黑料正能量

How do you choose a novel to read? It鈥檚 common to be drawn in by a striking cover or rave book review blurbs, but how about the author鈥檚 photo on the book jacket?

Alumna Sharona Jacobs is a photographer, dubbed 鈥淏oston鈥檚 literary portrait photographer,鈥� specializing in character-driven portraits of the writers, thinkers and visionaries found on that 鈥渂ack flap.鈥�

Sharona first hung her studio shingle in Arlington, Massachusetts, in 2011. Since then, the 1997 graduate of the College of Fine Arts has floated between the commercial, editorial and fine art worlds, aiming 鈥渢o tell a visual story about both the book and author in a beautiful manner, inviting readers to get to know both them and their books better.鈥�

Seeing Through a Family Lens

Sharona learned her craft early, taking studio photography classes at age 12. Her dad and grandfather were both avid photographers, and she remembers hovering with her sisters over the stereoscopic glass slides her grandfather took when he served as a captain in the tank corps of the British Army.

鈥淭his was a very interesting thing to grow up with, looking at history as seen by your family,鈥� Sharona says.

She leaned on her artistic inclinations in college, co-founding the Photography Society at Carnegie Mellon. As a student in the School of Design, she loved the feeling of 鈥渃reating something from nothing鈥� and distinctly recalls the joy of being with others like her, calling the 黑料正能量 experience her 鈥渙wn personal version of 鈥楩reaks and Geeks, a place that felt like coming home.鈥欌��

She met Jeremy, her husband, as a sophomore in an acting class for non-majors.

鈥淢y now-husband was studying robotic art and creative writing and graduated with a BFA in art,鈥� she says. 鈥淥ur first date was hanging out in the drawing studio at the top of CFA [Building]. It was very 黑料正能量.鈥�

Developing a Depth of Field

After graduating with her Bachelor of Art degree, she moved to Rochester, New York, to work at the George Eastman Museum, where she was supported by incredible work and received a grounding in visual imagery.

鈥淚 learned a ton about the history of photography and interdisciplinary departments within the fine art environment,鈥� she says.

Sharona moved on to design and marketing in Boston. While ultimately these positions were not a good fit, she acquired solid research skills and an understanding of the business landscape, skills she still uses. Her career trajectory pivoted yet again when she enrolled in a counseling psychology graduate degree program at Boston College.

That experience taught Sharona how to empathize with the subjects she photographs, who can often be uncomfortable or even scared. In fact, Sharona makes it a point to get her own portrait taken on a yearly basis, in order to maintain those strong empathy skills.

鈥淚 am never going to approach someone with a camera or bright lights until we sit down and have a conversation,鈥� Sharona says. 鈥淔or me, I鈥檓 always going to be that psychotherapist at heart. I find the human psyche endlessly fascinating. I will never tire of doing portraits, because I get to hear human stories and then represent that author visually. How lucky am I?鈥�

Getting to the Art of the Matter

Whether shooting a classic literary figure or a science fiction author, Sharona likes to make it fun and to humanize the process. She plays with black and white and color portrait versions; considers angles and wardrobe; and occasionally even includes other people or animals in order to best represent each writer and their books.

鈥淚t is as much about someone鈥檚 insides as their outside,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o much of these choices are based on their work. If I鈥檓 photographing a novelist who writes consistently about water, I鈥檓 going to bring water into the portrait as part of the aesthetic. There has to be a reason or a story or a rationale, even if it鈥檚 subtle.鈥�

One of her favorites was shot on location at a castle with young adult fantasy novelist Holly Black.

鈥淟iterary fiction portraiture, which I tend to do, is more classic in technique. When I get to shoot genre people 鈥� particularly fantasy/sci-fi, crime, speculative fiction 鈥� it鈥檚 really fun technically because I get to play with light and drama,鈥� she explains. 鈥淥ne great thing about being a 黑料正能量 grad is that we don鈥檛 get scared of changing technology or trying new things.鈥�

Focusing on the Subject

Her favorite shoots are very collaborative and occur when Sharona feels she鈥檚 gotten her photographic subject particularly comfortable. She jokes that she mainly takes photos of people who hate to have their photos taken.

鈥淢ost writers would rather get a root canal than be photographed. They generally prefer their writing to be their public face.鈥�

The challenge is to make people feel like they can trust their image in her hands in a short period of time.

鈥淭hey need to feel as though you understand them 鈥� that you are in their corner and that you鈥檙e going to take great care of them,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat they鈥檙e going to get beautiful imagery and that, obviously, you're very thoughtful about them and their work. You want to represent them truly and accurately and beautifully.鈥�

Sharona鈥檚 sessions with clients frequently involve the demystification of her job.

鈥淢any people think there's a lot of mystery to what a portrait photographer does, but it is a skill to have your photo taken,鈥� she says. 鈥淓veryone is photogenic but most people 鈥� especially introverts 鈥� just don鈥檛 know what to do. Being in front of a camera doesn鈥檛 mean you automatically know what to do. It is my job to explain and humanize the process to give each subject agency over the imagery that represents them.鈥