What is candid photography?:

Candid photography is the process of capturing an image without posing the subject beforehand. it usually captures a subject in their natural environment, behaving as they normally would with little to no engagement with the camera.

Candid photography helps to convey to the viewer what it is like to be in that environment, and gives a realistic perspective of what it would be like to be in that place at that time. It is the most natural form of photography available, as it requires very little preparation, and simply makes use of the situation already occurring.

The following images are professional examples of candid photography:

Street Photography:

“Photography is about finding out what can happen in the frame. When you put four edges around some facts, you change those facts.” – Garry Winogrand

“If you can smell the street by looking at the photo, its a street photo.” – Bruce Gilden

“The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.” – Robert Doisneau

“I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.” – Diane Arbus

“I photograph to find out what something will look like photographed.” -Garry Winogrand

Street photography involves capturing images of individuals who are not aware that the photograph is being taken, in public settings. As apposed to the more vague definition of candid photography, street photography often occurs in specifically urban settings, with more noise and action occurring in a single image, and with less specific subjects (the subjects arrive by chance/ the photographer doesn’t control who they are). Street photography is used by many artists to encapsulate the genuine emotions of everyday people, using a snap shot to give a detailed visual description of a moment in an average day, that many viewers would relate to .

The following are examples of street photographs taken by professional photographers:

“Be yourself. I much prefer seeing something, even it is clumsy, that doesn’t look like somebody else’s work.” – William Klein

 “There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative. Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”- Henri Cartier-Bresson

“I love the people I photograph. I mean, they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through my images I live with them.” – Bruce Gilden

Threshold Concept #7

Photographs are not fixed by meaning, context is everything.

Emotional Response:  When I first saw this I really liked the photo,                                                        this was because of the contrast between the                                                    light and the dark, in terms of the foreground                                                    and the background. I also like the the way                                                          that Newman has captured that depth of the                                                      photo. I also quite like the symmetry as Krupp                                                    is in the center of the shot, and how the                                                                  Pillars also create that nice line of symmetry                                                      down the sides.

Visual: Visually this photo is very appealing to the eye, as there are                     nice lines of symmetry vertically down. This gives the                                   portrait a spooky/eerie feel to it. Within the photo the way                       the facial expression has been presented and the way he is                       holding his hands makes him look very sinister, with this in                       topic, there doesn’t seem to be any parts of beauty, only a                         dark, depressing background.

Technical: I feel like the first thing that you are drawn to in this                                      portrait is Krupp’s eyes, this gives you an all round feel of                          the photo. The lighting has been very well balanced with                            the use of natural lighting in the background, and on                                      Krupp’s face with the aid of a smaller light, possibly a                                    lamp giving him that glow/lit up feature on his face and                               forehead.

Conceptual: This photo was taken in 1963 by Jewish photographer                                 Arnold Newman. At first Newman was hesitant with                                     taking this photo as Krupp was a well known helper                                       with Nazi’s in World War II, using his company in which                               he took over from his father as slave labor camp in                                         order top make weapons in aid to help the Nazis in                                         their seek for world domination in World War II. When                               taking this photo Newman tried to make Krupp as                                           sinister looking as possible to show the world and                                          expose him in what he did during the difficult times.

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 maybe artistic or it maybe clinical, as part of a medical study.                                                                                                                   Portraits can serve many purposes, from usage on  a personal website to display in the lobby of a business.

There are many types of portrait photography genres- These can be:

1.  Traditional Portrait.                                                                                        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.
3. 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 rather than set up.
4. Glamour Portrait.                                                                                                   The term Glamour Portrait refers to portraits where emphasis is given to highlight the sexy romantic appeal of the subject. 
5. Lifestyle Portrait.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.

