Portrait Session with Violist Erlend Lõwi
Black-and-white portrait session with my father, violist Erlend Lõwi, photographed in Tallinn in 2017. And yes, this project also taught me that someone who plays the viola is a violist in English, not a violinist. Not a typo.
Instead of posing statically for the camera, Erlend played the viola throughout much of the session, which gave the portraits a more natural rhythm and expression. Felt a bit like event photography.
I also got the sense that it had been a while since he had last picked up the instrument, so it was a nice occasion for that too. I wanted to photograph both him and the instrument itself – the way he holds it, the details and what happens when he starts playing.
For a professional musician, it’s a bit like riding a bicycle – the muscle memory kicks in and things start flowing again.
