Street photography is made for art or enquiry that that features random chances of encounters or incident’s that occur within a public place.
Diane Arbus
Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks
Martin Parr
Robert Frank
Saul Leiter
Viviane Maier
William Klein
William Eggleston
As you can see from the pictures above that have been stated with the names of the photographers, every single image above has their own personal value to them and their own story behind it which makes street photography special because the picture almost becomes a story to tell, due to the pictures being captured in random moments of an incident that has occurred. Moreover, their could be some context behind these images for example, with the Gordon Parks picture on the top right would could imagine what it could be about like maybe people having fun on a hot sunny day, however in reality the picture is a gang fight that was captured in the middle of the streets.
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.
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.
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)
These are iconic portrait images from successful photographers stated up above.
portrait photography or portraiture is a type of photography that is aimed towards capturing the personality of a person or a group of people by having their picture taken in an environment that facilitates towards the person that is getting their picture taken of.
Hopefully you have all had a chance to respond to the task above…which may provide you with some material for the starting point in this project.
>>You can find resources here<<
M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Resources\Portraiture\TO DO
and here : M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Planners Y12 JAC\Unit 2 Portrait Photography
TASK 1
You must introduce your new topic : PORTRAITS
Remember… your images must include a caption…this is especially important if they belong to someone else (copyright etc), and helps clarify which images are yours for assessment.
Try adding hyperlinks to use websites / blogs / video URLs or embed relevant YOUTUBE clips to help illustrate your key points
CREATE A VISUAL MOOD-BOARD
Choose a range of portraits / self portraits to develop a grid of images (minimum of 9) to show your understanding of what a portrait can be…
You must include a range of approaches to portraits in your mood-board…
Try to Define what Contemporary Portrait Photography is…
TASK 2
We will begin the unit by looking at ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS, which depict people in their…
working environments
environments that they are associated with
“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”
CREATE A MIND-MAP
We will be studying the history, theory and concept of environmental portraits…their purpose and role in our day to day lives too.
Design a mind-map / brainstorm / spider-gram / flowchart of environmental portrait ideas
Think about the ways in which we use these portraits, and what they can say about us / reveal / conceal
define what an environemental portrait actually is
Add your mind-map to a blog post
Here are some examples…
Arnold Newman : Leonard Bernstein , 1968
Mary Ellen-Mark-Circus Perfomers
Steve McCurry; Yemen, 2011
Anthony Kurtz; No Man’s Job, Senegal, 2011
August Sander : Brick Layer, 1928
Look at these influential photographers for more ideas and information…
August Sander (1876 – 1964)
Paul Strand (1890 – 1976)
Arnold Newman (1918 – 2006)
Daniel Mordzinski (1960 – )
Annie Leibovitz (1949 – )
Mary Ellen Mark (1940 – 2015)
Jimmy Nelson (1967 – )
Sara Facio (1932 – )
Michelle Sank
Bert Teunissen
Key things to consider with formal / environmental portraits…
formal (posed)
head-shot / half body / three quarter length / full length body shot
high angle / low angle / canted angle
colour or black and white
high key (light and airy) vs low key (high contrast / chiarascuro)
Technical= Composition / exposure / lens / light
Visual= eye contact / engagement with the camera / neutral pose and facial expression / angle / viewpoint
Conceptual= what are you intending to present? eg : social documentary? / class ? / authority ? / gender role ? / lifestyle ?
Contextual=add info and detail regarding the back ground / story / detail / information about the character(s) / connection to the photographer eg family / insider / outsider
Photo-Shoot 1
Take 100-200 photographs showing your understanding of ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS
Remember…your subject (person) must be engaging with the camera!…you must communicate with them clearly and direct the kind of image that you want to produce!!!
Then select your best 5-10 images and create a blog post that clearly shows your process of taking and making your final outcomes
Remember not to over -edit your images. Adjust the cropping, exposure, contrast etc…nothing more!
Remember to show your Photo-Shoot Planning and clearly explain :
who you are photographing
what you are photographing
when you are conducting the shoot
where you are working/ location
why you are designing the shoot in this way
how you are going to produce the images (lighting / equipment etc)
Think about how we portray characters / leaders — what is represented here ?
