who is ARNOLD NEWMAN and what do they do?

ARNOLD NEWMAN is a photographer, born in New York City in 1918, who studied art in Miami. NEWMAN is acknowledged for being the pioneer of the genre of photography called environmental portraits. He worked as a documentary photographer, who took still portraits of subjects in an environment that symbolises the individuals life and work.

my favourite photographs from ARNOLD NEWMAN

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These photographs from ARNOLD NEWMAN are my favourite, because they are very strong and hold a lot of power within them. They also display the emotion and stories of the individual within the photograph, and what NEWMAN thinks of them too.

analysis of an image from ARNOLD NEWMAN

technical

The light source is coming from behind the individual, this allows the subject to be lit and to stand out. It also allows the background to be illuminated to add the importance of this feature in the photograph. There also may be light coming from in front of the individual as their facial features are visible but not quite contrasted. The depth of field, in this photograph, is long, as the background are sharp and in focus.

visual

The photographer has decided to shoot in black and white, it is very powerful as it allows for there to be a high contrast, which is interesting for the viewer. There is a varied tonal range, as there are dark blacks and bright whites. The bright whites stand out, when mixed among the dark blacks. The bright whites are also limited as the only white things are the music paper, the subjects shirt and the chairs in the background, this allows the subject to be the focal point of the photograph, as the paper is directly infront of him and the chairs are directly behind him. There are many textural aspects, from the notes on the paper to the wooden flooring. These aspects add interest and detail to the image. The chairs in the background are repetivitely placed, and form a pattern behind the subject, which contrasts with the scattered stands directly behind the subject, as they are more randomly placed. The sections on the music paper kind of act as leading lines, pointing towards the subject as they are arranged in a way that direct the viewers eye to them.

contextual

The subject in the photograph is Leonard Bernstein, a conductor, composer and piano player, who was one of the first American born conductor to be praised for his musical ability. Bernstein was also the first conductor to give lectures on television on classical music. He was a very talented musician, as he composed lots of music for theatre and ballets. Although Bernstein was known for his musical talents, he was also known for his social activism, hoping for further social change, and was heavily involved with left wing organisations. The reason why NEWMAN captured Bernstein in an empty concert hall was to highlight how unimportant Bersteins audience was to him, which contrasts with the thoughtful look on his face demonstrates how much his music meant to him. For NEWMAN to photograph Bernstein he must have agreed with his views on social activism and social change, as it was important for him to relate to the subject on a more obscure reason.

conceptual

ARNOLD NEWMAN took photographs of subjects in an area that represented and connected to their job, or other aspects of their life. So in this photograph of Leonard Bernstein, NEWMAN captured him in a concert hall that related to him, as he was a composer and conductor.

how am I going to relate to ARNOLD NEWMAN in my photographs

I am going to photograph my subjects in an area that is related to them and hold direct eye contact with the camera, similar to how NEWMAN captured his subjects.

In order to edit this image, I used the black and white option converter in order to adjust the intensity of each shade. This allowed me to create a very dark background, making the subject more prevalent. I then added the ‘tint’ option so that textures such as the chains were more visible. Overall, I chose this image as I think it represents the candid genre the most – with the subject being unaware of the image being taken and therefore not acting any different to usual.

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Environmental photography is a mixture of lifestyle photography and traditional photography. With this type of portraiture the environment surrounding the person plays a key role in the photo. The environment in the photo is meant to tell you a lot about the person and what they’re like or what they enjoy. Unlike lifestyle portraits where the location isn’t important, this type of portraiture’s environment is just as important as the person in the image and the person can pose in the photo.

Here are some famous photographers that demonstrate environmental portraiture. These photographers have inspired me with my own photography. Each photo has a story behind it as each background behind the person or objects surrounding the person says something about them. Each of these photographers are inspiring and i will use some of their techniques (such as their use of lighting and positioning of the model) when I am taking my own photographs to do with environmental portraiture.

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IN MY POST I WILL COVER HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON AND HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH PORTRAIT

Henri Cartier bresson

he was born in france on the 22nd august 1908 and died august 3 2004

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35 mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as capturing a decisive moment. Cartier-Bresson was one of the founding members of Magnum Photos in 1947.

Portrait photography is a picture of a single person or group of people. The photo often aims to demonstrate the personality of the subject(s) with effective techniques such as lighting, background and poses. A portrait does not have to just be a photo of someone or some people from the shoulders up. Portraits can be full body as they are trying to say something about the subject which may not be specific to their face.

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Some examples of professional portrait work from Arnold Newman

My examples of Candid and Environmental portrait work:

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Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. … Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment.

What is the purpose of street photography?

The purpose of street photography is not to record or show what a person is doing but to capture the mood and showing their personal vision of the world.

Martin Parr is a British documentary and street photographer who is often described as the most explosive surprise to ever suddenly emerge onto the subgenre’s scene. Known around the world for his intimate and satirical photographs which focus on different aspects of modern life, Parr usually explores various topics concerning social classes of England and the hypocrisy of the West in general. He concentrates on photographing the mundane, everyday life of people that live just around the corner, enhancing the images with vivid colors by using specific flash techniques. Many have even went as far as describing his work as actual kitch. With almost forty books published and over eighty exhibitions held worldwide, Martin has established himself as one of the most prolific British street photographers. It should be noted that Martin Parr is as well a valuable member of the Magnum Photos organization.

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. Environmental photography is a mixture of lifestyle photography and traditional photography. With this type of portraiture the environment surrounding the person plays a key role in the photo. The environment in the photo is meant to tell you about the person and what they’re like or what they enjoy. Unlike lifestyle portraits where the location isn’t important, this type of portraiture’s environment is just as important as the person in the image and the person can pose in the photo.

Environmental photography can also be seen as a type of “formal” portrait photography where there is a posed picture of a person or a group of people. It focuses on clearly showing facial features and may be designed to highlight a certain characteristic of the subject, such as occupation or personality and is a long-standing method to capture professional-looking images. It is not however a snapshot, but a carefully arranged pose under effective lighting conditions. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the subject must appear stiff and lifeless.

As we know, a portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. With environmental portraiture, the background often adds to this, often telling a story by providing the viewer with some context of the subjects surroundings. Additionally, 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 an artificial experience.

A great example of environmental portraiture is that of Arnold Newman’s photo of Alfried Krupp which I wrote an analysis on here.

There are many photographic techniques that can be applied to portrait photography, all of which give a create a different meaning, and overall mood of the image. Certain techniques are only used in certain environments, like a professional setting, whereas some more general techniques, like the use of colour, can be applied anywhere.

Informal/Candid– a photograph captured naturally, without creating a posed appearance. often the subject is unaware that the photograph has been taken.

Formal/Posed- a planned and posed image of a person of group of people such as a wedding photograph or photos of people for business purposes.

Head shot / Half body / Three quarter length / Full body- this relates to how much of the subject’s body is visible. A head shot is often used by people working in the entertainment industry like actors, whereas a three-quarter length shot is often more casual.

High angle / Low angle / Canted (or Dutch) angle- this is referring to the positioning of the camera when the photo is taken. A canted angle image is one where the horizon and any straight lines is at an angle to the bottom of the image, which adds drama and a possible sense of tension or psychological unease.

Archival / Historic- images of a famous historical or political figure, perhaps during a defining moment in time or else as a posed, formal image

High key / Low key- high key images are bright, light, and airy and contain little to no shadow. Low key images are mainly blackness or shadows and have an emphasis of natural or artificial light only in certain parts of the frame.

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