This is a place where you can find helpful resources, and publish your ideas, processes and coursework.
Please feel free to explore the blog…you will find many years worth of our students’ work as well as prompts and inspiration from the teachers and links to useful websites and learning devices.
Experience Day Task
Here are some basic instructions to help you create something new and different today…
John StezakerSammy Slabinck
Open Adobe Photoshop
Open at least 2 x images from the choices below
CTRL A / Select All of one image and drag onto the other image using the MOVE TOOL
Overlay 1 image on top of the other
Using Free Transform position the image, and alter the size
Select all of the image using the Marquee Tool or similar
Try using the OPACITY CONTROL
Add a “stroke”
Adjust your image using IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS
Remove parts of the image using the selection tools, inverse selection and layer mask
Flatten Image
Save image
Experience Day Images
(Right click and copy / save to your document area. You will then open these images in Adobe Photoshop to edit and finalise)
Or you may be able to Google Search your own to add and edit
Alfred Krupp was an armanents manufacturer who used slave labour to make weapons for the Nazis. When finding out that Newman was a jew, Krupp refused to let him take the photograph. Newman insisted to have Krupp look at his portfolio before making a final decision and after seeing Newman’s portfolio he accepted. On July 6th, 1963 they both went into a delict factory in Essen which belonged to Krupp, where Newman decided to make Krupp look as evil as he can under the eerie, demonic lighting of the factory. When Krupp initially saw his portrait he was furious. Newman said “as a jew, it’s my own little moment of revenge”. Krupp in this image is in an elevated position which is important because it shows his declaration that he is the highest authority within these premises, he is the man responsible for all that happens. Krupp is situated in the centre of the image and the lens mostly focuses on his face rather than the background;This emphasises his facial features and gesture. Krupp is slightly leaning forward and clasping his fingers together under his chin. He is staring directly at the camera in an eerie, sinister way with a sort of grin on his face. He’s also wearing a suit and appears to be in a formal position. In the background you can see his factory which gives the impression that Krupp is in charge. The fact that the background is lighter than the foreground makes Krupp appear evil since he seems to be surrounded by darkness. This image makes me feel on edge since he looks like he’s done something evil. It seems like he’s staring right into the depth of your eyes which makes the viewer feel uncomfortable and uneasy. The whole image seems wicked which is mostly created through the eerie lighting and his facial features.
These portraits seem to show some kind of emotional provocation, eg. fear, anger.
The face is slightly distorted yet in all of these images through the use of reflections, focused face with frosted backdrop or objects hindering full view of the face.
Neon Light Portraits:
sharp focus
coloured lights
party scene
fun and vibrant colours
reflection
blur
These images all show lights and reflections of light creating a fresh and pastel feel.
The sharpness and contrast of the images with the highlighted areas create beautiful cool toned compositions.
UV Paint Portraits:
vibrant colours
neon
spots/stripes/random
close up and intimate
psychedelic effect
Extremely vivid and vibrant colours of the UV paints contrasted by the dark tones of the skin.
The colours in the images connote some sense of psychedelic experience.
An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings. The term is most frequently used of a genre of photography.
By photographing a person in their natural surroundings, it is thought that you will be able to better illuminate their character, and therefore portray the essence of their personality, rather than merely a likeness of their physical features. It is also thought that by photographing a person in their natural surroundings, the subject will be more at ease, and so be more conducive to expressing themselves, as opposed to in a studio, which can be a rather intimidating and artificial experience.
Examples of environmental portrait:
Heres a video to create environmental portrait photography:
Arnold Newman was an american photographer who primarily worked in portraiture however also occasionally created abstract still life composure’s. More importantly however he coined the phrase and is the founder of environmental portraiture. This usually features a subject looking directly into the camera with the background being pivotal to either their identity or livelihood. There are however photos which don’t follow this pattern and his photos rarely include action shots. These photos are a great way of portraying ones personality and/or interests and the facial expressions are a good way of showing whether or not they enjoy their work/home life and so even a lack of emotion in a photo is able to portray strong emotions.
Due to the time period of his photography most of his work is done with film, although he had access to high end film cameras and so had the benefits of high quality images and glass while still having the subjective ‘benefits’ of film photography such as the light Gaussian grain in darker areas and interesting interactions with light when using a large aperture. The use of film also results in small imperfections in the image which I believe gives the photo more character as these markings are near impossible to accurately replicate digitally and are unique to the image. The majority of his images are done in black and white. I believe this allows for greater use of contrast and tones and results in images that look more structured and sharper. This creates a strong sense of drama in his images.
Portraits can be used to convey the personalities and emotions of the subject being used. In many instances, photographers use both the context of the image, and the subjects pose, to convey a message.