Example : farmworker x farm x farm tools
Due Date for Environmental Portrait Photoshoot = Wed 11th Nov
This week ensure your process looks like this…
Mood-board, definition and introduction (AO1)
Mind-map of ideas (AO1)
Artist References / Case Study (must include image analysis) (AO1)
Compare and contrast your work to your artist reference(AO1)
Evaluation and Critique (AO1+AO4)
3 x examples of image analysis
Environmental portraits mean portraits of people taken in a situation that they live in, work in, rest in or play in. Environmental portraits give you context to the subject you are photographing. They give you an insight into the personality and lifestyle of your subject.
Portrait 1: This particular image was photographed by Jane Bown of Quentin Crisp at home in Chelsea in 1978. Quentin Crisp was an English writer, famous for supernatural fiction and was a gay icon in the 1970s. This image was taken in his “filthy” flat as Bown describes. In the back ground we can see piles of books on top of the fireplace shelf which represents his career as a writer and a journalist. It looks as though he is boiling water on the stove which looks out of place because the room looks as if it is in the living room. As you would not normally place a stove in your lounge. He was living as a “Bed-Sitter” which means he had inadequate of storage space, this explains why his belongings were cramped in one room.
Portrait 2: This image was captured by Arnold Newman. He is also known for his “environmental portraiture” of artists and politicians, capturing the essence of his subjects by showing them in their natural surroundings. Here is a portrait of Igor Stravinsky who was a Russian pianist, composer and musician. In this photograph, the piano outweighs the subject which is him and depicts the fact that music was a massive part of him and his life. His body language looks as if he is imitating the way the piano lid is being held up, he is using his hand as a head rest. Another element in the photograph, is that the shape of the piano looks like a musical note which again symbolises his love of music.
Portrait 3: This photograph was also taken by Arnold Newman of John F. Kennedy, an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States of America. This pictures was taken on a balcony at the White house. Mr. Kennedy isn’t directly looking into the camera, he is looking at the view outside which suggests his role as a president because at the time he was one of the most powerful man in the world. He is looking at the scenery, people and his surroundings. The image was taken at a low angle to depict the huge building and the horizontal lines symbolise power, dynamism and control.
Frederick Sommer, born in 1905, was an Italian-born photographer raised in Brazil. He was considered a master photographer, as he started his love for art in photography in 1931. He originally explored his creative trait through watercolour ink and paper but later discovered his passion for photography in 1938, when he acquired an 8×10 Century Universal Camera. Sommer was a self-taught photographer who experimented with wild concepts for his creative work, he worked with materials as extreme as coyote bones and chicken parts. Frederick Sommer often mixed the two concepts of landscape, portrait and abstraction in his work, for example his portrait of Max Ernst, in my opinion, contains all three elements. Sommer’s landscape work of the vast desert he lived in is considered to be his most extravagant and impressive images, he referred these images as “constellations”. Frederick Sommer later died in 1999, in the desert in Arizona where he lived due to medical issues.
Analysis of Frederick Sommer’s work:
“Constellation Arizona” – Frederick Sommer (1943)
light: The natural sunlight of the image allows areas, such as the walking path, to be highlighted amongst the masses of trees and plants. As the sunlight is coming from above, harsh shadows are cast under them which contrasts against the blinding path.
Lines: There is a pandemonium of unorganised lanes scattered across the image in a chaotic manner, therefore they do not lead to a specific focal point.
Repetition: The only form of repetition in this image is the constant cluster of trees running through the photo, however there is no definite pattern.
Shape: The shapes in this photograph are organic and unorganised, giving the image a chaotic appearance.
Space: There is a wide depth of field to this image as the majority of the photo is in focus, there is also no negative space in the photograph as the whole image is busy in all areas.
Texture: The photo appears to have rough texture, as the trees and plants create a harsh, bumpy composition, however this is contrasted against the smoother and less harsh texture of the path running through the image.
