A Photographer's Most Difficult Seconds

• Professional photography article •

She looked at the photograph and her eyes filled with tears.

Moments like that frighten most of us because we are completely unprepared for such emotional reactions.

I searched for words, but all I could do was watch silently as she wiped away a tear running down her face.

Slowly she raised her head and looked for my eyes.

For a moment I looked down, afraid of her reaction.

In a fraction of a second, I tried to understand what had happened and prepare myself for the worst possible conclusion:

I had ruined the photograph.

For several long seconds, she simply studied my face.

• 

• 

• 

The muscles in her own face seemed completely emotionless.

That was probably the moment when my heart began beating much faster.

I was genuinely frightened.

I tried to remember exactly which image from the series I had shown her — the one that had triggered this reaction.

• 

• 

• 

I knew the M.Zuiko 75mm lens I had chosen was not ideal for every situation, but instinctively it was the only lens I had brought out of the studio.

Thinking back, something had crossed my mind as we left through the stairwell.

Perhaps the M.Zuiko 17mm PRO, which I had used very successfully not long before, would have been useful too.

But I did not turn back.

With the 75mm, I could create from a greater distance.

I could stay outside the model's personal space in a way that would not have been possible with the 17mm.

I replayed the sequence of images in my head.

The full-body photograph had made her smile.

It had been such a successful spontaneous moment captured in the street.

Then came a portrait with beautifully blurred background.

That one received no particular reaction, but nothing felt wrong.

Then came the photograph.

The one she was reacting to now.

---

Just as I mentally reached the end of the sequence that had brought us to the present moment, I saw the line of her face begin to change.

The small dimples beside her nose slowly became visible.

She was smiling.

Strategic brand photography creates a consistent and credible visual language for a professional brand.

Part of the BANHALMI ecosystem

For the professional context and practical side of portrait photography, visit the BANHALMI professional website. Related art series, books and exhibitions are preserved in the BANHALMI ART archive.