For @waynelawrence, one of our Photographers of the Year, portraiture is about capturing a person's essence, which is the most challenging part. “My approach is to always gauge a person’s energy and try to match it," he says. "I’ll know everything is jelling when there is no need to give much direction.” 📸 @waynelawrence Hlerh Khumalo (at left) and Zwano Mthembu. "One that really touched me is the image I made of a couple in their early 20s, smiling and sitting close together outside a Durban shopping center," he says. "What I like most about their portrait is that I didn’t initially put too much of myself into it and just allowed their joy to bubble to the surface." 📸 Qiniso Dladla @qindladla While on assignment with Lawrence, photography assistant Qiniso Dladla took a photo of him showing street vendor Ongeziwe Mtate photos he’d taken of her. Learn more about Lawrence and our other Photographers of the Year at the link in bio.