Working with cool people is cool, it’s that simple. But the portrait is what is important.
The portrait is important for the simple reason that it represents who the person was at the time, and that representation can not lie. The portrait must give some insight into the person’s character, their personality, and who they believe they represent at the time. If the photographer can’t extract these qualities or facets of their subject before they press the shutter, then those images will not be true to their subject.
I believe it is our responsibility as photographers to be truthful about the world around us and the moments we capture. That could be the primary difference between a technically flawless composed image that has no life to it and a candid, rushed snapshot that actually tells a story. Lots of photographers know how to make an amazing image, but few know how to reveal what is actually going on.
Get to know your subject (quickly), help them to reveal their character, their personality, their idea of who they think they are. Then it is time to press the shutter and use the craft. The moments captured in a portrait are not only the representation of the person, but a historical document of who they were at that time in their lives. How could these things not be important?
