日本人の肖像：Portrait of a Japanese Person

The famous late-19th century portrait photographer Nadar said, "The portrait I do best is of the person I know best." To capture the essence of someone in a portrait is no small task by any means. However, in photographing those you know well, it is much simpler to find those particular sets of characteristics you want to reveal and present in your photograph than it is to try and reflect all of a stranger's character in a portrait. With this in mind, I chose the effervescent character of Shihoko (Cindy) Nakamura, a person whose fun and bubbly personality is sure to leave an indelible impression.

In going into this portrait, it was important to me to show that Cindy is not at all afraid to play for the camera. The first photo I’ve chosen is that whose format reflects a traditional flattering portrait, except for one small detail: a seemingly missing tooth. With the small piece of nori covering it up, what would have been a pleasing but banal portrait has instead transformed into a comment, a reflection, of Cindy as a person:  naturally wonderful with a few funny spots.

In the second portrait, I also wanted to show that Cindy exhibits an astonishingly high amount of work ethic and studiousness. In this photo, Cindy has set up her photo nest which represents all the effort that goes into being a student and the determination to wade through what would seemingly hinder and delay her in getting to life after college. In so conquering what literally and metaphorically lies before her, she exhibits an ambition that not many students endeavor to match. Despite this being the subject of the photo, one can also glean a few other personal details. The presence of a camera suggests that Cindy loves documenting the world around here, while the neat folding of her hoodie and blankets shows that Cindy is not lazy or messy, but rather tightly organized in life, as she must be to juggle the many duties of being an RA and student.