The below photograph was taken of industrialist Alfred Krupp, and became a very well known image, due to the message that it conveyed and presented.
Emotional Response:
My first reaction to the image, is that it seems to portray a sinister, dark theme. The way the subject is positioned makes it seem like he is mimicking an evil character, and his facial expression is unnerving and lacks emotion. This image is also very full, and the attention of the viewer is moved from the subject in the foreground to the different activities occurring in the background. this makes it difficult to concentrate on a certain part of the image, and so I dislike this aspect of the photograph.
Visual:
The photograph makes use of dark, contrasting colors to present a more sinister and unnerving tone. The setting of the railway station gives the image an industrial, strict feeling, while the graffiti on the walls of the cement pillars makes the setting seem more run-down and decrepit, allowing the photograph to present a more eerie feel to it. The fact that the subject, an elderly man wearing a suit, is positioned in the very foreground of the image, startles the viewer, and makes it seem like the subject is the dominant figure in this scenario, possibly that the subject owns the station, but doesn’t participate in any manual labor due to the presentation of him wearing a suit.
Technical:
This photograph was taken with a camera, at eye-level with the subject. The image has good symmetry, as the subject is centered in the image, and the industrial setting behind him shows a relatively symmetrical layout. The image also has a strong perspective, as the setting behind the subject seems to carry on towards the center of the image, in the distance, showing the length of the railway line. These techniques used allow for the photograph to show the setting as a large industrial area, and allows for the viewer to focus on the subject and his position, as he is directly in the center at the front of the photograph.
Conceptual:
Newman idea behind this image was to present the subject as sinister as possible. The main focus of the image is to draw attention to the subjects personality, as Newman has attempted to portray how bad of a person Krupp was, through positioning him to look like a villain. Newman used both subtle and unsubtle techniques to present this effect, and overall, the concept of the image can be deduced relatively easily by analyzing the setting, the position of the subject, and the context behind the photograph.
Context:
In 1963, photographer Arnold Newman was contacted by industrialist Alfred Krupp to photograph a portrait image for him. Krupp was discovered to have produced transport and materials to assist the Nazis during the second world war, and after learning Newman was Jewish, Krupp refused to see him. After being persuaded through viewing Newman’s impressive portfolio, Krupp agreed to allow Newman to photograph him. Newman took advantage of this, and portrayed Krupp in the most sinister and eerie way possible in an act of revenge for Krupp’s influence in the prosecution of the Jews.
Portrait photography or portraiture in photography is a photograph of a person or group of people that captures the personality of the subject by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses. A portrait picture might be artistic, or it might be clinical, as part of a medical study.
Aim: To explore the different kinds and ways of acquiring portrait photos and what methods photographers use for different styles.
Types –
TRADITIONAL PORTRAIT
“Face is the focus”
In this type of portrait photography, the object is supposed to look directly at the camera and the focus is on the face.
CANDID PORTRAIT
“Take as it is”
Candid portraits are generally the real and spontaneous images. Here the photographer has not much control on the surroundings and cannot alter the emotions.
POSED PORTRAIT
“Intentions have been conveyed”
Posed portrait means that the photographer has conveyed the intentions to the subject, by words or by action, and there needs to be a change of body position or expression.
ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAIT
“At objects own environment”
Environmental portrait means that you are photographing the object in its own environment, where it is comfortable most. Like an Engineer at his construction site, farmer in the field etc.
FORMAL PORTRAIT
“Object with a formal pose”
This is a posed portrait, but with a formal touch, prepared for business and other formal occasions.
COUPLE PORTRAIT
“Highlighting the relation”
In this type of portrait the emphasis of the photographer is to show the intensity of the relation between the people in the photograph. For ex: The relation of child with his parents.
GLAMOUR PORTRAIT
“Highlight the appeal”
Taking portrait of the model is the best example of this, where you want to enhance the appeal of the object.
CLOSE UP PORTRAIT
“Get it close”
These are the images that are taken from very close, using zoom or macro lens.
Examples of some good portrait photographs/Mood Board –
William H. Macy photographed at Sundance Film Festival for Be A Star Anti-Bullying Campaign in partnership with WWE and The Creative Coalition
Traditional or Classical portraiture would refer to an image where face is the predominant element. The purpose of the photograph is to depict visual representation of that person. Subject is expected to be looking directly at the camera. With what is described as a head-shot, two thirds or full body framing can be used
2. ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAIT.
The term Environmental Portrait refers to an image where the subject is photographed in person’s natural environment. For example, a worker photographed at the construction zone, teacher in the classroom, sculptor in a sculpture studio and so on. Surroundings are used to compliment the subject and to emphasize his character. Subject and setting are chosen by the photographer.
