Natalie Faye
My shoot for Showing centered on an electrician named Elizabeth. I met her for the first time on the day of the shoot. She asked if we could shoot two different portraits: one in her work outfit, and one in everyday clothing. Working as an electrician in a male-dominated field, she explained, meant that she often felt compelled to downplay her femininity in her work attire—baggy men’s work clothes, no makeup, hair pulled back.
But she didn’t feel that her work outfit represented her fully. We agreed to shoot two versions of the portrait. We photographed her in her work uniform first; then she went to change. When she walked out in a fitted dress, high heels, and full makeup, I knew I had to present the two portraits as a pair.
Natalie is a American photographer based in El Segundo, CA.
Elizabeth, Apprentice Electrician, Los Angeles, from Showing: Pregnancy in the Workplace, 2012
It wasn’t just the difference in her clothing; it was the way she inhabited her body in each photo. Her energy in the two scenes is totally different, but both scenes are authentically Elizabeth. To me, the two photos represent the variety of roles a woman plays at once in a given day—boss, mother, expert, lover.
As any portrait photographer will tell you, it’s a truly great gift when your subject shows up with a generosity of spirit. Elizabeth’s willingness to show herself authentically made all the difference during this shoot. We only spent a short time together, but I feel like we were there for the same purpose: to capture an aspect of womanhood that can be hard to put into words.
From the series Red Acre Farm, 2018
From the series Red Acre Farm, 2018
One of the things I enjoy most about portraiture is that I can’t control everything. I always do my homework on my subjects, and I’ll always have plenty of ideas in mind going into the shoot. But, more often than not, those ideas have evolved by the time the shoot is over. For me, the key is remaining open to the human being in front of me—being receptive to them, and being emotionally present while I’m shooting.
That’s something I take into all my work. Recently, I’ve been photographing Red Acre Farm, a CSA run by an inspiring mother-daughter team, Sarah and Symbria Patterson. After losing their husband/father to a heart attack and soon after surviving a farmhouse fire, these two women have been able to build their farm into a model for communities around the country. Capturing those kinds of personal details in the moment is essential to telling compelling stories.
From the series Red Acre Farm, 2018
From the series Red Acre Farm, 2018
From the series Red Acre Farm, 2018