Neal Schlosburg | Artist | Portrait Photographer

My Picture Tells A Story

The Genesis

Mr. Stevens contacted me to photograph his business profile image for LinkedIn and other social media. At the time, he was a lifelong Military man transitioning into the civilian work world.

The photo session was brief and straightforward. Austin knew what he wanted, and we completed the session in 10 minutes. After a brief discussion, I agreed to do a second, casual portrait.

After the first two exposures, I decided to try something spontaneous. I suggested to Austin to physically express whatever his feelings were right then. I asked him to wait until I walked back to my camera. When I returned to the camera, I would press the shutter release immediately. We both agreed to stop there.

Michael Austin Stevens

Can't Find My Way Home

One day later, I started the post-photo session work in Photoshop. The business image of Austin was a straightforward, classic profile photo. The second image was a different story altogether. It was a spontaneous, emotional image photographed in a portrait setting. I let the emotion of the image carry my artistic instincts.

I sent the finished images to Austin. Commenting on his second portrait, I informed him I would redo it if he did not like it. His response was, Don’t you dare touch it. "Can't Find My Way Home" title by Steve Winwood

Reactions:

The most compelling reaction came from an acquaintance and fellow photographer. I didn’t know he was ex-Military before showing him the image. When Dan saw the picture, his response was emphatic. I know exactly how he feels. That was me.

Creating images that people could connect to emerged as a driving passion.