Touching Strangers – Richard Renaldi

CBS Evening News ended tonight’s broadcast with a human interest story [ http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57596845/new-york-photographer-turns-strangers-into-friends/ ] that caught my immediate attention.  It was about a photographer, Richard Renaldi [ http://www.renaldi.com/ ] who, truthfully, I have never heard of before.  The story was about his latest project “Touching Strangers” which involves pairing perfect strangers into somewhat intimate portrait settings.  The results are remarkable.  In the majority of the photos, without knowing the associated story, it’s hard to visualize that the people in the portraits are not family or well-known friends.

Of course, from a technical aspect, what caught my eye also, was the camera that Renaldi was using.  It’s not your average camera.  I’d expect a high-end Digital DSLR, or even film along the lines of a Canon 6D, a Mamiya or Hasselblad perhaps, or even a mirrorless Leica.  Instead the camera in the CBS story appears to be a field camera – the old style wooden type along the lines of the Tachihara 4×5 Cherrywood Field Camera.  This an expensive camera and quite cumbersome to haul around, but extremely rewarding in the photograph that it produces.  In the hands of an experienced photographer, the camera is soulful, artful and masterful.

In any event, camera notwithstanding, all the portraits are wonderful [ http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-500142_162-10017769.html ].  People photography is my favorite.  I love to pour over people shots of any kind and from all over the world.  I like to study the body language, expressions and emotions and try to imagine the thought process taking place as the photo was captured.

I encourage you to click on the links I’ve provided and checkout the CBS story and Robert Renaldi’s website.