Photographer Platon speaks to the audience during Powerful Portraits on March 5 at Texas Hall. Platon spoke about his portrait work throughout his lifetime.
Platon, an international award-winning photographer, captivated the audience at Texas Hall Tuesday during “Powerful Portraits,” a discussion for the Maverick Speakers Series.
Platon is known for his portrait photography and has produced over 20 covers for TIME magazine. His 2007 cover photo of Vladimir Putin was awarded first prize at the World Press Photo Contest, according to UTA’s website.
President Jennifer Cowley opened up the Maverick Speakers Series with an introduction going over Platon’s achievements before welcoming him on stage to speak.
For his presentation, Platon talked over a slideshow of some of his most famous photos, providing the stories behind them and what the photos taught him.
Attendees listen during Powerful Portraits on March 5 at Texas Hall. In 2013, Platon founded The People’s Portfolio, a nonprofit dedicated to advocate for human rights through visual language.
He opened the presentation by mentioning the togetherness of the audience.
“Looking at all your beautiful faces, I see you’re all together,” Platon said. “In these days of division it’s amazing that you’re together.”
Platon went on to highlight various famous photos of his, including former U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
Photographer Platon speaks on stage during Powerful Portraits on March 5 at Texas Hall. Platon has been featured on various magazines such as The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair and Esquire.
He said every president he has photographed has gone through painful and vulnerable processes of personal reflection.
“I bet all of you, when your time is done, you will look back at these moments when life was good,” Platon said. “When you have responsibility in your hands, you will say ‘how did I do?’ ‘Did I get it right?’ ‘Did I get it wrong?’”
When Platon photographed Mark Zuckerburg, he recounted the story of a poster that was in Zuckerburg’s office that read ‘what would you do if you weren’t afraid?’ He went on to question how people’s lives would be if they didn’t let fear drive them.
Attendees applaud during Powerful Portraits on March 5 at Texas Hall. In 2011, Platon received a Peabody Award.
“That’s one of the most powerful questions we would ever dare ask ourselves,” he said. “Would your life be different? Would your career path be different? Would the relationships in your life be different? Don’t think for a moment that I wouldn’t dare stand in front of you today as if I’ve got the answers. Because if I’m honest, I have to confess, fear has always played a part in my life.”
Platon then showed the audience a picture of an eye. He asked if they knew whose it was or if it was from a good or bad person. He proceeded to show more pictures of cropped eyes and to whom they belonged to, making the point that humans are all similar.
The second to last photo of the presentation was a portrait of a woman wearing an Army T-shirt with an American flag draped over her shoulder.
Platon said he suggested for her portrait that she wear one of her husband’s Army shirts as a tribute to him, but before then she had never opened the box of his belongings that the U.S. military sent to her after he died.
Fine arts senior Jordyn Garca, left and journalism Senior Londy Ramirez, right, gets an autograph during Powerful Portraits on March 5 at Texas Hall. Platon handed out autographs to attendees after the event.
“For the first time in my life, I put a photograph above the wellbeing of a person and it wasn’t for me to push her into this delicate emotional place,” Platon said. “And as I apologized, she said ‘you don’t understand why I’m crying.’ ‘I’m crying,’ she said, ‘because I just realized they washed his clothes and I wanted to smell him again.’”
Platon then paused as silence hushed over the auditorium. He brought the presentation back to the beginning by bringing the audience together in an emotional moment.
Platon ended the presentation with a question to the audience:
“Are we to be bystanders, like moths dancing around somebody else’s flame? Or are we to be upstanders, and we light the darkness ourselves with our own torch of compassion?” he said. “Because when there is light, we see each other as we really are, not as strangers or opponents, but as creative partners. And together we learn the respect of history and transform this chaos into a beautiful cosmos.”
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