Last Updated on 12/26/2020 by Chris Gampat
All Images By Evelyn Bencicova. Used Under A Creative Commons License.
There are many photographers who can take a technically perfect picture, with stellar lighting and optimal composition. But the mark of a true professional, of someone who has earned their stripes, is the ability to pull emotion from their subjects, the ability to have their subjects so comfortable that they open themselves up to the photographer, sharing their true selves.
Photographer Evelyn Bencicova tried to capture just that moment in her series Truthness which she describes as, “Truthness explores my approach to portraiture. It captures a person in the special moment, when something of the inside comes out.”
As subjects for her series, Bencicova wanted to have a diverse range of women spanning many ages, races, and demographics. “These women are real. They are strong as well as vulnerable, self-confident or doubtful, joyful and open. Even though they differ in age, race, or social background, all of them stand in front of me not playing any role besides her own,” Bencicova said.
Her challenge with these women was to decode each individual’s signals, the hint that they have opened up. Which was made more difficult by having only a limited amount of time with each women, meaning Bencicova had to work fast and hope she could make a connection and get her subject to open up. “Silent conversation happening without any words. Hand gestures are forming undefined finger-language, yet readable on emotional level. It serves as my hint to decode the story behind each picture, which should show more than what is visible,” Bencicova says, closing out her description of the series.
We believe it is this special gift, the ability of portrait photographer to capture their subjects in their true light, without any walls or barriers. A beautiful selection of the series can be seen below, but also make sure to take a look at Evelyn Bencicova other works over on her Behance profile, some really excellent imagery.