Some photography sessions are so long, they induce "battle fatigue." But just when artist and subject are about to quit, "the picture comes."

Question: How do you interact with your
subjects so as to
capture their true selves?

Carol Friedman: You
can't play jazz without mastering
improvisation and if I make the metaphor that a photo session is like
jazz
that's, you know, because there is interaction between the players and
you're
trying to get to the emotional core of things and it is paying attention
to
each other and capturing something. 
You're after something together.

Question: Do the best pictures emerge
only after you find a
"rhythm" with your subjects?

Carol Friedman: Sessions can last... you
know, even though it's
not a session, I mean, I have a photograph of Francis Ford Coppola that I
particularly love.  It was just one
frame shot in an ocean with a play camera, but it's waiting for that
right
moment and that right exchange. 
There are photo sessions that last 11 hours and the person feels
like
they've done battle and you know, and at the end, end, end of their
worst
battle fatigue, "Let's do one more roll," and the picture comes there,
so
sometimes... And it has to do also with the person's... the person's
self-knowledge
and confidence.  There are certain
people that you don't have to even work at extracting their inner life.  It is just there and they're happy to
share it with you.  Bobby Short,
you know, I think the third frame that I took, bing, bing, bing, that's
Bobby.  He had nothing to hide,
loves who he is, knows who he is, and other people, it's a little bit of
digging sometimes.Recorded on April 21, 2010Interviewed by Austin Allen

Question: How do you interact with your
subjects so as to
capture their true selves?

Carol Friedman: You
can't play jazz without mastering
improvisation and if I make the metaphor that a photo session is like
jazz
that's, you know, because there is interaction between the players and
you're
trying to get to the emotional core of things and it is paying attention
to
each other and capturing something. 
You're after something together.

Question: Do the best pictures emerge
only after you find a
"rhythm" with your subjects?

Carol Friedman: Sessions can last... you
know, even though it's
not a session, I mean, I have a photograph of Francis Ford Coppola that I
particularly love.  It was just one
frame shot in an ocean with a play camera, but it's waiting for that
right
moment and that right exchange. 
There are photo sessions that last 11 hours and the person feels
like
they've done battle and you know, and at the end, end, end of their
worst
battle fatigue, "Let's do one more roll," and the picture comes there,
so
sometimes... And it has to do also with the person's... the person's
self-knowledge
and confidence.  There are certain
people that you don't have to even work at extracting their inner life.  It is just there and they're happy to
share it with you.  Bobby Short,
you know, I think the third frame that I took, bing, bing, bing, that's
Bobby.  He had nothing to hide,
loves who he is, knows who he is, and other people, it's a little bit of
digging sometimes.Recorded on April 21, 2010Interviewed by Austin Allen