As you can see in the photos above, 1 point lighting (also knows as chiaroscuro) creates a high contrast of shadows- and with portraits, its a great way to bring out the facial shape and its features.
Within this photo session in the studio, my main focus was to experiment with 1 point lighting varying from both sides and slightly below.
Throughout the photo-taking I kept to the same tone of light (which was warm) as it responded well to the choice of clothing which was vintage-like. However I tried different intensities (dull and bright). Also, used a variety of different poses.
First Selection
Image 1
Image 2
Sub Selection
I chose these two images out of my first selection. In image one, I like the composition and the straight posture of the model which portrays dominance, strength and confidence- there is also one sharp shadow on the right and a much more soft shadow on the left which contrast. In image 2, There are sharp shadows and bold golden reflections coming off the models shirt- however the majority of focus is still on the models face which is very defined due to the angle and lighting.
Editing
When editing I made a couple small adjustments such as cropping image 1 and sharpening both images very slightly.
Another outcome that I think turned out well was turning the images black and white- this was to refer to the 3 images by other photographers at the beginning on the blog.
Portrait photography is aimed towards capturing the personality of a person or group by using effective lighting, backdrops or poses.
Mood Board
Contemporary Portrait Photography
Contemporary portrait photography is described as being comparing a portrait photograph of your time against one of that from a much earlier period.
Environmental Portrait Photography
An environmental portrait photograph is a portrait in which he subject is in their usual environment such as their home or workplace. For example a mechanic in a garage or a police officer in a police station.
Annie Leibovitz
Annie Leibovitz is an American Photographer and is most famous for her portrait photography of some of Hollywood’s most famous celebrities.
Photo-shoot
I will take photos of first line workers in a medium-close up similar to what Annie Leibovitz does in her photos. I will go to different first line workers that might not be usually described as first line to show that more people are classified as first line that we first think.
Mind Map
My Photo Shoot
Best From Photo Shoot
Best Front Line Image
I like the image above because it shows an elderly woman with glasses on looking at the camera with a sense of despair but also hope. This image is strong because she is wearing a mask preventing full understanding of her real emotions so everyone will interpret her expression in different ways.
Arnold Newman was an American – Jewish photographer who was most known for his ‘environmental portraits’. In the photograph above, his subject is Alfred Krupp, a German industrialist who benefited heavily from the use of Jewish slave labour during World War 2. One theme in this photograph is religion and ideals, as Krupp and Newman have ‘conflicting’ beliefs and values, which makes the photograph even more eerie and unsettling than it already appears to be. Further more, Krupp’s face could indicate that he is looking at Newman and not at the camera, as his expression is foreboding and threatening.
Newman has manipulated the composition of this photograph in order to frame Krupp in the middle with the two pillars either side of him, and symmetrical shapes in the background. Additionally, the colours in the photograph are dark and muted as a way to mirror Krupp himself, and the things that he’s done. There is natural light shown from above Krupp’s head, which creates an image of a church or cathedral, which relates back to the theme of conflicting religions and ideals. Also, Newman is looking down on Krupp from his position behind the camera, which could be interpreted to mean that he is figuratively ‘looking down’ on him, as a way to belittle and judge him for the things he did to other people of his religion during World War 2.
-Camera setting for flash lighting Tripod was used in order to keep the camera still for a high shutter speed.
-A transmitter was on the camera to set off the flashlights.
-ISO was at 100
-Exposure was done manually with a 1/125 shutter speed and the aperture was set at f/16
-Focal length was 105mm with the use of a portrait lens.
Contact Sheet
Editing
I started off by getting the oval shaped template in order to cut out my face in the images in an oval shape to be like Henry Mullins.
After that, I copied and pasted the selected oval shape on my head onto a different page on photoshop with the 4 different angles I had chosen from the photo shoot.
Finally, once all the different pictures where copied and pasted onto a different page I flattened them to make it one image and edited it with the use of levels and changing it to be black and white to make the Diamond Cameos.
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French Humanist photographer, he was born in 1908 and was considered a master of candid photography. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and saw it as capturing a decisive moment. Cartier-Bresson’s street photography shows a range of different cultures and environments, he uses his camera to catch glimpses of stranger’s lives at random moments. In 1947, following the aftermath of World War Two, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, George Rodger and David Seymour founded The Magnum Photos agency- which represents some of the world’s most renowned photographers.
Mood Board – Key Cartier-Bresson Images
Image Analysis
Henri Cartier-Bresson | Children in Seville, Spain | 1933.
This black and white candid portrait photograph was taken by Henri Cartier-Bresson at the beginning of his career as a photographer. By first looking at this image one might guess it was captured during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) due to the broken structures and rubble surrounding the children. However, this image was taken in 1933 before the war, creating a sense of foreboding as children are playing in the destruction caused by a war that hasn’t yet occurred. In addition, the image has an abstract composition as the large geometric hole in the wall acts like a frame on the photo. This connotes the idea that we are only observers looking in on a situation, ripping a hole into other people’s lives without seeing the full picture. Furthermore, the image holds a wide depth of field with the window-like hole creating a tunnel to the background of the photo. It is clear the image was taken during daytime as the natural lighting creates an overexposed skyline in the top centre, forming natural shadows. The darkest points of this image fall on the children’s clothing, faces and bodies which contrast immensely with the bright white walls on the wrecked buildings. Additionally, the harsh black shadow on the crack of the wall creates a clear focal point for the observer, persuading them to look through the void to the centre if the image. Moreover, we can see that Cartier-Bresson has used a fast shutter-speed to capture this photo as some of the children appear to be moving however, they aren’t particularly blurred.