Portrait photography is genre of photography that focuses on one person, or a group of people, that captures the personality of the subject using lighting, backdrops, and poses. Throughout this unit of work, I will be focusing on 6 areas of portrait photography: Environmental Portraits(Taking pictures of people in a working environment in which they are aware of the camera and photographer, looking directly into the lens), Street photography(taking pictures of people in public where the subject is not paying attention to the camera or photographer), tableau vivant photography(from the French phrase meaning ‘living picture’ tableau vivant is a scene in which one or more actors/models are carefully posed and positioned with props, and are usually lit in a theatrical fashion), studio photography(using lighting and flash techniques in an artificial environment with different backdrops), Photo-Montage(layering multiple images on top of one another to create meaning or symbolism) as well as Identity and place(taking pictures representing aspects of people’s lives that makes them who they are)

Emotional Response: 

The first initial response that comes to mind when looking at this image is the serious expression on the face of the man. he is making clear eye contact with the camera which makes a direct connection with the viewer. He is in as sense staring into your soul. The addition of the shadows and darkness even further add to the dramatic theme of the photo. The facial expression on the mans face gives him a very intimidating look. It also makes the viewer feel very uneasy and question the image. What is the man thinking and feeling? Why is he in this environment? The overall dark and saturated tones of the image further allude to this and create a very strong emotional response in the viewer.  It is also a very industrial environment where the image is staged in therefore it further makes the image feel cold and unwelcoming. The man is also wearing a suit which gives him a position of authority and power.

Visual:

Pictured in the image is an elderly Caucasian man, roughly the age of 70, with his two hands intertwined with each other. He is wearing a formal uniform, possibly a suit. He is sitting inside a train facing the camera. Behind him is a window, through which we can see the inside of a train assembly factory.There is a wide field of view in this image with elderly man being in the foreground, the window being in the mid ground and the train assembly line being in the background.  The lines on the ceiling guide your eye into the center of the image where the head of the man is, making it the focal point of the image. Focal length is also used in this image with the face of the man being most  in focus and the background being a lot more blurry. It is a very busy photo with many geometric elements filling the space. The editing of this photo means that it is slightly over saturated with the mans skins glowing an unnatural green. The lights on the top of the ceiling also create a sense of pattern and repetition. The man is sitting in the center of the image meaning that this is what you’re drawn to most making him the first thing that your eyes are drawn to. The most prominent color in this image is the black which gives an overall dark and deep aura to the image. This image is well exposed, with the dark and light being balanced out, yet it is clear that two light sources have been used. Behind the window inside the factory, natural light is coming in through the windows which illuminates the space, yet in front of the window where the man is sitting, an artificial light source has been used so that the mans face can be seen.

Technical:

The exposure in this image is very balanced, with the highlights not being overly prominent or the shadows being too dark. The light coming in from the background is also not overpowering the foreground. The image does not have any motion blur meaning that it is very likely that the camera was propped up on something or a tripod was used. It is also clear that this was used as it is a fairly dark environment, meaning that if there was any movement, it would be very blurred. Behind the tripod was likely an artificial light source which illuminates the face of the man. The facial expression and pose of the man is very clearly unnatural, therefore this image was staged in order to make it as dramatic as possible.

Conceptual:

Krupp, long-faced and bushy-browed, is made to look like Mephistopheles incarnate: smirking, his fingers clasped as he confronts the viewer against the background of a assembly line in the Ruhr. In the color version his face has a greenish cast.

The impression it leaves was no accident: Mr. Newman knew that Krupp had used slave labor in his factories during the Nazi reign and that he had been imprisoned after World War II for his central role in Hitler’s war machine.

Contextual:

Mr. Newman was credited with popularizing a style of photography that became known as environmental portraiture. Working primarily on assignment for magazines, he carried his camera and lighting equipment to his subjects, capturing them in their surroundings and finding in those settings visual elements to evoke their professions and personalities.

The “environmental” approach was what largely distinguished Mr. Newman’s portraits from those of his contemporaries. Richard Avedon and Irving Penn, for example, preferred to work within the bald white arena of their studios.

Rule of thirds:

Arnold Newman has used the rule of thirds in order to create this very successful image. The body of the man is withing the center column of the image therefore this is the first thing the view is drawn to, also due to the fact that he is in the foreground. More importantly his face is located in the very middle of the image, meaning it becomes even more intimidating as he is the focal point.

