Portraits
Portrait photography is not only a highly personal experience for the sitter but also for the photographer. Most of my theatre, dance and music portraits are by their very nature, pictures of extraordinarily gifted people. Whether they are actors, singers, musicians, or dancers, the prime requisite is for me to gain their trust and get them to relax first, and then to try and connect, on a personal level.
These are delicate abilities and whilst I don’t pretend to possess all of them, one of my dearest and most trusted friends, the highly acclaimed South African actress, Sandra Prinsloo, kindly wrote a most flattering foreword to this book, from which I’m happy to quote:
"Bob has a wicked sense of humour and loves cracking jokes – both wonderful assets for a photographer… I especially enjoyed our studio sessions together. We would play around with costumes and props and laugh our heads off while he got on with the serious business of lighting and lenses. I would always be astounded by the excellence of his pictures, by what he managed to capture while we were having so much fun! Bobby always made it look so easy when clearly it was the work of a master."
I can only add that the greatest inspiration for any photographer and certainly during my life, was being privileged as I was in 1963, to work alongside and assist the world’s greatest portrait photographer at that time, Yusef Karsh of Ottawa. It has always for me, been a tough act to follow.
