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.

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:

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 Portraits:

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:

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:

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 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 portrait:

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.

Canted angle portrait:

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:

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:

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:

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 Portrait:

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:

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-shot Portrait:

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).

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a french, human photographer, who was born on the 22nd of August 1908. He died on the 3rd of August 2004. He started working on photography in 1930. He was credited with pioneering the genre of street photography. He viewed street photography as capturing a decisive moment. The phrase “decisive moment” is now used often in street photography and refers to when the image represents the essence of the event happening within the image. During Henri-Cartier Bresson’s life he created a few different books, mostly full of images he had taken from different areas in photography, one of these was called “The Decisive Moment”.

This is a moodboard of some of my favourite images that Bressen took to do with street photography.

Technical: This image uses light very consistently throughout. This can be seen due to the background sky and wall being almost the same colour with the foreground also being a very similar shade of white. This could have been created using natural lighting and a high ISO.

Visual: This image varies the tone throughout, with the majority being very brightly coloured and some coloured areas being grey or black. This image displays form and depth really well. This could be due to the darker colours creating a path of rubble down between the buildings.

Contextual: This image seems to have been taken after some kind of bombing or war. We know this due to the rubble covering the street between the buildings and the big hole that the image is being taken through that is in a weird shape. This image also gives a war-torn impression due to the children all having confused and sad faces throughout the image.

Conceptual: The image clearly displays a place that was destroyed during some kind of war. The photographer may have decided to take this image due to show some of the impacts that war can have on towns. The use of children looking sad makes it seem like these were places they lived, along with the rubble along the ground.

Alfred Krupp by Arnold Newman

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Emotional Response:

• This image is sinister and uncomfortable.
• Alfred looks intimidating and scary through his facial expressions and is shown to be a man of some power or authority through wearing a suit which creates a rather threatening character.

Technical:

• Symmetry.
• Contrast (top/bottom).
• Wide angle lens.
• Strong sense of perspective.

Visual:

• Man in the middle of the image (displays dominance).
• Alfred Krupp looks menacing and intimidating, represented also by the darkness and shadow surrounding his figure in the image.
• Relatively dull image with dirty colours, no vibrance .
• Strong eye-contact with camera (audience).

Concept:

• Arnold Newman was a Jewish photographer who took this image as a way of “revenge” on Alfred Krupp.
• The photograph was set up to make Alfred Krupp look evil.

Context:

• Arnold Newman wanted a sort of revenge on the Nazis, as the train station shown in the background of this image was used transport vast numbers of Jews to concentration camps across the country were many would meet their ends.