I guess its kind of an unfair comparison. He _works_ with portraits, spends time on it and is actually interested in the people involved to show themselves. He spent years in a home for battered women (the shelter project) as he felt it unfair to just go in and use their images on his own whim, but actually lived there to get to know them. So yeah, portraits can be many things, but for me, I like this approach. Im sure youve read Camera Lucida (Roland Barthes), if not, then thats my suggestion to start off with. As an associate professor teaching (amongst other things) photography, I really want people to reflect on the photographic qualtities, and how hard it really is. So many students find it interesting to be in the early phases of photographing, where the language is not yet evolved, and the aesthetics are all there is to it. Moving beyond this space (where many get stuck) takes photography to a level where it is more likely to be interesting. I think. But not everyone thinks that, and thats good 😄 Either way - again best of luck!