Face to Face: Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Photographing People

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ic tricks, as he did with a group of monks when he

was photographing in Bhutan.

As you spend time with his photographs, you will

notice that in most of them there is direct eye con-

tact between the subject and Rick, and subsequent-

ly, between the subject and you, the viewer. People

in his photographs have a real presence, and you

can experience a feeling of openness and trust on

the part of the person being photographed. Minor

White underscored the importance of rapport and

trust when he wrote, “Creativity with portraits in-

volves the invocation of the state of rapport when

only a camera stands between two people … mu-

tual vulnerability and mutual trust.”

The eyes are the “windows of the soul,” as the say-

ing goes. But the eyes are seen in the context of the

face. The many possible expressions of the face,

with its 50 or so muscles, make you realize how

important the instant of clicking the shutter is.

Being able to read those subtle and rapidly chang-

ing expressions and quickly respond to them is es-

sential. For me, Rick’s photographs are more than

“Face to Face.” They are also “Eye to Eye.”

An interesting aspect of looking at his photo-

graphs is that, as a viewer, you can spend as much

time as you want, eye to eye, with a photograph

and not break eye contact. In a person-to-person

situation, such staring would be uncomfortable.

As you look at Rick’s photographs, you will notice

that he has been careful to position his subjects

against a background that provides a context for

the person being photographed. Take, for ex-

ample, the photo that appears in this book’s in-

troduction that shows a beautiful young Cuban

girl in a blue outfit (blue blouse and blue jeans),

Rick Sammon has authored 27 books on photog-

raphy and conservation, but this one, he tells me,

is his favorite. His photographs reveal, with clari-

ty, the reason why. He is truly a photographer who

loves to engage people with his camera, people in

different cultures, young and old. He photographs

them with great sensitivity, dignity, and love.

I think Rick picked up his charm with people

from his dad, who was director of the early no-

table television program, “Person to Person,” with

Edward R. Morrow. He is very close to his dad,

who has a creative mind, a strong work ethic,

and a gentle and respectful way with people that

Rick emulates. His dad is still a great influence on

Rick, and even with a vision problem (macular

degeneration), he continues to assist Rick with

his books, articles, and television programs. Like

father, like son; Rick has passed on these quali-

ties to his 15-year-old son, Marco, named after the

famous Italian explorer, Marco Polo.

Photographing people in your own culture is

much easier than doing so in other cultures. You

must have some understanding of other cultures

and sensitivity to differences. Body language can

play an important role, but you must be cautious.

For example, thumbs up, which is a signal of ac-

ceptance or approval in some cultures, can have

quite a different meaning in other cultures. Body

language can become bawdy language. Personal

space is another factor to consider. Some cultures

require a greater distance between the photogra-

pher and the person being photographed to feel

at ease. It is a common practice for Rick to first

spend some time with the person or persons to

be photographed so as to establish a rapport and

trust. Sometimes he will entertain them with mag-

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