Photography’s Power and Influence Lives on Both Sides of the Camera

World Photography Day is as good a day as any to celebrate the power of photography. While much of the focus is typically on the photographer, photography also dramatically impacts those photographed, as Nikon’s new “Proud Reflections” short film artfully demonstrates.

“Proud Reflections” is a joint effort between Nikon Ambassador Carolyn Mendelsohn and former England Rugby player Heather Fisher. The duo travel to places of significance for Fisher, who battled alopecia at 27 years old and then a broken back the following year, amid a successful rugby career that included an appearance at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

As Mendelsohn and Fisher visited different locations, they created portraits. What makes this project different than most is that throughout their journey, Fisher herself captured pictures, including self-portraits. The project aims to demonstrate photography’s power of expression and self-expression, investigating how a person’s story changes depending on which side of the lens someone is on.

“This important film highlights the power we can all take from a positive framing of diversity and inclusivity. Through the lens of a camera, both Carolyn and Heather are able to showcase and celebrate the beauty of Heather’s identity in all its myriad forms,” says Julian Harvie, Marketing Director, Nikon Northern Europe. “Nikon is proud to have invested in the production of this poignant film. It perfectly illustrates both Nikon’s century-old legacy of empowering visual creativity and also our modern mission to keep inspiring.”

“It was a privilege to be involved in this film,” Fisher says, “especially at such a pivotal time in both my life and career, allowing me to show who I am beyond my sport.”

“The camera became a vital tool to give me agency and help express my own individuality. Carolyn truly has the rare ability to capture people’s nuances and embellish them through her lens, and I was blown away by how the final shots defined my journey in a way that words alone could not,” Fisher adds.

As for Mendelsohn, the internationally-renowned portrait photographer, she calls “Proud Reflections” the “perfect example” of Nikon’s willingness to push boundaries and tell stories in different ways.

“Photography goes beyond just taking a beautiful picture — it’s the opportunity to allow individuals like Heather to take control of their own story.”

Mendelsohn Calls ‘Proud Reflections’ Project ‘a Real Privilege’

PetaPixel spoke with Mendelsohn to learn more about the project and how the long-time professional photographer views a camera’s ability to give people control over their identity and image.

“It has been a real privilege to work in this way and I was so excited when Nikon approached me with this opportunity,” she explains. “Normally, I am not afforded the amount of time that Heather and I had unless it is a purely personal project. This process was so important here and integral to the outcome.”

When Mendelsohn first met Fisher at the project’s start, the two were complete strangers.

“Heather was the superstar athlete, and I was the photographer,” Mendelsohn says. “I felt it was very important to find out more about Heather and about her life and her experiences, the things that had shaped her and made her who she is now in order to proceed and to make the final work powerful and authentic.”

The collaborators — and that’s an important word here because it’s eminently clear that the project was a partnership, not a photographer-subject relationship — decided to go on a road trip to meaningful places for Fisher.

Mendelsohn learned a lot about Fisher during this trip and their conversations and notes how Fisher, no stranger to being photographed due to her rugby success, had never been an active participant in a photoshoot before. She had always been told and directed.

Mendelsohn believes the resulting portraits are significantly more authentic by involving Fisher in the process from the start.

“The most important thing I take from this project was that it really enabled me to explore the process of creating work, and how important it is to make the time with people to do so. I also think being able to share the process with an audience through the film is really valuable,” the photographer explains. “I hope people can see that photography isn’t just about pressing the shutter at the right time: it is about connecting, and looking, feeling and thinking. if you’re going to tell someone’s story and go beyond the superficial, getting to understand and know them, is an integral part of the creation of that final work.”

Giving the Power Back to Portrait Subjects

As Fisher says, after working with Mendelsohn, she now sees photography as a way to tell a person’s story rather than just a picture of a person.

“As a photographer, I am passionate about enabling people to have agency and a voice, and be their multi-layered, complex selves, so it was great to be able to do this, to work in this way with Heather — to not only make portraits of her, but also to enable her to learn the process and then work with her on her own portraits/self-portraits,” Mendelsohn explains.

“When a person is at the center of their own story, it is about granting them the ability to be part of their own story. The process enables them to have agency and power — in fact, it is an empowering act.”

Spending so much time together not only helped Mendelsohn connect with Fisher and capture more powerful portraits, but it also enabled her to help Fisher on her own photography journey. Mendelsohn helped Fisher learn how to use the Nikon cameras on offer so Fisher could capture photos herself.

There are technical aspects of a good portrait, of course, like good light and interesting composition, but for Mendelsohn, the most essential ingredients are emotional.

“When I’m making portraits, I aim to represent the person truthfully and creatively. I am looking to create a photograph that is compelling and that tells their story,” she explains.

The Impact of a Single Image

Alongside being a professional photographer, Mendelsohn is also an accomplished filmmaker, so she knows how to tell stories through still photographs and motion pictures. She’s still a huge believer in the appeal of a single image.

“I think there is such a power to the still frame, and there is a discipline in creating the one distilled, definitive image that perfectly tells the story. Finding the essence of a story in one image requires a different set of skills to video-work, though they are of course transferable,” Mendelsohn says. “There is something really joyful and powerful about making that one image that pulls people in and at the same time tells that story.”

“We all remember those single iconic images — they stick with us… a distilled moment, an emotion, giving us a sense of place and time.”

“We will always remember it.”

Celebrating Photography

Photography can change people’s lives. For Mendelsohn, it has been a career she is passionate about. For Fisher, it has become a new way for her to express herself and control how people perceive her — something that has been primarily out of her hands throughout her rugby career. The influence of capturing a photo — and being photographed — cannot be overstated.

To see more from Carolyn Mendelsohn, visit her website and follow her on Instagram.

Image credits: Carolyn Mendelsohn and Heather Fisher