For Your Viewing Pleasure: Portrait Mode

Welcome back to another instalment of For Your Viewing Pleasure, where we take time out of the week to curate a set of photos from the K-pop landscape.

The purpose of a portrait photograph is to capture the essence of its central character – creating a unique connection between the subject and the lens that frames them. At first glance, it appears to be a one-way view from the audience’s perspective, but when the model stares straight down the barrel of the camera, a unique moment of unspoken dialogue is born. As (G)I-dle’s Yuqi half hides behind her bejewelled fingers, Rosé of Blackpink looks back boldly, unabashed. While Hyein of NewJeans is seen through a blur of raindrops, a desaturated picture paints Mingyu of Seventeen in perfect clarity. A special mention must go to Taeyeon’s shoot with Harper’s Bazaar, which sees the singer backlit by sunshine, meeting the camera’s gaze with a cool intensity. Flick through these photos to find your favourite snapshot.

(Images via Vogue, Dazed, GQ, Singles, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan)