Mar 25 2008
Platon fever
Platon fever has gripped the photography world. Reports of grown (camera)men swooning in the presence of the wickedly talented New York based Brit.
The poor folks over at Strobist are practically wetting themselves every time they open Time magazine - a mad rush to reverse engineer the master’s techniques has them all a-twitter.
Platon’s success as a portrait photographer owes far more to an uncanny ability to establish relationships with his subjects, rather than any sophistication with lights.
Strobist: “Generally, you do not get much time when shooting celebrities and other famous people”.
Hmmmm…check Platon’s video interviews here, 10 minute sessions with Putin, Bush, Bono, Jagger etc. somehow extend for 90 minutes - 2 hours.
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Platon’s work is everwhere all of a sudden. Or maybe I’m just noticing it now. His portraits are very distinctive, but not particularly flattering.
posted this comment in the Errol Morris thread in error
A few points:
Firstly, Robert:
I hate to state the obvious, but a portrait doesn’t always have to be flattering. Take a look at his Spitzer portrait, it certainly is very unflattering - I’m sure Spitzer himself hated the photo, but it captures his personaliyy very well, and to me that’s more the point of good portrat photography than purely a nice aesthetic.
Secondly:
What I really like about Platon is how his humilty and humanity go much further than a technique to create great pictures. That to me is the difference between a craftsman and a gifted artist. No doubt many people will try to copy his methods, but without the emotional and psychological side (impososible to reverse engineer) few will succeed.
Thirdly:
Critics may say that Platon’s work is simplistic and repetive, but it’s original, it’s his signature style and it works, so who cares?
Platon has critics? I’ve come across his acolytes, admirers and disciples - but critics are fair thin on the ground.
As they should be - Platon is a master: that’s why gets to only use one name.
But as you point out his mastery has little to do with complex lighting set-ups.
I’m an avid reader of Strobist and a big fan of Joe McNally’s speedlight shenanigans but as a videographer Platon’s simple lighting style and emphasis on establishing a certain rapport of respect and familiarity with the subject resonate more deeply.
I agree that portraits don’t have to be flattering 100% of the time. In my line of work I’m fine if I can keep it above 98%.