'I don't want people to feel at ease'

After my various attempts to get my portrait models to relax while I took their pictures by chatting to them..conversations that ranged over any topic that  I thought might result in an particular range of expressions, I was amused to read about the approach that Lord Snowdon adopted. To quote one of the finest portrait British photographers interviewed by the Telegraph in 2010:

'I'm not a great one for chatting people up becasue it's phoney.I don't want people to feel at ease. There are quite long, agonised silences.I love it. Something strange might happen'


Where did I find this gem of  quote? In my latest copy of Black+White Photography journal highlighted the exhibition 'Snowdon : A life in view' at the national Portrait Gallery as their exhibition of the month. I shall be checking the exhibition next time I'm in London. It seems to offer a selection of images providing an intriguing mix of styles - some images classically posed and lit while others of artists in their studios are looser in composition. A few examples below...

Nell Dunn,1982

Article by :
Evans,Anne Bonita. (2014) Exhibition of the Month.Black+ White Photography.172, pp22-23