There is something powerful in the eyes of the subject you are portraying. They are magnetizing, the first thing we search in a portrait. They create a strong connection with the viewer and deeply define the feelings he will experience looking at the portrait. Through the eyes of the subjects we can read a lot of different stories. These things give Platon's portraits a soul and their distinctive power.
But what if we took the eyes and the whole expression away? What happens if we hide the most obvious thing in a portrait? In these photographs I experimented with faceless portraits to understand the importance of the eyes and of the facial expression. What type of atmosphere and feelings can I achieve with the absence of the face?
The main characteristics in the following photographs is the sense of mystery and insecurity. The viewer cannot connect with the subject, due to the absence of the eyes in the composition. He's forced to look somewhere else, to look at other details in the composition. Using a low key studio setup, that features a black background and one studio light with diffusor that illuminates the subject from just one side, the sense of mystery is enhanced, thanks to the dramatic shadows created.
In this pictures the face in near completely obscured, the viewer can only imagine what his expression is. The only thing he can focus on is his statuary pose and the metallic grey jacket that pops out from the shadows.
In this one the subject, without revealing his expression, looks in the darkness. The only details on which he can focus are the clothing and the simple pose.
Without the face other things become important in the portrait like the body language and the props (like the clothing). In this picture the subject has his head lowered and he is pulling his jacket. He looks like he is containing himself, ready to explode. Another detail that pops out is the texture of the jacket directly illuminated that emphasizes his shoulders. Overall I think these portraits have a sense of tension and mystery.
I've also experimented with objects that obscure the face. In the picture above her swishing hair distort and confuse the viewer than cannot figure out in which direction she is standing. That happens because the eyes in portrait are a like reference point for the viewer.
In this other picture I used a nearly transparent veil that steals the attention from her face and - thanks also to the lighting - add a layer of quietness and soul to the portrait.
The last picture looks sad and mysterious. Only her hair and her hands, that are moving nervously, are illuminated. The subject looks weak and vulnerable. These feelings are emphasized by her self-contained pose and by the angle of the photo-shoot.
Looking at these pictures is clear that eyes have a key role in portraits. They give the viewer security, being the way they magnetically connect to the subject. They are like a reference point and a powerful tool to tell a story about the subject and they strongly define the emotions of a photograph.
Regarding the technicalities of the shooting I shot in Manual Mode keeping low ISO (ISO 100) and a small aperture (F 6 to F 11) to overcome overexposure due to the flashes. I also used a fast shutter (1/150) speed to freeze the model movement (like the hair in the 4th picture).
