Platon Inspired Portraits
Portrait series inspired by the photographer Platon — stark, direct, and equal. The job title is not the person.
What does a person look like when stripped of rank?
The idea
Platon is a portrait photographer known for shooting world leaders, CEOs, and celebrities with the same direct, close, unadorned approach — no flattering light, no status symbols, just a face and a plain background. The job title becomes irrelevant. Everyone looks like a person.
This series borrows that philosophy and applies it locally. The subjects range from a designer to a janitor. The approach is identical for each.
The subjects
Shot in the same controlled conditions: plain background, single light source, tight frame. The subject's role is listed beneath the image — but it's listed after you've already looked at the face. That ordering is intentional.
What it taught me
Equal treatment as a design constraint. When you remove the hierarchy from how you present people, you start seeing them differently. That shift in perspective is something I've carried into how I approach user research — everyone's experience is equally worth understanding, regardless of their role.