Value/Tone: There is a varied tone from dark to light in this photograph as the darkness is concentrated around the middle third, however there are also scattered tones of darkness amongst the light, therefore I believe the tones are balanced.
Colour: The lack of colour in the image enhances the light and dark tones in their natural form.
Composition: As the photo is a natural landscape, the composition is very unorganised and organic. The rule of thirds could possibly be seen in the middle third, with dark areas concentrated here, but there is no recognisable geometric shapes in the image in order to understand the composition.
Minor White
“Matchstick Cove, San Mateo County, California” – Minor White (1947)
Minor White, an American photographer, theoretician, critic and educator, was born in Minnesota in 1908. His interest in photography began in 1937, as he combined his passion for philosophical theories with taking photos. He was influenced by how people would view photos differently on a personal level, which then began his photography career in black and white and colour landscapes. White created thousands of photos focusing on all areas of landscape, portrait and abstraction before he died in 1976, he also taught photography in many schools across America in his lifetime. His images create a string sense of juxtaposition in the sense of light and dark.
Analysis of Minor White’s work:
“Ocean, Schoodic Point, Maine” – Minor White (1968)
The natural lighting in this photograph is reflected onto the water to create and intense highlight running through the middle third of the image. It also allows harsh shadows to be cast either side of the highlighted water to create a juxtaposition of light and dark.
The leading lines of the two cliffs direct the viewers eyes to the middle third of the photo, this creates the focal point of the glistening water, the harsh lighting also accentuates this. There is also a repetition of jagged lines in the image that appear in the cracks of the cliffs.
There is a repetition of line used in this image, but in a more organic sense. The natural cracks in the rocks are present throughout the image, aswell as the curved lines within the curves of the waves.
The shapes in this photograph are organic and curved, however there is a sense of sharpness in the jagged rocks and cracks within the rocks.
There is a strong depth of field in this image, as the foreground of the cliffs are significantly clearer compared to the background, which is concealed by fog. The darkness of the cliffs create a negative space which acts of a kind of border to the natural chaos of the waves.
The image portrays a rough texture as the sharpness of the rocks is contradicted against the curved waves. The surface of the rocks is uneven and organic, which adds to the coarseness of the photograph.
There is a range of tones from dark to light in this photograph, as the highlights and shadows juxtapose each other. The darkest area of the image is the rocks towards the left and right third, which act as a border to the lightest areas of the image, that being the waves in the middle third of the photograph.
The monochromatic format of the photograph allows the viewer to focus on the highlights and shadows of the image,as well as the shape formation, rather than the colours.
The image has a balanced appearance as the dark and light tones are evenly distributed throughout the image. For example, the dark tones are concentrated around the edges of the image, which then surround the lighter tones concentrated in the middle third.
Comparison of White and Sommer’s work
Frederick Sommer and Minor White share similarities in there landscape work, especially the use of the monochromatic format towards their images, as they focus on tone and shape rather then colour. They also capture the chaotic composition of nature in it’s purest form, as well as the juxtaposition between light and dark.
Alternatively, White’s image here specifically focuses on depth of field and blurring out the background in order to create a focal point, whereas Sommer captures the landscape as a whole and rejects the use of a singular focal point. The juxtaposition between light and dark is much harsher in the work of White compared to Sommer, which suggests that White’s image became over exposed possible from using a wider aperture.
For my finalised images I got inspiration off Alfred Stieglitz in taking pictures of clouds for my image selection in my images being abstract pieces. I chose to get inspiration of Alfred Stieglitz for my final abstract pieces because when I looked at his pictures they caught my attention due to his pictures of clouds looking very abstract in the way the clouds are come across in the pictures for example, some of his pieces don’t even look like clouds although they are due to the contrast of black and white which manipulates the picture into not looking like clouds also, the patterns and repetition of the clouds look very odd making them interesting to look at as you can almost use your imagination in making the picture come across as something else and not clouds.
As you can see from this image of Alfred Stieglitz you can use your imagination to manipulate the picture to come across as something else, with this specific image I think of the clouds looking like fluff that comes out of a puffer jacket or a pillow purely using my imagination on what I think the cloud appears to be.
Finalised Pieces
These are my finalised pieces that I have chosen because I thought they looked best in comparison to my other abstract pictures.
The process I went through in making the first one in black and white on the left was by editing the picture by going onto the levels in order to change where the shadows should have been darker in order for the contrast between the black and white to bounce of each other and then I changed the image to being black and white. Moreover, I would say this picture is the closest to Alfred Stieglitz purely because the picture is in black and white with the shadows are heightened just like his pictures.
As for the picture on the far right, the process of editing that I went through in order to get the image to what it looks like was that I went onto the hue and saturation and changed the picture in having the colours of the picture being a bright blue. Also, I cropped out the image, so it was just the clouds in the picture however, this makes it very abstract as the image doesn’t appear to be a cloud and the bright colours in the picture eliminates the natural lighting or natural shadows meaning it would be difficult at first knowing what the picture is.
Finally, the picture in the middle was made through the editing stage of getting the picture on the left on top of the picture on the right merging it into one. Once that was complete, I went onto the black and white image that I put on top of the blue one and I put the opacity down which enables you to see the bottom layer of the image. After that, I changed the colour of the image in order to make the clouds be highlighted in red to make both images contrast from the colours of red and blue.
Overall the middle picture is my favourite out of the three because of the way it doesn’t look anything like a cloud but maybe a weather report. Moreover, I feel like I have taken Alfred Stieglitz’s style of photography and evolve it in the way that it’s not in black and white which goes to show we are photographers in different time periods and this makes my photograph probably catch the eye of a younger person due to how bright the colours are in the image which makes it stand out from the rest.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Saul Leiter was a painter and photographer who started his career in the 1940s and 1950s. He left theology school and moved to New York to pursue painting at age 23, this is also where he found his love for photography. In the 1950’s, Leiter held his first colour photography exhibition at the Artist’s Club, where groups of Abstract Expressionist painters would meet and admire other work. Leiter furthered his career as a fashion photographer throughout the 1970’s, he worked for publications such as Elle, British Vogue and Nova. The Saul Leiter Foundation was founded in 2014, a year after Leiter passed away, this was dedicated to preserving the art and legacy of Saul Leiter.
Analysis of Saul Leiter’s work:
“Taxi” – Saul Leiter (1957)
Light- The lighting in this image seems artificial as harsh shadows are created in both the foreground and background of the photograph. The lightest areas of the image are the vibrant colours of the car roof, these areas are juxtaposed against the gloomy shadows inside the car and in the foreground.
Line- The lines in the image are rather geometric and artificial, however they create a contrast as the curved lines blend with the straight lines. The lines lead your eyes to the direction of the shadows cast under the roof of the car, and to the dimly-lit figure inside the car.
Repetition- There is a repetition of curved and straight line in this image, which creates a geometric shape to the image.
Shape- The shapes in the image are geometric, this give the image an artificial aesthetic.
Space- The image has a wider depth of field, as the foreground is blurry, however the background is in focus. There is a rather a large sense of depth in the photograph.
Texture- The texture of the metal gives the photograph a smooth appearance, the highlights on the roof also add to the smoothness of the image.
Value/Tone- The image has an extreme contrasting range of tone, as the vibrant colours of the car clash with the muted shadows in the shadows and the figure’s clothing. The lightest part of the photo is the colours of the car and the darkest areas are in the shadows. Overall, the image tends towards the darkness.
Colour- The coloured parts of the image are very vibrant and intense. They display the harsh primary colours of red and yellow, which are jarring when placed next to one another.
Composition- There is a simple composition to the image as it doesn’t seem busy. There is not much going on in the image, and the photo focuses on the juxtaposition of light and dark , and colour and black and white, rather than the composition. The rule of thirds has not been used in this image, in my opinion.
In 1924 he co founded the Czech Photographic Society with Josef Sudek and Adolf Schneeberger. Two years later he produced a series of Surrealist images of store windows (Glass and Reflection) based on the photographs of Eugène Atget. Funke served for several years as editor of the journal Fotograficky obzor.
