This portrait image taken by Newman displays a sinister and authoritative man as the vocal point of his work. The photographer’s positioning of the elevated camera angle causes shadows to fall beneath his eyes, cheekbones and nose due to the artificial lighting coming down from the roof beams, setting an unsettling mood as the man stares down the camera lens.
There’s a drastic contrast between the light and dark tones, in the foreground, there is a lot of shadows and dark areas with very dull colours. Further back looking into the background, there is a lot more light overhead, from each side and a window at the back, these point of lighting make the colours of the equipment and objects more vibrant and brighter.
The man seen is in fact Alfred Krupp, who’s family owned the factory he is seated in front of. The Krupp family were German industrialist during WWII, using the factory to made and distribute warfare weaponry made by prisoners from the Jewish camps. The importance of his background is important as the photographer religion is Jewish. Relating to the camera angle, the fact that Newman is looking down on Krupp shows how far society has come since the religious segregation during WWII and that the authority has switched.
This colour Image, taken by Arnold Newman, showcases a portrait of Alfred Krupp. The photograph displays Krupp centered in the foreground of a train factory, framed by the pillars either side and above him. These pillars also lead your eye up to the skylights of the factory, which also lead your eye into the background of the image. In the background you can see trains being produced and made in the long dark room. The tone presented in this piece appears to be quite dark and moody, due to low exposure. The angle in which this image was taken, seems to look down on Krupp as if to belittle him, therefore creating a tense photograph.
The lighting of this piece appears to be natural, originating from the sky lights, and slightly underexposed. This light contrasts with the harsh and dark shadows, which are surrounding Krupp, further intensifying the image. Due to the clear and defined image, not only in the foreground but the the background too, you could say that this image was taken with a low aperture and a fast shutter speed. This allows for you to not only to see Krupp clearly but also the trains in the background, meaning they must be of some significance to the story of the image.
Newman took this particular image specifically of Krupp due to his participation in the Holocaust. This included Krupp supplying Nazi forces with weapons and ammunition during World War Two, using slave labour in factories. Meaning that as the war grew bigger so did Krupp’s profits. For this Krupp was sentenced to only six years in prison. In addition, this image is personal for Newman due to him being Jewish, which is seen in the belittling camera angle.
The message behind this image could be aiming to showcase the evil of Krupp and his actions, and from the way he is posed his lack of remorse. Furthermore, it may be an indicator of how people like him are still in power positions to this day, making a statement on the justice system and how it should be improved.
The man himself is harmless, he is old and weak looking but his eyes are looking directly at the camera which is unsettling and emits an emotional response. In reality he aided the Nazis is committing mass genocide. His body language shows power as the pose he is doing is common among business men. The photo is an environmental portrait which shows people in a place they are associated with. In this case its one of his factories that produces trains. The portrait was done by Arnold Newman, a Jewish photographer who was helped bring environmental photography into mainstream media. The portrait led to public backlash and Krupp was imprisoned for crimes against humanity and he died soon after his release from prison.
The focal point of the portrait is Alfred Krupp which suggests his power and importance. Everything in the photo is tied to him. This includes the triangular leading lines that all join up to him and the lighting that centres on his face. The shadowing blacks out his eyes which evokes a sinister feeling as the eyes are often known as windows to the soul and by blocking this window you so not know someones true intentions.
The colours in this photo are more vibrant at the back of the scene but begin to dim as you look closer to Krupp. The bright orange of the industrial machinery is a stark juxtaposition to Krupp’s bleak businessman attire. This could suggest that its Krupp’s workers that are full of life whilst Krupp himself is void of life. The darkness of Krupp in the portrait connotes evilness which is likely on purpose by Newman to expose him.
In this image the lighting is very dark which gives the image a sinister atmosphere. This contrasts with the saturated warm toned colours in the background which makes the colours stand out to the eye. The light is coming from multiple places in the image which creates a sense of reflection in the photo, this also means that the light is most likely artificial lighting shinning onto his face but natural light coming from the ceiling.
The image overall has a range of light and dark tones.the overall image is dark which makes the focus the light tones which highlights the light reflecting off the multiple surfaces.
The focal point of the image is the man facing towards the camera which is located slightly below the middle of the photo. The photo also focuses on the background of the image which continues through to the back which creates a deep field. The dark edges create a vignette effect making the center of the image significantly brighter drawing the viewers attention to the middle.
The image has natural lighting coming from the windows above, the main points of the image are defined by the highlights, the photograph has many warm tones such as orange. His fingers are interlocked implying hes secretive which relates to the dark, mysterious lighting. A high depth of field was used as everything in the foreground and background is in focus.
The way the man is dressed, smart and sophisticated, contrasts with the worn and ragged train station.
Alfred Krupp was a key supplier of weapons and material to the Nazi regime and the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was later arrested for slave labour, which he served 3 years in prison. Arnold Newman was known for his environmental portraits of artists and politicians.
This image was taken by Arnold Newman an American photographer, noted for his ‘environmental portraits’ of artists and politicians. He was also known for his carefully composed still life images.
Content:
Initially looking at this image of Alfred Krupp it looks quite sinister. He is the focal point of the image and your eyes are drawn to him from the top of the image and the bottom. He has a moody look on his face with his hands placed under his chin staring straight into the camera. The background has cement pillars that almost act as if they are framing him.
