Here is another shot from my series of James Lee Stuart. I am surprisingly pleased with this one. I say surprisingly because I usually am not a fan of portraits that don’t draw at least some connection from the eyes, profile shots are usually the worst offender. I find a connection, though, between the lens and Lee in this particular frame.

Lee was a fascinating man, full of stories and anecdotes. One interesting tidbit he shared, early in the conversation, was that he was very self-conscious about his toothless smile. He was, however, proud to announce he was expecting his new set of dentures within the week. His shrunken facial structure, obviously altered due to his lack of teeth, is clearly visible from this angle. His sunken lips add an interesting element to his profile, exaggerating his chin and nose.

I processed this image much the same as yesterdays. The major changes were done using 30 plus adjustment layers in Photoshop. One thing I have noticed while editing this shoot is that Lee’s face simply does not possess the character evident in both Alexander and Jess. His stories were long and weathered but his skin was almost flawless, quite unlike Alexander and Jess whose faces were rich with lines and wrinkles, each one telling a different story. Given his life circumstances, I found this to be quite remarkable.