His interest in modernist ideas led him to make studies of simple objects. As the decade progressed, he turned to the production of arranged still life emphasizing abstract form and the play of light and shadow. During this time he also produced several important series of photographs, including two inspired by the images of Eugène Atget: Reflexy (Reflections, 1929) and as trvá (Time Persists, 1930-34).
The series of photographs that inspired me is the Absrakni Kompozice (Abstract Composition) photos. In these images he focuses on shape, light and shadow. He uses a different objects to get a range of unique, interesting and abstract shapes. In the background of the the images he uses the material of paper to get structure in the background with the creases and edges of the paper. This also helps to have a solid white background.
Images from Abstraktní kompozice that inspired me:
Image Analysis
Jaromir Funke: Abstract Photo, 1928–29
In Abstraktní kompozice Funke focuses on the use of light in his photos creating light and darkshapes.
In this image in particular the lighting used seems to be natural and is positioned behind the camera facing forwards making anything in front cast a shadow. There is a large range of tones due to the contrast between the light and dark areas in the image which help make the shadows from the objects sharp and visual. The aperture and shutter speed in this image creates a crisp photo in the sense that the abstract shapes are clear and sharp but the image overall is under exposed which makes it seem blurry and more warm toned. There is various lines from the objects. The shadows created are very geometric and layer on top of each other creating a composition with the more organic curvy shapes. Overall it is quite warm toned as it is not a normal black and white photograph it is more of a black and off white colour due to the white balance.The middle of the photo is framed by the dark shadows around the light, creating a vignette.
Photo shoot 1
Photo shoot Plan:
Who
Jaromir Funke takes photos of objects and light so I will not need anyone else in the photo however I will need someone to hold the objects.
What
I am going to take photos of shadows from interesting objects with different silhouettes and shapes.
Why
I am going to take these photos as it will closely interpret Funkes images with abstract forms and light and shadow.
When
I will take these photos late afternoon so the sun is starting to set and it will be shining where I need it. Also the shadows will be strong as the sun should be quite bright at this time. The weather also is important as I will need it to be sunny.
Where
I will be using a plain white canvas for the background so it gives a solid colour for the background and I can move it to where the sun is shining for the best shadows.
How
I will place the canvas in front of the sunlight and get someone to hold the objects where I need them to be as I will be taking the photos and will not be able to hold the objects whilst photographing.
My response 1:
I chose to do this idea for my first photo shoot inspired by Jaromir Funke as I wanted to try and get the shapes he has used. In particular one of the objects I used was a whisk because in one of his photos he uses a couple of whisks to create multiple shadows and photographs the object in front of the camera. For these particular photos I set the shutter speed lower so the camera would capture the movement of the whisk and would give it a blurry affect. I used the natural light from the sun coming through the window to create a soft, yellow shadow. If I were to do this photo shoot again I would perhaps use artificial lighting so that the shadows would be harsher like Funke’s images. I used a canvas for the background of the image as it was plain but also gave the image a slight yellow cast with the light settings on the camera.
Photo shoot 2
I chose to do a second photoshoot following Jaromir Funkes’ images closer so that I could get the same abstract effect as him. For this photoshoot I used plain white paper to set the background of the photo and as an area to cast the shadows onto. I also incorporated a black curtain into the background so that I could create a vignette effect, having the black background around the sides of the photo framing the centre which is brighter. The lighting used was artificial lighting coming from a projector, I used this to have a more yellow light rather than white lighting and so that the shadows would be harsher. Additionally it was easy to control where the light and the shadows were in the images because I was able to place the objects in various places on the projector glass and it would reflect with the shadows of the objects. The lighting used also created soft and harsh shadows making shadow shapes contrast.
Final outcomes
When editing my images I wanted to make them busier and edit the shadows so that they were harsher and bolder. To make the images busier I combined them together layering 2-4 images over each other altering the opacity of each photo so certain photos were more visible then others. I also cropped and adjusted the positioning/rotation of the photos either choosing certain parts of photos to layer or crop the final outcome. When editing the lighting and colour of the images, I used adjustments on photoshop and altered the exposure, contrast, levels, vibrance, saturation and more.
