by Yvette Depaepe
Published the 17th of June 2022

 'Hi!' by Wieteke de Kogel

What’s the first thing you notice in a portrait?
It’s the eyes, as people are naturally inclined to making eye contact. The eyes are a reflection of the true essence of the person.
The whole psychological and physiological state of a person is reflected in those two screens. The eyes may remain wide open, half-open, or even closed, but they are always full of feelings.


The eyes give an idea of the character – through the eyes, you can read thoughts.
When you admire famous portraits created by great artists such as Da Vinci, or Steve McCurry, pay attention to how they conveyed the look. Notice how the mood was reflected in the eyes. Eyes are in the spotlight.

The eyes are open windows into our soul.
They can change our facial expression and show our emotions in a matter of seconds. They have the capability to reflect our feelings and emotions, expressing happiness, love, protection and comfort, but also anger, sadness or pain. Yes, they are indeed gates into our most intimate corners, which makes us both vulnerable and powerful.

I admire those images in which the eyes can tell a story. Unfortunately, not every picture can transmit such a feeling; but when this is achieved, it is just fascinating.
 

Here is a selection of some images from the 1x archives.
They forced me to stop and stare at them, trying to unearth somehow the secret stories they might hide.
All of them, if you take a careful look, will transport you to a different place, time, feeling and state of mind.

'vogue' by Josefina Melo

'Romi' by Martin Krystynek, QEP

'Twin love' by Peter Müller Photography

'Twins' by Sheyda Karimi

'Paranoia' by Samanta

'Watch out! It's slippery' by Francesco Martinelli

'Cross' by Samuel Zlatarev

'Mathilda' by Alexander Vinogradov

'Wodaabe beauty' by Trevor Cole

'putry' by Jockie Ferrino

'Untitled' by Alex Malikov

'The power of an eye' by Ivan Kavaldzhiev

'through his glasses' by Kharinova Uliana

'Leela and Asha' by Norbert Becke

'Shadé' by Andre du Plessis

'Look of wonder' by Marc Apers

'...untitled...' by Ela Stein

'little secrets' by Piet Flour

'Little Spy' by Frank Dalemans