4. CANDID PORTRAIT.
A candid portrait is taken without a subject expecting or acknowledging the photographer. This style used in photo journalism, travel photography, street photography and event photography. As opposed to an environmental portrait this image is captured at the moment rather than set up.
The term Lifestyle Portrait refers to portraits where emphasis is given to suggest the “style of living” of the individuals depicted. Technically it is a combination of environmental portrait and candid portrait. More weight is given to communicate the feeling of life experience of the subject. Style has numerous implications in commercial and fine art photography. Editorial, fashion, pharmaceutical, and food industries often use lifestyle images to evoke emotions in viewers by depiction of desired life styles. It is common to see this style used in wedding and family portrait photography as well.
7. SURREAL PORTRAIT.
Surreal Portraits are created to emphasize the other reality. A depiction of a person’s interpreted subconscious mind. Surrealism is an art movement started in the early 1920‘s and still alive and well. In photography tricks and special effects are used to achieve a surreal look.
8. CONCEPTUAL PORTRAIT.
Conceptual Portrait refers to images where concept adds a fourth dimension. The hidden meaning of the concept will leave the viewer guessing as it is often open for interpretation. Conceptual artists generally get offended when asked what did they mean in their photograph. It is the job of the viewer to decide. Conceptual Portraits are often used in advertising photography but concepts are much easier to understand.
9. ABSTRACT PORTRAIT.
Abstract portraits are created with a purpose of creating art and not based on realistic representation of a person. Collage or digital manipulation is often used.
Portraits in photography are often used to capture the personality of the subject, and to present a thought or feeling through the use of a human subject, making the photograph as a whole, more relatable.
Different camera techniques and editing skills can be used, depending on what the photographer is trying to portray in their image. The following are professional examples of different techniques that a photographer could use when taking a portrait image of a subject:
Posed portraits:
Photograph by Lisa Holloway
Photographers may decide to pose their subjects in order to convey a specific image, or to present an action or scene that would be difficult to capture in a candid photograph in everyday life.
Candid photographs are images taken while the subject is not posing, and is instead completing a natural task in their natural environment. Candid photos are often used to show the personality of the subject, and makes use of the setting how it naturally is in everyday life.
Half-body Portraits:
Photography by Yew Kwang
Half body portraits are often used in professional photographs. They allow for the personality of the subject to show through in the photograph, but in a more professional manner, as the focus is still on the face and upper body posture.
3/4 length portraits:
Photograph by Alan Fisher
3/4 length portraits typically focus on the top 3/4 of an individuals body, leaving out the bottom of the legs. this can be used to present the whole appearance of the subject (including clothes and posture) without minimizing any details that may be left out in, for example, a full body portrait.
Full body portraits are meant to show the viewer the entire posture of the subject, as their whole body is in the image. they are commonly used in fashion magazines, where the purpose of the image is to show a full outfit of clothing on a subject.
High angle portraits are often used to emphasis the small size of the subject. they place the camera in a position of dominance, and thus the subject is presented as smaller.
The canted angle is produced by tilting the camera at an angle, so that the horizontal lines within the image are no longer parallel with the frame of the image, and any vertical lines lie at an angle to the side of the frame of the image. This technique emphasizes the diagonal lines of an image, and can be used to emphasis drama and interest in an image.
Black and white portraits are created during the editing process of an image. Using black and white can help to emphasis the shape, texture and contrasting tones of an image, and can make an image more effective if it uses different shapes and angles.
High key portraits make use of light colors, and images are often taking using lots of artificial light, using neutral colors in the image. High key images help to draw attention directly to the subject, as attention is not diverted by any bold colors or shapes.
Low-key portraits are the opposite of high key, making use of dark tones and a lack of light to create a shadowed effect on subjects. The images typically portray themselves as more serious and harsh, and add mystery to the subject due to a portion of them usually being shadowed in darkness.
Color is often used in portraits to draw maximum attention to the subject. Bold vibrant colors are often used to allow the subject to stand out, and the viewers attention is drawn to the colors and shapes that are emphasized.
low-angle portraits:
By Pixioo Photography
Low angles are often used to present the opposite features to high angles. A low angle image places the subject in a position of dominance, making the subject seem larger, and more threatening to the viewer.
Head shots are often used to place maximum emphasis on the facial expression of the subject. The identities of the subject are often clear, and the image would be used to focus on the subjects reaction to something, or to help identify them easily (e.g head shots are used in passports to identify people) without the addition of any unnecessary features that may draw attention away from the face (e.g bright clothing).
