in search of the true self, exploring our identity through the eyes of others.

interpreting hidden messages within the face to understand life, ourself, and the world we live in.

everything on the face tells a story of who we are; nose, eyes, lips, freckles & hair, the facial structure to the laughter wrinkles and frown lines, forming a language written upon the face. eric standop has the incredible ability of translating this language, reading with immense accuracy, a persons life, abilities & weaknesses, passions & fears, deciphering the hidden messages written within the face, writing poems from deep within the soul.

portraits of a soul is a major project spawned from the mutual passion of the faces of the world.

award winning portrait photographer, richard pilnick, works with his subjects in a calm and reassuring manner, allowing the subject to release all inhibitions, thus capturing the inner soul and creating a moment framed perpetually and perfectly in time.

during the course of richard’s journey, he met face reader, eric standop.

eric, a specialist in the field of face reading, has a deep understanding of the world and its people, enabling him to read the souls of the individuals captured in richard’s photographs.

richard’s gift is his ability of capturing the essence of being, eric’s is that of reading every element from within the face.

eric is able to read, with immense accuracy, a persons life, their abilities & weaknesses, their passions & fears and their health from studying their face.

through this immense ability eric has read the faces of richard’s portraits and written poems based on their lives to accompany each image.

this body of work has formed ‘portraits of a soul, face reading poems’ – everything you see before you.

richard and eric’s paths crossed for the first time while both were embarked on a life journey, and immediately they established an enduring bond, discovering shared drives and aspirations. the conscious belief that their meeting was not by chance but was more a matter of fate — this same luminous understanding is something that richard’s subjects have, aware that he is the conduit for their messages to the world.

people’s lives cross paths for a reason. and it is understanding and being receptive of that reason, that purpose, which enables us to grow.

eric and richard work together in harmony, generating energy derived from mutual passion and enthusiasm.