on the "sparkle"

Recently, I was attending a talk by my friend Brené Brown. Brené’s talks are always riveting, but about halfway in, she said something that really resonated with me: she said that all humans are “hardwired for connection.” Amen, I say. This statement, in fact, is actually why I first became interested in photography. The truth is, I love faces: I sincerely believe that every single one of them is beautiful – and photography gives me the tools to communicate the beauty I see to everyone who looks at my photographs. In taking photographs, I want to create images that allow the subjects , through their uncommon beauty, to connect with the viewers. Needless to say, this isn’t always easy. See, the thing is, this is more than just photographing a pretty face. In fact, I believe judging a face as “beautiful” or “ugly” by the standards established by corporations who make these sorts of decisions to sell products avoids the profundity by which the human face is capable of expressing beauty. In my opinion, commercial beauty is superficial. True beauty, however, goes beyond the surface. True beauty is an attribute that stirs at the soul level. And so, it’s for this reason that when I photograph someone, I’m never really looking at the physical. I'm more looking for the sparkle -- the little glimpse of spirit that a subject will allow me to see. Because that spirit? That spirit is the source of indescribable beauty. It doesn't always happen immediately: the person is a bit nervous at first, or hasn't quite gotten to the point where they trust me, and so I find myself tending to talk constantly while I'm shooting, because I'm trying to get the person to let down their guard for an instant, and let me see that sparkle. And generally, when the sparkle happens (and often only happens for an instant, so I have to be quick), that's when the resulting photograph is of a really beautiful person, and the physical just absolutely falls away, becomes secondary. So if you’re new to photography, and you’re as drawn to faces as I am, I encourage you to look for the sparkle. And for inspiration, be sure to check out the work of these amazing photographers: Alison Joshua Justin and, of course, Maile. See? It’s all about the sparkle. Karen Walrond is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. Her book, The Beauty of Different, is available from Bright Sky Press and Amazon.com. Read and see more of her life at Chookooloonks.com and click here to see how The Beauty of Different is for and about you.