Rad A. Drew Photography: The Eyes Are Windows to the Soul

Thursday, February 9, 2017

The Eyes Are Windows to the Soul

On our recent trip to Cuba our group had the opportunity to capture the wonderful architecture and old cars, but many in the group also took the opportunity to make portraits of the Cuban people. From dancers in the Cuban National Ballet, to men in the street, to boys in a boxing ring, to families in their homes in rural Cuba, we were afforded wonderful portrait opportunities.

The camera I used most on this trip was my iPhone 7 Plus and I was blown away by the performance of the native camera’s Portrait feature with Depth Effect. It allowed me to make beautiful portraits with a narrow depth of field that creates that wonderful soft blur (aka, bokeh) that really makes the subject figural in the image. When processed with SnapSeed’s Face filters, I found the results to be remarkable.

Here are a few of the portraits I captured during the trip with my iPhone 7 Plus and the Portrait mode. You’ll notice that many of the expressions are warm and joyful. These are some of the best portraits I made and occurred when I was able to engage my subject in even a small way. That connection resulted in smiling eyes that show up prominently in the portraits. I made an effort to learn the name of all the people I photographed, but I was not always successful.

I think many of these images support that old maxim that the eyes are the window to the soul.

My next trip to Cuba is November 5 – 13 and we currently have room in our small group. You can learn more here and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.