Every Once in a While We Still Make a Portrait. It's not all just buildings around here....

Belinda strikes a serious look at lunch. 

When we headed out for our Saturday "family" lunch today I grabbed a camera that was sitting on a pile of old collectible comic books and tossed it into the car. I always take a camera with me when I go out, even if I'm feeling disinclined to do any actual photo work. 

I sat across the table from Belinda at a favorite neighborhood restaurant and we chatted as we waited for our order to be delivered. While she was talking I noticed how the light came through the window behind me and to my right, flowing across her face from her left to her right, and creating just the perfect shadow on the right side. I picked up my camera from the seat next to me, metered at the speed of light (ha. ha.) and shot ten frames with it. 

I was using a lens that I bought a while back but hadn't used much recently. It's a 7 Artisans 55mm f1.4 and I used it at the maximum aperture which is why the tip of Belinda's nose and both of her ears go soft in the photograph. 

The image was shot on a Fuji X-Pro2 (oops! it was an X-T3) using a color profile called "Eterna" which, I've been told, was created as a video profile which would be lower contrast and less saturated, allowing videographers to deliver very nice looking files, straight from their cameras, without having to color correct (grade) them.

While I don't often post photos of the family I try to photograph Ben and Belinda all the time. As we were leaving the restaurant I remarked to Belinda that I find her much less resistant to being photographed these days. She remarked that she had come to realize all the photographs of her I had taken in her 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s made her look so beautiful. More beautiful than she imagined she was, and that looking at them was a joyful reminder of a life spent being loved (and I would say, adored). She added that the images I was taking today would very likely bring even more smiles to her face in her 80s and 90s. 

Barring unforeseen events, I hope to be around to document those smiles as well.

Added: Got the original color look if you want to compare....