challenge. What matters is the moment in the photography session when the child relaxes. (In portraits of children the use of photography truly is a godsend). It is important that the child poses in his or her familiar home environment to feel at ease. I have to win their confidence. I want each child to be as candid as possible in front of the camera. It is the lack of inhibition that I am after and I must say I’ve been lucky in the past. (Helma and I will soon be grandparents for the first time and that is perhaps the reason that this topic comes into my mind.)
