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Here is an assignment. Set out tomorrow to pho-
tograph someone whom you have photographed
many times before, and try to come up with a
more creative picture. Start by asking yourself this
simple question: “How can I create a more inter-
esting, creative, and memorable picture than I
have created before?”
That’s exactly what I was thinking when I took the
picture of the girl on horseback that appears on
the title page of this lesson. The workshop par-
ticipants were given that challenge. Some of the
students took action shots, some took head shots.
Others went for a silhouette, and still others fo-
cused on the details. All the images were creative.
But the shot on the title page of this lesson, an
image that tells the story of a cowgirl looking at
a cowboy, with his shadow falling on the horse’s
rump, won out as the most creative image. The
image sets a mood, and asks the question, “What
is the cowboy doing, or what is he about to do?”
The key is to think about all the elements that go
into the making of a portrait that you have read
about on the previous pages. Challenge yourself to
make the best picture possible. If you need more
encouragement, imagine that a client is willing to
pay ...