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.
These images are not mine they are from the internet (from google images)
Every one of these images:
formal
informal
candidate
High angle
Low angle
Headshot
futuristic
high key
colour
black and white
half body
Full body
natural
posed
Environmental Portraits
Arnold Newman
This is an example of an environmental portrait.
The lighting and exposure of the images is quite low however it highlights the focus on to the man who is wearing white. As shown in the image the man is engaging with the camera, unlike street photography where the person being photographed usually isn’t aware environmental portraits is the opposite and encourages the person to be looking at the image.
Arnold Newman began taking images that were based around on who the person actually is. For this man it looks like his background is something along the lines of being a musician so therefore he’s trying to capture part of his identity. This captures the idea of environmental as its trying to portray the idea that this what they do day to day.
Firstly, I used the quick selection tool to select the person in the image. I then inversed it so that the entire area around his was selected instead. After, I turned the hue and saturation right down while also decreasing the brightness a tiny bit. Below is my final outcome:
My initial final outcome.
The reason that I thought I would do this is because it would make the person stand out more against the plain background. I thought this would be a good idea because it would help to bring out people’s personalities and individuality out a lot more as that is what I personally thinks makes street photography interesting.
I also wanted to experiment with making the entire photo black and white also as I thought this could make my image look more like the ones Sander took. To do this i inversed the selection again, so that it was around the person and turned the hue and saturation right down. I kept the brightness at 0 so that the person would still slightly stand out, but not as much as before.
My second outcome, experimenting with black and white.
EditingI edited this image using Lightroom. As the image was overexposed along the top, I lowered the exposure, shadows and black shades and increased increased the contrast, highlights and whites. This helped not make the people in the image too overexposed. Lastly, I cropped the image to get rid of the left part as I thought it was quite unnecessary since it was quite distracting. This way you’re able to notice the main subject of the image more.
Rankin (who’s full name is John Rankin Waddell) is a British fashion photographer and director. He has done photo shoots with numerous celebrities and other influential figures; including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Queen Elizabeth II and the spice girls.
This is a photo of Rankin.
In his portrait photos he tries to bring out and exaggerate the emotions or personality of the person he is photographing, he also encourages and tries to boost the confidence of the person. These two factors combined result in the photos looking very natural and genuine, instead of giving the effect of forced emotions. The exaggerated emotions also make the images more appealing as they stick out from the majority of photos which aren’t as expressive.
He is best known as the founder of the ‘Dazed and Confused’ magazine. His work has appeared in magazines such as GQ, Vogue and Marie Claire. In 2011 Rankin started the biannual fashion, culture and lifestyle magazine, Hunger and launched Rankin Film to produce and direct his own commercial and editorial film work.
Street Photography: Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or inquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places.
Mood Board
Threshold Concept
Threshold Concept 7: The meanings of photographs are never fixed, are not contained solely within the photographs themselves and rely on a combination of the viewer's sensitivity, knowledge and understanding, and the specific context in which the image is seen.
When: Friday afternoon
Where: St Helier
How: Using a Canon camera with an 18-55mm lens
Who: Anybody on the streets of St Helier
Why: To capture pictures that are unique and are 'in the moment'
The Photoshoot:
Selected Images to Manipulate:
These are the photos that I believe are the most in focus, more technically accurate and interesting photos.
Manipulated images:
The Editing Process:
To maniplate these images I used adobe lightroom. I cropped many, adjusted the vignette, contrast, exposure, vibrancy, clarity and saturation. To some images I also applied the black and white preset called "punch".
Reflection and My Favourite Images:
These are my favourite images. While taking my photos, we were approached by a homeless man asking for money. While my teacher had a chat to him, I decided to take photos of him. I love both the concept and result of the photos. Later on I saw the man again outside a shop so I decided to talk to him about his life and outcome whilst once again taking photos of him. He was happy to have his photo taken and it seemed like he didn't even know I was taking them. I also love the vibrancy of his eclectic gold leggings he seemed to wear alongside his black fur coat and hat. I also like the photo of the florist because although she is surrounded by happy items such as vibrant flowers and happy statues, her facial expression is contrasting the mood as she looks concerned.
