The subjects have a range of emotions depicting sadness, anxiety, and happiness. My favorite part of his photographs is the way he plays on with the lighting. The light encompasses the subject's face in a way that draws the eye directly to it making the faces light up and become the center of attention. In many of his photographs, the background is blurred or distorted while the subject remains sharp -- another quality that makes the subject the dominant image. In some photographs, the hair and shoulders are blurred, so the main focus of the subject instantly becomes their facial features. Some of his subjects are blurred completely, suggesting that the subject is in motion. The picture below is a picture of Lisa Rina, and the one feature that is most recognizable is her smile. Every other feature of her is blurred, so your eye is instantly drawn to the whiteness of her teeth.
Besides his own work, Halper has expanded his success and has taught photography at Santa Fe Workshops. He has studied with photographers such as Keith Carter, Andrew Eccles, Paul Elledge, Paul Aresu, Frank Ockenfels 3, Rodney Smith, Nick Merrick, Steve Hellerstein, Jay Maisel, Sean Kernan, and Dan Winters. He has also been an instructor for The Julia Dean Photo Workshops, the UCLA Extension, and has taught workshops through his own studio.
Halper has been a speaker for professional photography and design association events, including The Professional Photographers of Canada, The Professional Photographers of Orange County, and The Northwest Arkansas Art Directors Club.
