Demo Portrait Dilemma

The goal of the workshop portrait demo is to make an awesome home run portrait in front of the attendees' eyes, yet it always seems to come up short.  

This year’s sitter was Matthew Salacuse, photographer colleague and friend. The session itself was fine and fun, but the picture I was aiming for eluded me.

One of the complications is that I need to communicate what I’m doing better to the audience while doing this session. I’m going to need to map out some kind of playbook for the demo shoot so that I have the time, and the mental space, to talk to the audience, but also keep diving deeper into the portrait.

Even Matt himself said that he was behaving differently because there was an audience. He said he was making jokes, and adding commentary – about me, or about the session – because he couldn’t resist an engaged audience.

Going forward I'm going to think of it as almost a performance. I need to use the times when I stop and talk to the viewers as part of the dynamic that moves the portrait forward. Perhaps this structure will invite both myself and the sitter to go to the next level with the images.

Top Image: The tables are turned, when I make Matthew Salacuse’s portrait at my Surprising Portrait Workshop. Brooklyn, NY, June 20, 2025. I asked him to wear a suit. It upgraded his appearance, allowing him to get more messy and dirty, but it also simplified his look. Matt often wears colorful and loud tops, like Hawaiian shirts, so it was refreshing to see him dressed differently.

Second Image: I brought along cigarettes as a mouth prop. It did disarm him some, but perhaps ended up getting us a more theatrical and performative, rather than something more authentic.

Bottom Image: The session played out in front of the workshop participants, for better and for worse. It’s fascinating to discuss a flawed shoot with them that they actually watched unfold. BTS photo by Sophia Pallwein-Prettner.