Overall I found at the start taking photos awkward, however I warmed to the oncept and ended up really enjoying the shoot. I feel with more practice I will be able to contruct and create better images. I need to focus on improving my technical skills and perfecting the focus of the camera.
There are many different types of lighting that create many different types of images and can cause different feelings towards an image. These include:
Intensity of the light
Direction of the light
Temperature of the light and white balance
Using reflectors (silver / gold)
Studio lighting
Natural lighting
Flat light:
Flat light is very different from soft and hard light, flat lighting causes the minimum contrasts in an image/scene.This means there is pretty much no significant contrast between the highlights and shadows of that particular image.
Split light:
Split lighting is simply the use of one light angled at 90 degrees from the subject you are photographing and placed a bit higher that their eye level. Leaving one half of the face exposed to the light and other in shadow.
Back light:
Back lighting is basically the main light shining in from behind the subject, pretty much so that the back light is some what facing onward towards the camera.
Natural lighting:
Natural lighting is the most basic type of lighting and refers to mainly light produced from the sun. In other words ambient light (meaning the available light in an environment) can be considered as natural light as it is photographer’s lighting equipment. This usually indicates natural lighting from outside that lights up a room through a window. There are three different types of natural lighting they include:
Intensity of light
Direction of light
Temperature of the light
Studio lighting:
Studio light is essential for most photographers and allows photographers to create natural lighting effects in a variety of situations that the photographer controls. This helps us change and alter things:
Filter lighting
Distance from subject to create hard / soft light
Angles and directions
reflectors and diffuses
By using studio lighting it allows a large range of equipment to be used, for example, soft-boxes, umbrella lights, spot lights and floodlights.
Why use this particular lighting?
Studio lighting allows the photographer to have full control of the image being created, and can help us imitate almost all types of lighting with the right equipment.
Flash:
Flash units offer a range of possibilities in both low and high lighting scenarios:
fill-in flash flash “bouncing”
TTL / speedlight flash
remote / infra-red flash (studio lighting)
fast + slow synch flash
light painting c/w slow shutter speeds
What is the difference between 1-2-3 point lighting and what does each technique provide?
Point lightning 1:
Point lighting is the most common and can sometimes be accidental for example when taking a photos outside with the sun shinning- this is a prime example of one point light this can be proven to mainly natural images/light. However one point lighting could lead to a rather dramatic image being produced, with the light being focused on one section/area/or the whole subject.
Point lightning 2:
Although not as popular 2 point lighting can also be proved to be extremely beneficial as the lighting allows the main subject to stand out much more, creating a stronger 3D image as the two point lighting creates much stronger shadows leading to more dimensional angles throughout.
Point lightning 3:
The goal of three point lighting is to create the illusion of a three-dimensional subject in a two-dimensional image. whilst removing background shadow produced by the subject/ clashing lights. this is proven an extremely popular technique commonly used.
“Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or inquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. Although there is a difference between street and candid photography, it is usually subtle with most street photography being candid in nature and some candid photography being classifiable as street photography. Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. Though people usually feature directly, street photography might be absent of people and can be of an object or environment where the image projects a decidedly human character in facsimile or aesthetic.” – Wikipedia
Mood Board:
Bill Owens:
“Bill Owens was born in San Jose, CA September 25, 1938. Bill with his cameras is known as the foremost chronicler of Suburbia, made famous with the publication of his book by that name in 1972.
In 1983 after working several years as a photojournalist, publishing a series of books and producing two children Bill began his brewing career. He established Buffalo Bill’s, one of the nation’s first Brew Pubs which he operated until he sold it in 1994.
From 1993 to 1995 Bill published BEER the magazine. Moved by the spirits Bill went on to found The American Distilling Institute (ADI), the oldest and largest organization of small batch, independently owned distillers in the United States which he continues to lead and cultivate.
Astonishingly, all the while Bill has continued to make, exhibit and sell his photographs.” From http://www.billowens.com/about
Examples of his photos:
Bill OwensBill OwensBill OwensBill Owens
Contact Sheets:
Red – No
Orange – Maybe
Green – Yes
Final Outcomes (Unedited):
I really liked how these photos came out, but they definitely needed editing as I thought it was bring the photo more to life, and I would also be able to crop my photos to get a closer view of the person.
