We use studio lighting because it allows us to create natural lighting effects in a variety of situations. This lighting can be manipulated to the users living to create the desired final effect of highlights and shadows. In a studio, 1, 2 and 3 point lighting can be used. By using three point lighting the photographer can light the subject whilst controlling shading and shadows produced by direct lighting. By using two point lighting the subject is lit and the shadows are controlled by the second light source. By using one point lighting the subject is only lit from one direction, creating string dark shadows. If two lights are used, this is called fill light, it is used to fill the shadows created by the fill light.
Chiaroscuro
‘The term “chiaroscuro” has come to define images in which there is a strong contrast between light and dark areas that help inform the shape and form of a subject.’
Camera Settings
Camera settings (flash lighting) Tripod: optional Use transmitter on hotshoe White balance: daylight (5000K) ISO: 100 Exposure: Manual 1/125 shutter-speed > f/16 aperture – check settings before shooting Focal lenght: 105mm portrait lens
Camera settings (continuous lighting) Tripod: recommended to avoid camera shake Manual exposure mode White balance: tungsten light (3200K) ISO: 400-1600 – depending on how many light sources Exposure: Manual 1/60-1/125 shutter-speed > f/4-f/8 aperture – check settings before shooting Focal lenght: 50mm portrait lens
‘Henri Cartier–Bresson (1908-2004), arguably the most significant photographer of the twentieth-century, was one of the co-founders of Magnum Photos in 1947 and champion of the “decisive moment”. He brought a new aesthetic and practice to photography, initiated modern photojournalism, and influenced countless followers.’
Henri Cartier-Bresson is well known for his street photography, here are some of his most significant images:
Analysis
This image was shot in natural light on a sunny day, which created strong defined shadows on the dround. This creates a large tonal range from the light whites of the highlights to the darkest blacks of the shadows. This high contrast makes the subjects and image as a while pop out. The image is also perfectly exposed with no sun glare or over whitening of surfaces. The aperture of the photo seems to be around the f.11 mark, a medium to high aperture to let most things in frame be in focus and sharp. There is a slight vignette around the edges of the image to create a more moody feel and to draw attention to the centre of the image. The shutter speed was probably above 1/120 as the subjects were moving at the time the photo was taken and the sunlight was bright. There also seems to be a slight grainy texture to the image indicating a higher iso.
The light coming from behind the people give a silhouette effect. This along with the dark shadows being cast on the brightly lit road creates an ominous and almost uneasy, moody feeling. As the people get further away from the camera and further down the road, their silhouette becomes less distinguishable from the background, creating a greater sense of depth in the image.
The peoples faces are not clearly seen. This might symbolise how each person in the image, weather they know each other or are strangers, is living their own personal life (sonder). Them being unaware of the photograph shows the natural way of living and people getting on with their daily tasks.
MAGNUM photo agency
In early 1947, Cartier-Bresson, with Robert Capa, David Seymour, William Vandivert and George Rodger founded Magnum Photos. Magnum was a cooperative picture agency and aimed to use photography in the service of humanity, and provided arresting, widely viewed images.
William Klein – comparrison
William Klein took many street photography, and ill compare the above image with Henri Cartier-Bresson’s images
Similarly to Bresson, the image has a large black and white tonal range, with no over exposure or under exposed parts of the image.
Contrasting to Bressons image, this was shot with a lower aperture, maybe about f.5. This is because the Gun that is being pointed at the camera in the foreground is blurry and out of focus, but the subjects behind it are in focus and well detailed. There is also not a vignette in this image.
There seems to be a high iso, similarly to Bressons image, because of the grainy texture.
Contrasting completely to Bressons image, there is immediately a lot of emotion and meaning in this photo. The use of a gun symbolises danger and destruction. Along with the boys emotion with shows anger and sadness. This contrasts to the unidentifiable, shadow filled faces of the subjects in Bressons image. Also, in the image the subjects are aware of the camera.
‘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.’
I like street photography because of the natural, non staged flow of the images. It captures a second in time where everyone in the image is focused on their own thing and has not acknowledged the camera, making the image feel almost like a window into another persons life.
i particularly like this video by Pierre T Lambert, who is a photographer and videographer ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR329XWJzo8&ab_channel=PierreT.Lambert ) because he uses the rain and bad weather to his advantage to create moody and more impactful street photography images.
Here is one of the many images that he took while out in the rain.
The dark tones and reflections on the wet ground create a moody feel which i really like.
Bruce Gilden
Bruce Gilden’s street photography is in black and white which draws attention away from colour and more to the actual contents and meaning of the image. This photographs tend to have a lot of emotion in them and are usually quite busy with many people. Here are some examples:
‘Portrait photography, or portraiture, is a type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses.’
Iconic portraiture mood board
Rehahn
Lee Jeffries
Manny Librodo
Jimmy Nelsson
Lisa Kristine
Joel Santos
Steve McCurry
Eric Lafforgue
Phil Borges
David Lazar
Contemporary Portrait Photography – a reference to an image created that reflects our values, challenges and perceptions today, a photograph from our own time.
Environmental portraiture is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment, for example their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings.
Analysis
source – HEADSHOTS VS ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS. MARKETING WITH PHOTOGRAPHY. (July 30, 2019)
This is an environmental portrait of Chicago artist John A. Kurtz in his studio. The location of this photograph makes it an environmental portrait because its where he works and spends most of his time.
The composition and framing of this image draws the eves of the viewer to the center of the image where the subject is. This is through the use of out of focus furniture in the foreground, such as the door frame on the right and book shelf on the left. This gives the effect of looking through a gap to have a sneak peak of someones work life.
The darker shadows created by the furniture in the foreground create a vignette around the sides on the image, again drawing attention to the subject in the image. This effect was created by using a low aperture, probably around f/5.6. Along with this the ISO and shutter speed will have been tweaked to achieve a clear light image in the moderately dark room that it was shot in.
The colour palette of the photograph is mostly earthy colours. Shadows have been darkened and highlights have been lessened to create a more moody feel and tone to the image, but still keeping the vibrancy of the colourful objects on his desk.
When editing this image, the curves appears to have been changed to an s-curve, meaning the darks have been darkened, and the lights have been lightened, creating more contrast within the image.
These images group together because of the warm, earthy colours. They also display thoughts of isolation and staying at home through abstract photography.
Group 2:
These images group together because they all have high contrast between the lights and the shadows. They also have an eerie feel when displayed together.
Group 3:
These images group together because they all are of water and water reflections. They also all have quite earthy colours with increased saturation.
Group 4:
These images group together because they all are of natural forms in black and white. They also have a large tonal range between the highlights and the shadows.
Final Gallery
I chose these images because i think they best display my use of black and white photography to show contrast and texture in natural forms. These images work well together in response to Harry Callahan because of their similarity to his photographs by using black and white photography of natural forms.
Method
Find an image on the internet of an empty gallery – i chose a plain black and white gallery as it compliments the images i have chosen to display.
Select a group of your most successful images that look good displayed together and bring them into Photoshop in different layers.
One by one, resize the images to the desired size, using Ctrl and dragging the corners of the image to change the angle of the image to match the angle of the wall that its placed on.
Then right click on the image – blending options – drop shadow, then change the values and angle of the shadow to fir the gallery that the images are in, taking into account the position of the lights in the room.
What – Clouds, reservoir water and plant and trees around the area
Where – Les Grands Vaux reservoir and the surrounding area
When – Sunday mid day
How – On foot walking around the edge of the reservoir
Why – In response to Harry Callahan, Ernst Haas and Alfred Stieglitz
Selected/Edited Images Contact Sheet
Favorite Harry Callahan Response
I think that this is my best response to Harry Callahan because similarly to his photographs, the natural forms and plants are pointing vertically in the frame, along with a large gray scale tonal range.
Favorite Ernst Haas Response
I think that this is my best Ernst Haas response because the colour scheme, angle of the shot and directional lines in the water are very similar to Ernst Haas’s images.
Favorite Alfred Stieglitz Response
This is my favorite Alfred Stieglitz response because it closely resembles his photographs because of the fragmented clouds, not zoomed in and a large gray scale tonal range.
