As a springboard from all the portrait work I’ve done over the past three years, I, at some time during that process, became really attuned/enamored/moved by people’s faces and started experimenting with a new creative study. Internally we’re calling it “60”. In short, it’s really simple: I’m taking 60 second video portraits of people. No instruction, no direction, no coaching, nothing. Just the camera pointed at them for a minute.
Although the concept is simple, I’ve found the results to be pretty interesting. At a fundamental level, the human face says a lot, even without the person saying anything at all.
While I’ve been at this for a while, I thought it would be time to start sharing some of these portraits here on the blog. This chase jarvis 60 features world-renowned explorer Mike Horn. You may remember Mike from my Pangaea experience across the South China Sea with Panerai watches. [Lots of posts here, here, and here.] It was a life changing experience for me, and a good bit of it was getting to know Mike. Hopefully you’ll get to know him a little here as well.
Love to know your thoughts.
[aside: if you are interested in seeing these videos when I post them to youtube, rather than just the occasional ones that make it here to the blog, you’re invited to subscribe to my youtube channel here. thx]
Shout out to McKenzie Stubbert for the music.
Interesting Idea!
Was the footage slowed down or anything? There seem to be some unnatural morphing effects on Mike’s face.
Dammit! You pinched my idea! (Just kidding…)
Everyone will totally think I ripped you off now!
http://www.vimeo.com/16119257
Great idea Chase. I’ll try to do something similar at first oppurtunity. Thank you for your continuous creative ideas.
Andy
I’m sorry I don’t get it. I’m sure that this will take off, people love to copy what you do. I love your work, but this one I don’t get. 60 seconds with a camera in your face, is hardly natural, so it’s not like a Candid shot, 60 seconds also seems to be to long to keep a person’s interest when in a series. Sorry Chase, I just don’t find this as an interesting project.
@zoe. no worries…. but, i should add that one of your points is exactly one of the things i find interesting.
how does a subject react when standing there for 60 seconds when they know they’re getting recorded. it isn’t candid, but nor is almost any photographic portrait (i’d argue)?? can it be a view into them?
also, a question back to you: if 60 seconds is too long, what is too short? how long does it take for you to feel that person. what is the point at which you retain or lose interest?
Chase, I loved your idea. Im from Brazil and there is a brazilian phtographer called Arthur Omar that used the same concept. His ideia is to shoot people and expect their reaction towards the camera. He finds more interesting shooting people with the camera being like a disturbing element not a invible one.
Thanks for charing ideas, techinics and knowledge.
I kept waiting for him to laugh – it looked like he was holding one back. I don’t think I could be filmed for a minute without cracking a smile and feeling a little self concious 🙂 Pehaps I was just ‘seeing’ what I think I would have felt if put in a similar situation?