Guest Pics from Adam Kimbrell

My buddy Adam has turned into quite the photographer over these last *mmbblfmbl* years. And I especially wanted to share a tryptic of photos that are his favorite, and coincidentally mine also. In his portraits, I think Adam achieves what all great portrait artists aim for and that is to capture one true moment in the life of his subject. And in that moment, he hints at what came before and what might lie ahead. For instance, in these shots, I love the worry lines between his subject’s brows. They make me wonder what worries she’s dealt with before and if they’re all resolved now. The little parentheses around her mouth tell me those stressors have at least taken a back seat to laughter at some point. And what about the tattoo? Does it commemorate an event or some great accomplishment? Is it a reminder of something or someone? I have no idea, but I like that these pictures make me have questions. That they make me care enough not to just look at them, offer a brief word of praise, then forget about them. Adam doesn’t photoshop the his shots until they’re just another slick lie. They’re real. And that is what makes them beautiful.

I’ve visited his site a number of times and wondered what intrigued me most about this series of photographs — and it’s not just the impressive display of ink (OUCH!). Finally, it hit me. His subject reminds me of John Singer Sargent’s famous portrait of Madame X. Maybe it’s just me, but don’t bother to try and convince me otherwise. If you would like to see more of Adam’s work, drop by his site and check out his impressive gallery. Thanks for sharing these, Adam!