![]() When a body is found, it checked to see if the person is completely dead, and then serving men will take the body down into the vaults. Some alcoves, called "dreaming couches", have special candles that bring visions of the past, for a sweet and gentle death. This is sometimes referred to as "the gift" of the Many Faced God. The religious order refills the fountain with a poison, so that drinking from the fountain leads to a painless death. Some visiting worshippers light candles to their god, then drink from the pool using a stone cup, then go lie in one of the alcoves. The guild's House of Black and White in Braavos has a large sanctuary that contains a pool of black water, idols of many death gods and altars with candles, and small alcoves along the walls that contain stone beds. They claim he is called the Black Goat in Qohor, the Lion of Night in Yi Ti, and the Stranger in the Faith of the Seven. According to the guild, the god is present in many religions, under different names. This way the viewer can see a loved one of their own, or their own self, or even feel a connection to their own childhood.A Faceless Man on the rooftops, by Lin Bo © Fantasy Flight Gamesįollowers of Him of Many Faces consider death to be part of the natural order of things and a merciful end to suffering. If you could see my daughter's face it wouldn't be anything other than a photo of her. In a faceless portrait the viewer can fill in the blanks with their own interpretation, making it quite likely they will form a connection to the image. This lack of identifying features is an underused tool for photographers trying to engage with their audience. It would be lovely as my daughter is very beautiful, but all that I want to convey in the photos is done so successfully with no need for faces. And like the photo above, neither of these photos would be improved upon by adding in their faces. Information the viewer doesn't have otherwise. The fact that she is wearing a summer dress helps the story telling element of this photo, and what could be just a blue sky day becomes a summer's day. Similarly if her legs were together or pointing a different way they wouldn't guide the eye in the same way. There aren't any leading lines to speak of here, so she does the job for me. This photo of Tor Bay on Gower, would still be a lovely photo without my daughter walking across the scene, but the way she is walking and her positioning to the cliffs guides the viewers eyes. You see, for me, that way, what could just be another beach-scape can also tell a story, like I mentioned above, but can also add some guidance to your viewer's eyes as to what you want them to see. As much as I love landscape photography I am always much more comfortable adding at least one person into the mix. We are lucky here in South Wales to be blessed with a multitude of stunning landscapes to photograph. That stray hair blowing in the wind though, that was just a happy coincidence. I popped her seated near the edge (but always a safe distance away) and put the focus on her hat, I used a wide aperture (F2.8) so the dramatic landscape would be a blur in the background, helping add to the wild feel to this image. And whilst this view would be impressive with her just sat there, her hair doesn't tell as much of a story as the hat. ![]() So I dusted off Morgan's winter hat to give clues as to the weather. I wanted to convey that the weather was a bit wild and a sense of adventure. I knew on our walk we would pass this view and it is one of my favourite dramatic coastlines. ![]() This image may seem like a candid capture, but it was actually planned in advance. Every detail counts, from the positioning of limbs, to where you choose to crop, and even down to what is being worn. Think about what you want to communicate in your photo, and go from there. ![]() Since you won't be able to see any facial expressions giving clues to what is going on and how people are feeling, you will need to find other ways to tell your story. Probably the most important factor in your faceless portraits is to tell a story. I am often complimented on my faceless portraits and have been asked on numerous occasions to share some tips and advice, so I thought I would put it all in one convenient blog post for all you budding photographers keen to learn, and any parents keen to keep their children's faces off the big old internet. The decision to keep my account faceless was made from day one, and I did wander if it might hold me back in being able to grow, but have found quite the contrary, and for me the additional creative challenge of faceless portraits has been one I have relished and has helped me to grow in ways I couldn't have imagined. If you follow me over on Instagram you may have noticed that I never share photos where you can see my Children's faces. ![]()
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