The Miner: A Narrative Character Portrait by Brennan Myers (2015)

The character that I chose to photograph is called Coal Miner One. He is the main character in my narrative who has a very depressing story behind him. Coal Miner One was a very poor, unhappy miner who had nothing going for him in life before he found a gem that changed him forever. The moment in time that I captured of Coal Miner Number One, was a moment of great sorrow and sadness. This was obviously a moment in time before he found the majestic gem. The photograph depicts the sadness that my character felt before he had discovered the gem.

I captured this shot after with a head on angle because I felt like it made the picture up close and personal with the viewer, which also allowed the viewer to truly feel the sadness within my character's facial expressions. I tried many different angles but the head on shot was by far the best way to go for trying to show sadness within my character. The make-up for my character was easy because all I needed was some chalk to put on his face and clothes, which simulated the look of someone who was working in a coal mine. The problems I encountered while trying to get the best photograph was finding the best angle and lighting to show my character's sadness. Once I found the head on shot with darker lighting, I knew it was meant to be because it complemented my character's facial expressions so well.