The art of seeing

Benedict Brain reflects on making portraits along the East African coast

I’m sitting at the airport in Cape Town and re

ecting on my latest trip, cruising down the east coast of Africa. I was a guest lecturer on a cruise ship, talking about the art and craft of photography, something I’ve had the good fortune to do quite a lot over the past couple of years. I’m working through several themes on these travels, many of which have been featured in this column. But every trip yields a slightly di‰erent photographic experience.

While I have taken many portraits on my travels, this trip seemed particularly fruitful with the wonderful people I have encountered en route. The four images here re

ect a style that appears to be evolving and emerging, and I am starting to like it.

Making portraits is a great way to meet people and connect with cultures and countries worldwide. From Zanzibar to Cape Town, I got to know some amazing people on this trip, albeit brie

y. This is one of the joys of travel. However, it takes a bit of condence to pluck up the courage and get going. Due to the

eeting nature of my visits, I have no time to build long-term relationships with people, which is a shame. But you’ve got to work with what you’ve got, so I’ve learnt to work quickly, often talking no more than a minute or two.

If I see someone who looks interesting, I typically strike up a conversation and then ask if I may take their portrait. Sometimes, the answer is ‘no’ and that’s cool but, more often than not, it’s ‘yes’. While talking to them, or even before, I try to understand where the light is and also look for a potentially good background. I generally aim for a clean, uncluttered background, ideally with a colour that harmonises with the subject’s style. I mainly use only natural light. I try to get the subject’s name, although sometimes this is impossible or lost in translation.

In most cases, I give a business card and invite the subject to contact me for a copy of the image. That happens around 70 per cent of the time, so

I have a wonderful cohort of characters around the world in my address book.

To smile or not to smile? I generally prefer it when my subjects don’t. What do you think? Top left: Dominic, The Seychelles Top right: Name not given, Mozambique Bottom left: Olwethu, South Africa Bottom right: Name not given, Zanzibar