12. Claude Cahun X Clare Rae:

Claude Cahun:

Claude Cahun was a lesbian , Jewish-French Photographer. She was born on October 25th 1894 and moved to Jersey in 1937.

Cahun is best known for her part in the surrealism movement. She worked with self-portraits, which often displayed her in various poses and places with her face, more often than not, covered up.

With her work, Cahun was very political and aimed to use her photos as a way express herself during a time when lesbians and the Jewish were prosecuted for who they were.

Clare Rae:

Clare Rae is an Australian photographer who recently took residence in Jersey for a short time. She wanted to study, take inspiration from, and respond to the work of Claude Cahun.

CCA gallery visit:

On Friday 14th September, my photography class visited an exhibition at the CCA gallery in St. Helier to look at the work of Claude Cahun and Clare Rae’s response and interpretation of her work.

I thought that the exhibition was really well layed out and it was easy to know which photographer’s work I was looking at as the two were  nicely separated without making them look like separate exhibitions.

By looking at the photos in the exhibition is it easy to see where Claude Cahun has influenced Clare Rae’s work. I noticed that Rae wasn’t wearing any foot wear in her photos and upon further inspection, I noticed the same thing in Cahun’s photos. Another similarity between the different photographers is that they are both taken in similar places. Interesting structures and ares of nature are both common to each pieces of work. Both photographers use their surroundings to give a certain feel to the photos that is often calming, chaotic or miserable.

This image by Claude Cahun was one of my favorites. The image shows Cahun hiding behind a large rock with her arms sticking out through the holes in the object. To me, this shows that Cahun is, in a way, apart of the object. However, the stretched out actions of her hands suggests that Cahun is trying to reach out and escape. This could be a reference to the German Occupation of Jersey as that was similarly something that Cahun was apart of, but wanted to be free of.

This photo by Clare Rae has a very similar style to Cahun’s work as the image shows Rae with her back to the camera and her face hidden, which is a common occurrence in Cahun’s work. The dark walls of the cave give a feeling a being trapped and isolated. This was likely how Cahun felt during the Occupation due to being a Jewish lesbian. It is clear that Rae has tried to recreate this in this image.

Portrait of Alfred Krupp Analysis

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.

Environmental Portraits – Homework 1

Environmental Portraits

An environmental portrait is a portrait taken of a person or people in a situation that they live in and a place that says something about who they are. It is often a place of work, rest or play.

Here are some examples of environmental portraits:

To take these portraits I decided to go into town and try to photograph people in their workplace or natural environment. I wanted to have a wide angle so I could get their environment in the frame, also having eye contact was important for me because this shows that the person is engaged in the photo you’re taking.

Firstly, I went into the local  market as it is quite a traditional place in Jersey and the vendors have been there for a long time. I spotted an old man selling fruit and vegetables, I thought he looked interesting. I asked him if I could take some photos and he agreed, although I did ask him to look in the lens I don’t think he was entirely comfortable with it. So I only took a couple shots and almost all were with no eye contact.

 

Next I went to visit my mum at work and take photos of her. At first the photos weren’t turning out very well because the lighting was very yellow toned and harsh, then I opened the blinds and turned off the lights and it improved instantly. I wanted the photos to be  neutral and not that posed. However this didn’t work very well as my mum wouldn’t stop smiling.

This is a small gallery of the photos I took of my Mum.

These turned out the best in my opinion:

 

Environmental portrait photography 2

Arnold Newman Biography:

  • Newman was noted for the portrait photography of politicians and Artists. He was also known for his carefully composed abstract still life images.
  • Born in New York City on 3 March 1918, he grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
  • 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.
  • In 1945, Newman opened his own portrait studio in Miami after three years earlier looking after this other studio.
  • in 1946 Newman relocated to New York and opened up his own studio called ” Arnold Newman Studios” and from then on he worked as a freelanced photographer for magazines such as  Fortune, Life, and Newsweek.
  • he focused on photographing personalities of different people. He managed to maintain this even though some were lost or unknown, the photographs had to still be exciting and interest the viewer.
  • he was often credited for being the first environmental portrait photographer. Newman captured his photos in familiar using visuals and representations to show their profession and personalty.
  • Arnold Newman told a magazine in an interview  “The surroundings had to add to the composition and the understanding of the person. No matter who the subject was, it had to be an interesting photograph. Just to simply do a portrait of a famous person doesn’t mean a thing.”
  • Newman’s most famous photographs were in black and white even though he photographed in colour. His 1946 black and white portrait of Igor Stravinsky seated at a grand piano became his signature image.
  • After this Newman taught  photography at Cooper Union for many years.
  • Newman died on the 6th June 2006 in New York City, New York after recovering from a stroke.