Final Outcomes (Edited):
I really like how these edited photos came out. I prefer the photos when they are in black and white because the photo looks much better and I think it gives it more personality. Overall I really like street photography and will probably revisit this type of portrait photography.
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) was a french photographer who was considered a master of candid photography. He was also a huge influencer of street photography, helping to make it a recognized form of photography. He photographically reported places through sensitive times, such as the soviet union after Stalin had died.
After World War 2, in which Cartier-Bresson spent most of his time as a prisoner of war- he founded the Magnum photo agency along with other people such as Robert Capa. The Magnum photo agency is a community that allowed photo journalists, who were interested in events happening around the world, to reach big audiences through magazines.
“Magnum is a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually”
– Henri Cartier-Bresson
The Magnum agency is committed to being authentic in its truthful,storytelling images. Magnum is responsible for documenting most of the world’s most important events like political affairs and disasters and conflict since the 1930s. All the photographers Magnum represent have a shared interest in photographing people,places,cultures and possible powerful and historical events.
Henri Cartier-Bresson mood board
Analysing
Context
This image was taken in London on Trafalgar square on May 12th 1937. Cartier-Bresson said that some people had waited all night, and some people even slept on benches in order not to miss the coronation of George VI.
Visual
Visually, I think the way Cartier-Bresson has chosen to frame this image is very interesting. I like the way the photo has almost been sectioned into layers with people standing on the top third, a line of people sitting on the second third, and finally someone lying down on the bottom third. I think this was a very interesting way to frame the image as it makes it really pleasing to look at, as it looks very organised. I also think there is a very interesting contrast with the person lying down on the newspaper, as the person is dressed darkly, and the newspaper appears really white on the photo. This is interesting because it means that the person stands out really vividly on the photograph.
Technical
On the technical side, the image is very successful also. The image seems to be taken during day as the sky appears white. The image is also not over or underexposed, meaning that the quality of the image is good and it is very sharp so that everyone in the image can be seen clearly.
Conceptual analysis
I think that there could be an underlying meaning of community and also the importance of politics and history. I think this because the image shows a lot of people all gathered closely together, which gives the sense of community. Cartier-Bresson also mentions how people had slept there all night so they wouldn’t miss the ceremony, I think this image shows that politics is important as people were very dedicated to seeing George VI being coronated as it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and would be an important part of their counties history. Because of this, the image also gives a strong sense of patriotism.
Comparison to Bruce Gilden
Bruce Gilden who was born in 1946, is an American street photographer who is known for his very close up portraits of people using a flash gun. He purchased his first camera after seeing Michelangelo’s film “Blowup” in 1968, and he later began taking photography night classes.
Gilden mood board
Similarities to Cartier-Bresson
Like Cartier-Bresson, Gilden is also represented by Magnum Photos, and has been since 1998. He also photographed interesting things and people around the world like homeless people, Yakuza mobsters in Japan, prostitutes and voodoo rituals in Haiti. They both also had black and white photo outcomes.
Differences to Cartier-Bresson
Unlike Cartier-Bresson, Gildren takes a more notifiable approach to his street photography. Instead of taking candid images of people passing by, Gilden is known for getting very up close into people’s personal space and using a flash gun in their faces. Their intentions were also quite different. Although they both had a very keen interest in different people and capturing interesting things on the street, they each took an individual approach.
Outcomes
As they both took their own approaches, their outcomes are very mostly very different.
USA. New York City. 1992. Women walking on Fifth Avenue by Gilden.
As you can see Gilden’s approach leads to portraits with different expressions, mostly of people looking quite shocked and surprised. Whereas Cartier-Bresson’s approach leads to more natural, candid images, where people aren’t looking at the camera therefore not realizing that images of them are being taken like the one pictured below:
For the street photography shoot we went out into town to try and capture some photographs and portraits.
