Southern Photographic Images » Portraits

Afton and Dad | Relationship Portraits

Benoit — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:19:53 +0000

I have always been interested in photographing people. I believe a well executed portrait is timeless and can even be iconic. There are many types of portraits: formal, environmental, photojournalistic and so on. For me, black & white relationship portraits are a powerful way to document family milestones. Births, 1st birthday, childhood, teenage years, adulthood and mariage can all be captured. These images can be passed down through the generations and not look overly dated. The power of relationship portraits is the lack of distraction. You simply have the subjects and their connection.

This image of Afton was made soon after her 1st birthday. She’s full of curiosity and is not interested in sitting still. Forget about posing her! This is one of the challenge of portraiture. Life is much like a series of moments. This image captures one of those tender moments that lasted but a second. However, it immortalizes the bond between Afton and her father. Precious memories.

BYO String Ensemble – Dramatic Version

Benoit — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:21:51 +0000

I wanted to revisit the BYO String ensemble one last time before we changed subject.

This photograph is the same image we used to introduce the String Ensemble last week. The only difference is the black & white treatment applied.

However, this image is considerably more dramatic. I am a big fan of Black & White imagery. I feel that human emotions are more readily conveyed when the color is not present to distract us.

Getting Ready to Face the Music

Benoit — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:15:41 +0000

Here is another image taken during the recent Beaufort Youth Orchestra String Ensemble event held at ARTwork. This young violinist was getting ready for the concert, tuning the instrument and studying the music. He was so intent on his preparations that I don’t believe he realized I took his photograph.

The black and white treatment adds impact to the photograph. To me, it speaks of being focused and alone with your thoughts before the big event.

While the image is not your typical bio headshot, these are the kind of photographs that are fun to create.

Catch the next concert of BYO on May 6 and 9 at the USCB Performing Arts Center.

Beaufort Youth Orchestra – String Ensemble

Benoit — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:41:36 +0000

This evening, I had the privilege to photograph a wonderful quartet of young musicians. They are part of the Beaufort Youth Orchestra’s String Ensemble. Ms. Maddox, BYO’s parent liaison, contacted me as part of my offer to photograph artists. As it turned out, the String Ensemble had a little concert at ARTWorks tonight, as part of the opening reception for Youth Art Month.

What a perfect occasion to take some portraits. As the musicians started to come in and setup, we took the opportunity to coral them and take a few photographs. They were very cooperative with the strange man asking them to show some “attitude”.

Soon it was time for them to get down to serious business and get ready. They performed a wonderful piece and received well deserved applause. Keep at it guys, you are all very talented!

Gwen and Hope

Benoit — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:32:41 +0000

Gwen and her family were in town for Christmas and she wanted to give her parents a nice family portrait. As we were talking on the phone, my jaw dropped to the floor as she mentioned they were coming in from Chicago. I was honored they came all that way and chose me for their photography.

As we met in waterfront park, it became obvious this was a close family. The seven of them were wonderful to photograph. They were full of joy and happiness. The banter back and forth between the siblings was light hearted and friendly. In my mind, they are the Magnificent Seven – and much more photogenic than Yul Brinner.

In this particular image of Gwen and Hope, you can feel the bond these two sisters have. I simply love images that speak of a relationship, and this one resonates with me.

Starving Artist? Get a portrait for free!

Benoit — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:05:43 +0000

According to Aermican Style, Beaufort is one of the top arts destination. It has quite a vibrant arts community, but the current economy has taken its toll. The recent demise of Beaufort Performing Arts is but another example of the difficulties facing not ony the “Arts”, but the artists themselves.

As a Beaufort portrait photographer, here is my small contribution to the cause:

If you are involved in the arts, I’m offering to take your portrait.

Simply contact me and we will do a mini portrait session – 15 to 30 minutes. Choose the image you like and you will receive a web-sized image for on-line sharing AND a high-resolution image to make your own prints. No costs involved.

As a Beaufort portrait photographer, here is my small contribution to the cause:

If you are involved in the arts, I’m offering to take your portrait.

Simply contact me and we will do a mini portrait session – 15 to 30 minutes. Choose the image you like and you will receive a web-sized image for on-line sharing AND a high-resolution image to make your own prints. No costs involved.

You can use your portrait as a bio photograph, to send to friends and families or any other non-commercial uses.

Urban Grunge – USCB

Benoit — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:49:00 +0000

This photograph of Jeff was taken at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. It was deliberately processed to give it an urban grunge look.

One of the interesting aspect of working with a model is the ability to experiment with more unconventional images. While I find this image has a certain visual appeal, most customers would want something a bit more classic.

The Friendly Mitul

Benoit — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:13:19 +0000

This is a photograph of the Mitul we took during a session in Savannah.

This is the same young man featured in this more foreboding photograph.

The hostas add a bit of interest to the image.

It almost feels like a game of peek-a-boo between the subject and the viewers.

Yankee Fan in Savannah

Benoit — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:21:25 +0000

Meandering along River Street is a good way to find interesting people.

On a warm sunny day, this gentleman was taking in the view of the Savannah River.

I noticed him sitting on a bench with the Colt. When asked if I could take his photograph, he was gracious enough to oblige.

As we chit chatted, he mentioned being bound for New York City. Based on his jacket, I feel confident saying that he his a Yankee Fan.

A Boy and his Dog

Benoit — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:03:29 +0000

This image was taken during the halloween celebration in downtown Beaufort. A family was walking by when a strange man with a camera asked if he could take their photograph. Lucky for me, I wasn’t the only strange person around with all the costumed halloween revelers.

My favorite image from that series.