Don't Take Pictures - Make Pictures

The people photographed by Jørgen Brandt treasure forever the photos he makes of them. How does he manage this? Find out in this insightful FotoTV-video.

Based in Copenhagen, Jørgen Brandt is an acclaimed social photographer, a vice president of the Federation of European Professional Photographers and a Qualified European Photographer with Master status (MQEP).

Social photography means for Brandt working with people of all ages, from newborns to the very old. And the secret of making meaningful images of people is never to use traditional poses. "When people come to my studio," says Brandt,  "I try to make them play. It's maybe a silly word to use. We're adults, we don't play. But adults are just children, a little bit older."

"If you think about your kids, or maybe your spouse, the way you think of them is not sitting in a nice chair looking at the camera, perhaps with their head on one side." What is important is a particular look in the eye, perhaps teasing, perhaps loving. The photographer's job is to mediate such situations.

The ultimate aim is to photograph people for what they are, not just for how they look!

It's clear in the interview that photography is for Jørgen a passion and a lifestyle. It's about creativity and imagination. Many of his fine art images are abstract. He likens them to the pictures we saw as children, lying on the grass, looking up at the clouds and seeing elephants and sailing ships and things. In contrast to people photos the important thing here is not "what the subject is, but what else it is." Use your imagination and see things your way.

The video is illustrated with numerous images, both of people and of abstract subjects. Some of them, in particular the beautiful maternity photos, are movingly described.

"It takes devotion to make pictures", says Jørgen. And significantly, the words he most often uses are 'love' and 'fun'.