Last Updated on 02/13/2015 by Chris Gampat
All images by Sarahmica. Used with permission.
“So, Motley Men is a collection/category of work that I’ve slowly been expanding and adding to over the years. The primary commonality each of the portraits in this collection have is, of course, that the subjects are all men.” says Sarah Micaela Snapes about her project “Motley Men.” Sarah has been featured before on the Phoblographer for her beautiful and simplistic use of lighting. But this project is about a lot more than just the speculars. Instead, it’s about taking characteristic portraits of gents.
“Young, old, large or small humans of the male gender over the age of 18. Motley means exhibiting a great diversity of elements. And that is exactly what this collection is, a series of portraits showing a great diversity of men.”
Sarah tells the Phoblographer that this collection started by accident and that many of these portraits were created as a means of testing a new lighting setup or new gear in either her tiny apartment living room or out on her back deck/porch. “It was later, when I was culling and comparing all of these portraits, that I decided to put them into their own category. They’re all men and very different from each other, but they’re not musicians.”
“I chose each my subjects because I saw something especially raw, heartbreaking, or honest in their eyes and faces, and I felt compelled to try to capture it.”
Sarah also states that she finds photographing men to be much easier than photographing women. She reasons that men are usually less concerned about appearances. “The ‘Average Joe’ kind of guy finds it amusing that I’d want to photograph him. I make it a non-issue, a simple case of having to test some lights and needing someone to do me favor and sit in this here chair while I snap off a few quick shots. And then I make it as quick and painless as possible. If I see that they’re really enjoying the experience, I’ll give some actual direction in posing and take a few more minutes to make something special. Everyone signs a model release, and I make it clear that if I like the images, I will use them on my website, blog, marketing materials, etc.”
The Motley Men series is after the jump.