"Guest Post" from Tim and Bev Walden

[John]. . .Today I am honored to have a guest that I have respected and loved for many years. Tim and Bev have been one of the MOST influential couples in portraiture. They are the most giving and wonderful couple I know. Below is a post written by the Waldens specifically for our Dueling Brothers Blog. Thank you Tim and Bev.

I remember friends telling me about their teenage son. In order
to be unique, to stand out and to not conform he did the whole
mohawk with rainbow colored hair and all black leather attire to
separate himself. He truly wanted to be unique, problem was,
before the end of the school year, over half the students followed
suit in order to be unique themselves and, well as you guessed it,
none of them were unique as a result. In an odd sort of way, it
seems a lot of the portrait photographers have taken this
approach, especially with the "magic" of post capture processes,
actions and software, with simple cameras that shoot under all
kinds of lighting circumstances and allow for "freedom", in many
cases (not all), the simplicity of capturing the individual at
their best can be left behind . For me, it is all about portraits
with "depth", not depth in the focus and aperture sense but
capturing images that celebrate the heart and soul of that subject
that stands before me, and doing so in a simplified manner leaving
nothing for the viewer to enjoy other than that person, their
personality or the relationship they so treasure. It is about
that image moving the viewer emotionally today and again in ten
years without the images being dated by any current fads. I have
also found that, with the mass move into portraiture there is a
true separation of those image-makers that can capture that
classic piece, understanding lighting, body language and the art
of portraiture from those that can not. My assignment, with each
portrait, is to dig deep in the soul and bring the essence of that
person(s) to the surface. As someone who has done this for
several decades now, it is a trust my clients put in me that I do
not take lightly.
Please go to their website below. They are amazing and you will gain so much by their vast knowledge and expertise.
www.timandbevwalden.com