Emotional Response:

• Dark and sinister feel to the photo.

• Background feels cathedral-like.

• Character wears suit so has an authoritative feel, like he's above the workers.

 Technical:

• Wide angle lens.

• Uses camera to capture image.

• Symmetrical.

• Strong Perspective.

Visual:

• White, old male.

• Smug looking male.

• Dominant character.

• Maintaining strong eye contact with the camera.

• Cathedral-like background.

• Not very colorful/vibrant.

Concept:

• The image was Arnold's way of revenge on Krupp. Krupp used slave labour in his factory and assisted and supported the nazi's.

• Newman was a jew and by making Krupp look as emil as possible was his way of revenge.

Context:

• Arnold Newman was a Jewish photographer. He was approached initially by Krupp to take his photos but when Krupp found out Newman was a jew, he was rejected because of his nazi supporting views. However, Newman insisted Krupp that he looks at his portfolio, which lead to Krupp then agreeing to have Newman take his photo.

• Alfred Krupp was an industrialist. He was accused of using slave labour for his Nazi war ethic.

Born in Manhattan, Newman grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey and later moved to Miami Beach, Florida. In 1936, he studied painting and drawing at the University of Miami. Unable to afford continuing after two years, he moved to Philadelphia to work for a studio, making 49-cent portraits in 1938.

Newman returned to Florida in 1942 to manage a portrait studio in West Palm Beach. Three years later, he opened his own business in Miami Beach.

In 1946, Newman relocated to New York, opened Arnold Newman Studios and worked as a freelance photographer for Fortune, Life, and Newsweek. Though never a member, Newman frequented the Photo League during the 1940s.

Mr. Newman’s best-known images were in black and white, although he often photographed in color. Several of his trademark portraits were reproduced in color and in black and white. Perhaps the most famous was a sinister picture of the German industrialist Alfried Krupp, taken for Newsweek in 1963. Krupp, long-faced and bushy-browed, is made to look like Mephistopheles incarnate: smirking, his fingers clasped as he confronts the viewer against the background of a assembly line in the Ruhr. In the color version his face has a greenish cast.

This portrait was taken inside a factory were trains were made to supply the Nazis in war. Alfried was sitting on a chair in the fore ground and hes centered in the middle of the portrait. hes joining his hands together and resting his chins on him as if hes thinking about doing something evil. hes in direct eye contact with the cameras lens, and the way hes looking at it gives him a smug look. the portrait is a bit under exposed, however it does have great depth of field. the lens was most probably a short lens .

Newman’s work raises a number of key photographic points that we often take for granted. Lighting a face from below is almost universally used in both still and motion photography to invoke fear and evil. Most likely because in a natural environment we seldom see light falling in such a way, making light from below deeply bizarre and other-worldly. Here Newman has used two key lights that are placed behind Krupp on both sides, creating yet another highly unnatural and disfiguring effect.

The second point of course is the green colour cast, resulting from the factory’s fluorescent lights, which Newman deliberately did not filter for and correct. As well as being highly unusual, green skin — for quite obvious reasons — is almost universally perceived as a sign of ill health.

The impression it leaves was no accident: Mr. Newman knew that Krupp had used slave labor in his factories during the Nazi reign and that he had been imprisoned after World War II for his central role in Hitler’s war machine.

the lighting that’s lined starting from on top of him all the way to the very back of the portrait is positioned in the mid-top of the photo and gives the portrait a lot of color.

we cannot really tell but it looks like Alfried is wearing a suite and he is an old looking man with silver-white light hair.

the person in the portrait is Alfried Krupp, a German industrialist who used slave workers to supply the Nazis with armaments during the word war 2, Newmans revenge on Krupp was to compose an portrait that will make him look evil.

“When he saw the photos, he said he would have me declared persona non grata in Germany,” Mr. Newman said of Krupp.