Formal Elements:
The lighting in this image is produced behind him from ceiling lighting making the background extremely bright and intense and the foreground more gloomy looking. The bottom of the image surrounding him is very dull making him the focal point of the image as your eyes are drawn to him. The background of this image gives some insight on who Alfred Krupp is as it shows machinery and trains but doesn’t give too much away. This image also paints him out to look like he is important as he is closer to the camera than all the other objects staring down the lens. He is also dressed very formally in an informal setting making you think he is high up in the business. The structure of the cement pillars look as if they are framing him keeping him away from all the dirty work in the background.
This image was taken approximately 20 years after World War 2, in 1963, by a Jewish photographer named Arnold Newman. The image captures a German industrialist, Alfred Krupp, posing in his factory which produced ammunition for Nazi’s during the war.
Conceptual:
This iconic image was taken almost as a form of redemption for the Jews after their tragic losses in the war. Newman gained power through his photography career to expose Alfred Krupp and his cruel business. This photo could be seen as a form of deterrent against the Germans as Newman purposely chooses to have Krupp posing in a sinister manner, and his use of harsh lighting creates bold shadows around his features to almost form Krupp as a villain. Newman shoots his camera from a slightly higher angle than Krupp to prove the power has been switched between the two of them, in his favour.
Technical:
The lighting seems artificial, and appears to be coming from above as the shadows are cast underneath the features of the face. I believe there is a wide depth of field as majority of the image is in focus, this gives the sense that the whole building is exposed and out in the open to see all that is happening within. The lighting from behind and above creates a juxtaposition between the light and dark tones in the image, with the light bringing the darkness towards you. This image has colours of low saturation for the most part and not of great quality, this suggests the image is old without context as it seems to be taken on an older camera, as the colours loose a lot of their vibrance.
Visual:
The leading lines on the ceiling draw your eyes towards the figure in the foreground, I think this is used as a distraction from what’s happening in the background. The camera is central to attract the viewers eyes to the focal point, being Alfred Krupp with his head resting on his hands and staring into the lens. the dull colours add to the gloomy tone of the image it appears to have all life drained from the entire scene as a whole. This could be seen as a metaphor for the life that was lost during the war because of Krupp’s production of ammunition.
Portraits are paintings, drawings or photographs of a person, usually focusing on their head and shoulders. Portraits and portraiture started out as paintings. Usually, these types of portraits were done to show power, status, and nobility and were typically reserved for the wealthy. Once photography became popular in the late 1800s with the release of the very first Kodak cameras, portraiture became popular and was more available to the public.
Candid portraits tend be more natural, flowing, unplanned and may even be a form of street photography at times. Candid portraits are not staged or formal. You should aim to capture the essence of the person you are photographing, say something about them or the moment they are caught in…
Sam Harris “The Middle of Somewhere”
CandidPhoto-Shoot
Take a set of photographs that shows your understanding of CANDID PORTRAITS
Remember…your subject (person) DOES NOT need to be engaging with the camera and this kind of photo should not be staged or “set-up”
Then look to create a contrast between your environmental portraits and candid portraits…maybetry photographing the same person / people and then juxtaposing the images (to compare and contrast)
Then select your best 5-10 images and create a blog post that clearly shows your process of taking and making your final outcomes
Deadline = Mon 23 November
Richard Billingham “Ray’s A Laugh” – social documentary
Chris Killip The Station 1985 – more social documentary
Street Photography
Robert Frank ; “Trolley — New Orleans,” 1955.
Elliott Erwitt: Boy, 1955
Henri Cartier-Bresson ; Albert Camus, 1947
Street photography is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places.
Street Photography is a sub-genre of photojournalism…
Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. The concept of the “flaneur” or people watcher is often referred to street photographers
This image below was taken in Seville at the beginning of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s career as a photographer. It has a strong geometric form. The viewer sees the gang of boys through a large hole in a wall which frames the scene. Without knowing the date of the image one might guess that it was taken during the Spanish Civil War (1936–9) or afterwards. The fact that it was taken in 1933 gives it a strange sense of premonition; the boys are playing at war in the ruins of a war that has not yet happened.
Henri Cartier-Bresson : Children in Seville, Spain, 1933.
Blog Post 1 : Define, describe and explain street photography.
Include images, moodboards, hyperlinks to relevant articles and URLs and add a video or two on street photography if you can
Take care in your choice of images…browse the list of street photographers below and choose from the work to “speaks” to you…
Aim to show knowledge and understanding of how street photography can reflect the life / lifestyle / politics / history / social class of an area or group of people…
Do the images make a statement…or ask a question?
About a person, or about society?
Alex WebbJohn Bulmer | Woman and Child with washing line | 1965
Blog Post 2 :
Henri Cartier – Bresson and
“The Decisive Moment”
Create a blog post / case study about Henri Cartier-Bresson that includes…
Brief biography
Mood-board of key images
Select one image and apply Technical | Visual | Contextual | Conceptual analysis (image analysis)
In Photoshop i have created a symmetrical and reflected image by re sizing the image canvas, then coping the original image and flipping it horizontally and for the tips of both images to be touching to create an effect of it being one image. Next I coped the whole image to paste it again whilst increasing the image canvas size to then flip the image vertically to finally have four pineapples that are reflecting each other in a first glance one image look.