Images:

 

Arnold Newman

This is my favourite image by Arnold Newman as it is very simple and i like how the light has been reflected in the back so that it hits the seats , also he has got the person to do a emotionless face so that it makes us feel nothing, also as it is in black and white this then makes the image more sinister than before as usually the dark makes us feel that bad is going to happen whereas a the picture was in colour then you would think that it was happy mood. I think that he didn’t use flash and that instead he used a alternative light source.

Here is some of my examples of environmental portraits:

I found when I took these photos that they didn’t come out the way I wanted, for example It looks like i have done a double exposure, I didn’t want this, the problem with this is because the shutter speed was too slow meaning that it din’t capture the picture in detail.

For these picture I found that They came out more clearly than my other attempts. However I found after that one image was slightly over exposure while the other one was under exposed, to solve this problem I increased the exposure on the under exposed image to get a little more light and I have increased the colour intensity. This is my outcome:

Arnold Newman – Portrait Analysis

The image below was taken by Arnold Newman, of Alfried Krupp in 1963. This photograph is one of Newman’s well known images due to hidden message and ideas that can be taken from this environmental portrait.

Arnold Newman’s Photography

I have annotated this photograph in order to show how Newman has used leading lines, to move viewers eyes around the frame. As well as the use of the rule of thirds within this image.

Emotional Response

When I first looked at this image my eyes where immediately drawn to the mysterious man located in the center of the frame. He is an ‘old white man’ which can be seen through his grey hair and wrinkles on his skin. He is giving direct eye contact with the camera and has his head looking slightly down whilst doing this, creating a sinister and mysterious look. It makes us question what he is doing and why. His hands are joined together and place underneath his chin, resting on the hands. Due to this it also adds to the idea that the subject is up to no good. Krupp is found in a suit, showing his high status during the time. He is found sat at a working train station which seems to run down. This makes us question why Krupp is at the train station

Technical Response

The image is presented in color which allows rust/dirt in the station to be more visible. Moreover, it almost makes the picture come to life and allow us to create more ideas about the man in our mind. The background is busy, which informs us that it is a busy train station. The use of leading lines is presented by the ceiling lights. It is used to help direct the viewers eyes around the frame of the photograph, taking in all the details helping us to form an opinion and concept about the image. The man seems to be framed by the walls, which shows segregation between Krupp and what is happening behind him. It also reminds us the status that he is and presents the idea that he is the reason for why what is happening behind him is happening. The clear formal elements which are presented through this image is line, through the trains and ceiling/building structure. Texture can be seen through the rust and different objects which are found within the train station. The depth of field found in this image is large as well as the aperture is high, as nothing seems to be completely out of focus in the image. However, there is a sharper focus on Krupp, which suggests his importance to the setting and situation. The lighting found within the station is quite dark and the image is under exposed which shows how run down and bad the environment of the station was. However, Krupp is lit up also illuminating his importance compared to the station. The image seems to have used a quick shatter speed as no intended blur can be found within the image. In  addition, a little noise can be found due to the lighting suggesting that the ISO is likely to be slightly be high but not too high.

Newman’s Photograph Annotations

Contextual Response

Newman wanted to capture Krupp as a part of his environmental series in 1963. Krupp was an industrialist. However, Krupp was found to be transporting weapons and materials during the second world war. In contrast, Newman was Jewish and did not agree with the same viewpoints as Krupp. Newman still wanted to capture Krupp and managed to persuade him through his portfolios. When capturing the images of Krupp, Newman attempted to portray Krupp as an evil person. This can clearly be seen through the image above.

Conceptual Response

The intended message trying to be presented in this photograph is that there is a man located in this run down train station, who can potentially be the owner of the company. Due to his facial expressions and positioning it makes it seem that he is up to no good and is planning something evil. Many more interpretations can be made about this image, however I believe that this is the most prominent.

Arnold Newman-portrait analysis

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.

Image result for alfried krupp factoryThis 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.

Environmental portraits

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.

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.

 

Environmental portraits mood board

Experience Day Task | Welcome Visiting Students !

Welcome to Hautlieu School

A Level Photography Blog !

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…

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John Stezaker
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Sammy 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)

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Image result for tunnels caves

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Image result for tunnels

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Or you may be able to Google Search your own to add and edit

Portrait analysis of Alfred Krupp

Arnold Newman, Portrait of Alfred Krupp, 1963

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.

Portraiture – Mood Board

Emotional portraits:

  • cracks
  • asymmetrical
  • dull colours enhance facial features
  • textures: smooth, sharp, frosted, cloudy, clear
  • central
  • sense of emotion
  • posing (set up)

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.