I’m a ‘face’ person. I am attracted to good faces and love to photograph them. The Italians have a name for a nice face: Bella faccia. It doesn’t necessarily mean beautiful or pretty, although it can. The beautiful Ethiopian girl above has both. She is stunning. And very clever with her headgear which was bright yellow. Hence, the black and white. Color here is a distraction to that bella faccia.
I have stopped people on the street to photograph someone with ‘character’ in their face. To the rest of the world they may not be classically beautiful or handsome. But to me they are like a magnet to my lens. Stopping people and asking for a portrait is not easy. Fortunately, I’m a woman and can get away with it. Men, not so much.
Do women have an advantage as photographers?
Here’s an example of how being female pays off in some photographical situations: My partner Don and I were on Prince Edward Island and had stopped to photograph a fishing village. It was late in the season so most of the boats had been pulled out. I was off shooting some wonderful, old, wooden lobster traps when I saw a pick up truck pull up next to Don and the driver started chatting. I could not hear the conversation. He was the harbor master. Don had asked him if he could take a photo. He told Don he could keep shooting the area but not take a photo of him. I waited a few minutes and went over to see what the conversation was. I asked if I could take his photo. He smiled and said yes. Happens all the time.
The same thing happens when I want to photograph a beautiful woman or a small child. Men can come off as creepy in this situation. Obviously it requires some charm on the part of the photographer, but being a woman is having an edge here. Ok. Ok. Many of the subjects are men. So shoot me. Can it be they are more open to me just because I’m female? Plus I’m petite and old so not a threat to anyone.
The following gallery is an example of good faces but perhaps not classically handsome or beautiful faces to some. I find they are both. What do you think? They were all shot from a trip to Ethiopia.
What makes a bella faccia?
I can’t give you a definition. It’s a quality that just attracts me. Old faces may seem more eligible just because life’s experiences are etched onto their visages. Some may not even have been attractive when they were younger but life has added an essential interest to their face. These two are a good example of that: the portrait on the left was taken in Mexico. He was with two other guys but I couldn’t take my eyes off him. The one on the right is Cuban. He was living in poverty and was in poor health. But in between shots he had a subtle humor that made me laugh. He was a great subject.
Botox has been overdone
Women, of course, have good faces, but often fall into the trap of erasing the very thing that makes their faces bella. Over use of Botox has ruined many a beauty. If I want the porcelain look I’ll buy a Barbie doll. Nicolle Kidman is a good example, in my opinion. She’s a beautiful woman who has erased any trace of interest in her face. Some are even unrecognizable in their later years. Kim Novak comes to mind. Eva Marie Saint, Shirley Maclaine, Judi Dench, and Maggie Smith among others have treasured the story that their face tells. And they get work because of it! I’m sure they miss the skin they had when they were younger. I sure do! But those women have learned the lesson of gratitude for a life well lived.
Sometimes men are too pretty when they are young. Often it just takes a bit of life to coax the visage to be interesting. When Pierce Brosnan was younger he was clearly considered a classically handsome man. Not to me. I found him way too pretty. But now that he’s in his 70s? Oh yeah!
While visiting Acoma Pueblo NM I was able to photograph an elderly Acoma Pueblo part time resident, shown below. We were on a tour after high season; it was getting colder. Few residents were present. I wish there had been more time to interview him to learn his background, his profession, why he was there that day, etc. As you can see from the image his singular look was what first appealed to me. But then as I got closer to ask permission for a quick portrait, I could see his elegance, his ease, his confidence, his posture, his jewelry. The clothing was casual but expensive looking. Sunglasses over this prescription glasses. An extremely attractive gentleman. Too bad I had to catch up with the tour.
And then the ones who have both
Some fortunate people have a pretty face as well as an interesting face or a bella faccia even when they are young. Like Pablo the gaucho from Patagonia, Argentina.
Ladies: You’re welcome!
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