I Came for Just a Portrait, But…

• Feature article •

I basically see myself as a cheerful, energetic woman who enjoys men's appreciative glances, courtesy and attention.

These small “chocolates” from the world around me continuously reinforce my confidence.

I think a beautiful photograph can have a similar effect — another small “chocolate” that adds to feminine presence and self-confidence.

Norbi had photographed me a few years earlier, so I already knew his work and precision both from personal experience and from following his page.

Because I was returning to a familiar place and photographer, there was none of the awkwardness that comes with something completely new.

Only the pleasant preparations and a sense of excited anticipation.

Should my hair be wavy or straight?

What should I wear?

How should I do my makeup so that it is neither too much nor too little in the photographs?

I assume these are the questions that occupy almost every woman before a photo shoot.

What I did not expect was the kind of day — and experience — that followed.

Because of bad news I received on the way there, I arrived at Norbi's with my makeup partly cried off.

The rain had ruined the hair I left home with.

By the time the picture was taken, my clothes had become dirty as well.

And I could hardly have been less in the mood to smile sweetly into a camera.

On top of all that, the photographs were a gift.

Anyone who has been to Norbi knows that every session begins with a conversation, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer.

I think those conversations are good for practically anyone's soul.

They make you feel special and help you tune into the shoot, and that mood later appears in the photographs.

When I explained why I was in such a bad mood, Norbi simply said:

“We can make the most beautiful sad photograph in the world too.”

The sentence worked almost like magic.

I already felt better.

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After a long conversation, I was no longer sad at all.

My confidence and cheerfulness returned, and in the end we even created a feminine, slightly flirtatious photograph — exactly the kind I had wanted in the first place.

I came for just a few good portraits.

I left with much more.

A well-designed portrait session aims to create genuine, confident presence in the final photograph.

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.