Below is the contact sheet of the photographs I was able to capture. Not all of the images came out successful as there was some issues with motion blur and the camera taking too long to focus and not being able to capture someone as they were moving however there were some successful photographs where motion blur became a happy accident and some images worked well.
Contact Sheet from shoot
Outcomes of the Shoot
Below I have my most successful outcomes of the shoot, not all are completely in focus but I feel they work with the images that they are and I can relate them to some other professional photographers that also use motion blur to their advantage in their photographs.
Own Photograph | DSC-0003
DSC-0003: For this photograph I feel it works well due to one man being in focus and still at the back of the image but having the man that is towards the front of the image out of focus due to motion I feel it creates a different perspective and depth as usually the background is slightly out of focus and the foreground is sharp, however it is swapped for this photograph and I feel that it is that which helps to make it a successful photograph. I have experimented and placed the photograph into black and white to see how the photograph plays out without the colour which I also feels works with this image.
DSC-0003 | Black and White VersionOwn Photograph | DSC-0004Own Photograph | DSC-0033Own Photography | DSC-0012
DSC-0012: For this photograph my initial intention was to have the woman in focus however due to the act of her moving and the background being more still she become slightly out of focus and the background very clear, however I still feel that this image works well as we can pick up on some visual connections between what the lady is wearing and the coloured stripes that can be seen in the background and this is a visual connection that can work well. I feel I could relate this photograph to ones like Bruce Gilden’s as some of his photographs also contain motion blurs.
Overall the experience was good for my confidence and it put me out of my comfort zone. The anticipation of this shoot was fairly scary as I don’t feel comfortable taking pictures of people that I don’t personally know. I can know say I have huge amounts of respect for street photographers, you need to be confident in your personality and camera skills, because everything is happening so fast and to be able to take a sharp photo which is in focus takes skill. Although I did get some good final outcomes from this shoot there are many photos which were a large part of trial and error. Due to the changing of location from the bright sunny street to the dark dingy market, it made it hard for me to adjust the camera to get the right exposure, so in some of my photos it’s either too dark you can’t see detail on people faces or the light in the background is over exposed and the background becomes too bright.
In this particular photo it was under-exposed, so i had to lighten the picture in Photoshop in order for the taxi-drivers face to become clear.
This was one of my favourite photos from from the shoot because of the sharpness of the women, but yet again my exposure was faulty and the sky was over-exposed, lucky cropping easily solved the problem.
Final Piece
Although this picture was blurred, unfocused and lacked sharpness, i still liked it. I cropped it to get rid of the negative space on the floor and provide more focus towards the light and men. I liked how the blurriness of the photo represents the constant movement in the street and how everything moves like clockwork in town on the week days with everyone as work.
There are many possible techniques that can be used in a studio setup, these can be used to achieve various effects, such as minimising shadows, exaggerating shapes or highlighting certain areas of the frame.
One-point lighting:
We are used to seeing this type of lighting every day in nature, in the form of sunshine. A single source of light creates a very natural, sometimes dramatic look that will draw people’s attention to the single lighted person or surface. And if it’s good enough for nature, there will be times is will easily bee good enough for taking photos. As anyone can see with a walk around the park, a single source looks two dimensional or flat, and rarely hits people straight on, so it creates shadows.
This is an example of an image taken using one-point lighting.
Two-point lighting:
This lighting method is used when you want the subtleness of a single light source but you want the person/object to stand out, and appear more 3D. Its a great way to add depth to photos without going overboard. There is still quite a potential for shadowing if a person turns their head either direction, but where a little shadowing is okay, this can be an effective way to bring focus.
This is an example of an image taken using two-point lighting.
Three-point lighting:
Not everyone is happy with the shadows that two-point lighting can produce, so the obvious solution is to have two lighting points at the front with a back light to try get rid of the shadow.
This is an example of an image taken using three-point lighting.
I edited this image using Lightroom. As the image was overexposed along the top, I lowered the exposure, shadows and black shades and increased increased the contrast, highlights and whites. This helped not make the people in the image too overexposed.
Lastly, I cropped the image to get rid of the left part as I thought it was quite unnecessary since it was quite distracting. This way you’re able to notice the main subject of the image more.
