Few photographers have formed trendy portraiture fairly like Platon.
Over time, he’s photographed everybody from Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin to Adele and David Bowie; all the time with the identical piercing intimacy that makes his pictures unimaginable to overlook. So after I noticed that Platon’s picture of Nile Rodgers had gained the Judges’ Selection Award on the 2025 Abbey Street Music Images Awards, I wasn’t stunned.
At first look, the profitable picture isn’t what many would historically name a portrait. It’s a close-up of Nile Rodgers’ hand holding a guitar choose; the choose itself is emblazoned with the enduring Stylish emblem.
But, on this easy vignette, Platon manages to inform us every little thing we have to know in regards to the man behind the music. That hand has formed a number of the most influential grooves in widespread tradition; it’s a logo of rhythm, creativity and legacy.
In my view, that is what makes Platon so extraordinary. His potential to search out humanity and narrative within the smallest particulars. The picture distills a lifetime of artistry right into a single body, proof {that a} portrait doesn’t want eyes to talk volumes.
As a gear fanatic, I couldn’t resist delving into the technical facet; in any case, learning the pictures of masters is how I discovered the craft.
Platon has lengthy been synonymous with Hasselblad cameras for his studio work, famously utilizing a movie 500 collection for a lot of his profession. However this award-winning picture marks a slight evolution. A fast peek on the EXIF knowledge revealed that it was captured with the Hasselblad X2D 100C and XCD 120mm lens.
It’s an interesting mixture of previous and new; the identical Hasselblad sensibility and tonal depth, however with the precision and dynamic vary of recent digital medium format digicam. You’ll be able to virtually really feel the feel of Rodgers’ pores and skin and the tactile gleam of the choose, rendered with the type of readability that solely 100 megapixels can ship.
For anybody inquisitive about portraiture, Platon’s work stays a masterclass in restraint and objective. He doesn’t depend on elaborate setups or grand gestures, however belief, consideration, and the braveness to get shut.
When you haven’t seen Platon’s episode of Summary: The Artwork of Design on Netflix, add it to your watchlist. It’s an unimaginable look into the psychology and craft behind his pictures.
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