About the Book
( to get a preview of the whole book please visit my website: www.janinalaszlo.com )
When I traveled to Los Angeles in October 2008 my plan was to photograph different people whose characteristics I wanted to be shown in my pictures. I was going to tell the characters that we would be doing a fashion shoot of sorts. My thought was, if the shoot was mainly about their clothes, they wouldn’t try as much to cover up their personalities and show me more of their real character. This way I was hoping to get the most honest image of each one of them.
But what I discovered was a crowd that can only be found in Los Angeles. No matter whom I asked on the streets, no matter who was recommended to me, everyone was an actor, a singer, some kind of musician, claimed to perform at least one of these occupations or wanted to fit in one of the branches somehow. Everybody in this city had a minor or major desire to display themselves in public.
When I started photographing I learned that the best thing to do in advance was to plan as little as possible. The characters had their own ideas, brought their own clothes, some suggested their own location that they felt they would fit in the most. I experienced that in front of the camera every one of them immediately started to act. They all created a picture and story of themselves they wanted me to capture. Everyone had an idea in mind of how they wanted to be seen by others.
What they probably didn’t realize was the more they played their role in their familiar surroundings, the more they exposed their real personality to camera. By playing what they wanted to be, by trying to be the most perfect picture of themselves, most of them revealed an honest image of their self-assessment to me.
In some pictures you might think you get a glimpse of the true character, in some images it seems like the real person is covered by a created role. Don’t forget that whatever seems authentic might be played and what seems to be played could be real.…
Ready to play hide and seek?
When I traveled to Los Angeles in October 2008 my plan was to photograph different people whose characteristics I wanted to be shown in my pictures. I was going to tell the characters that we would be doing a fashion shoot of sorts. My thought was, if the shoot was mainly about their clothes, they wouldn’t try as much to cover up their personalities and show me more of their real character. This way I was hoping to get the most honest image of each one of them.
But what I discovered was a crowd that can only be found in Los Angeles. No matter whom I asked on the streets, no matter who was recommended to me, everyone was an actor, a singer, some kind of musician, claimed to perform at least one of these occupations or wanted to fit in one of the branches somehow. Everybody in this city had a minor or major desire to display themselves in public.
When I started photographing I learned that the best thing to do in advance was to plan as little as possible. The characters had their own ideas, brought their own clothes, some suggested their own location that they felt they would fit in the most. I experienced that in front of the camera every one of them immediately started to act. They all created a picture and story of themselves they wanted me to capture. Everyone had an idea in mind of how they wanted to be seen by others.
What they probably didn’t realize was the more they played their role in their familiar surroundings, the more they exposed their real personality to camera. By playing what they wanted to be, by trying to be the most perfect picture of themselves, most of them revealed an honest image of their self-assessment to me.
In some pictures you might think you get a glimpse of the true character, in some images it seems like the real person is covered by a created role. Don’t forget that whatever seems authentic might be played and what seems to be played could be real.…
Ready to play hide and seek?
Features & Details
- Primary Category: Arts & Photography Books
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Project Option: Standard Portrait, 7.75×9.75 in, 20×25 cm
# of Pages: 108 - Publish Date: Jul 25, 2009
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About the Creator
Janina Laszlo
Munich, Germany