Image Comparison
Henri Cartier-Bresson 1933
Raghubir Singh 1985
This image was taken by Raghubir Singh (1942-1999), an Indian photographer who was most known for his documentary-style images he captured of people in India. Visually, there are many key differences between Singh’s image compared to Cartier-Bresson’s. For example, Singh has captured a colour image, with the dominant colour red repeated in the subject’s clothing and surroundings, whereas Cartier-Bresson’s image is monochrome black and white. This contrast in colouration creates different atmospheres in the images. The warmer tones in Singh’s alludes to feelings of comfort and happiness, supported by the visual closeness of the people being photographed. However, the dark dreary black and white tones in Cartier-Bresson’s image creates a more sombre atmosphere and connotes ideas of sadness and regret. Additionally, Singh’s image has a rougher texture due to the scratches and marks on the surrounding walls, Cartier-Bresson has captured a less busy image with plain white walls enclosing the subjects in. This contrast in texture could symbolise the busy lives of the subjects in Singh’s image, as all of them appear to be moving quickly with purpose, however the subjects in the other image seem to just be playing. Lastly, while both images have natural lighting, it is clear Singh’s image has been taken earlier in the day to Cartier-Bresson’s as the shadows are more prominent and fall to the left of the image.
Nevertheless, there are also many similarities within these images, for example it is clear both images have been captured with a fast shutter-speed as the subjects are clearly moving yet are not blurry. Furthermore, both images have a similar composition as the abstract shape created by the hole in Cartier-Bresson’s image resembles the positions the subjects in Singh’s image are standing in. If you were to trace the cracked shape onto the second image, it would look like the people have created it with their bodies- like a dot-to-dot. In addition, there are similarities within the lines in these images, with Cartier-Bresson capturing the rigid lines of the destroyed wall and Singh capturing the jagged lines of the stairs. These irregular patterns allude to the idea that these people’s lives can take an unexpected turn due to the environments they live it. The messages portrayed in the photographs are very much alike, with both connoting the idea that we are only spectators observing someone else’s life. In my opinion, these images epitomise ‘Street Photography’ as they capture people naturally in their daily lives, letting us imagine their backstories without really seeing the full picture.
The first portrait image was taken by photography pioneer, Robert Cornelius, in 1839. The method of daguerreotype, used in the 1840’s and 1850’s, made portrait photography popular because of its relatively low cost and reduced sitting time for the subject, which lead to the rise in popularity of portrait photography. Portraiture aims to capture the personality of a person or group through creative methods such as lighting and backdrops. There is essentially four approaches in terms of portraiture, these include constructionist, environmental, candid and creative. These styles have been developed over time for different purposes, for example, technical, artistic or cultural.
Audrey Hepburn for a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” press shoot – John Kobal (1961)
Environmental Portraits
“Otis James” – Benny Migliorino (date unknown)
An environmental portrait depicts the subject in a location associated with who they are. These photos could be taken in the subjects place of work, rest or play. The subject will often engage with the camera with a neutral pose or facial expression, with the photographers aim of portraying features such as their gender, class or lifestyle.
Analysis of an environmental portrait
American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, New York City – Arnold Newman (1977)
Arnold Newman captured this environmental portrait of an American photojournalist, named Eugene Smith, in 1977. It provides the viewer with a deeper knowledge of Smith’s chaotic life, and the profession of a journalist in general.
This photograph is lit with a harsher, artificial light. This provides harsh shadows and bolder highlights. This lighting creates an extreme juxtaposition between the light and dark areas, with the lightest areas being the white sheets of paper and the darkest areas being Eugene Smith’s all-black outfit in the foreground and various black boxes in the background.
The lines in the image contrast against one another as the photo combines both curved and geometrical lines. There is no specific pattern using lines throughout the composition, however geometrical shapes such as squares and cubes are used.
There is no form of repetition used in the image as the background consists of pure chaos and pandemonium. The contrasting shapes and tones sit behind Eugene Smith, who wears an all-black outfit to provide some sort of uniformity to the image. Additionally, there is no use of echo or reflection in the image. However it can be argues that a repetition of geometric shapes can be seen in the photograph.
There is a wide depth of field in this image which provides a strong sense of depth. This allows for the viewer to focus on both the background and foreground. The wide depth means that the background can be easily seen which is essential for an environmental portrait. The strong sense of depth also allows every object in the background has a clear shape, which adds to the pandemonium of the image as a whole.
The majority of the shapes in the image are straight-edged geometric shapes. For example, there is a repeated pattern of squared shapes within the photo, these can be seen in the sheets of paper around the room and the Polaroid pictures on the back wall.
It is hard to tell the texture of the image as a multitude of surfaces are represented. For example, the soft texture of the sofa Smith is sitting on is contrasted with the sharp texture of the paper edges scattered around the room.
The constant contrast in the tones of the image create almost a stressful atmosphere to the image as the lack of uniformity from dark to light creates a disorganized look. I feel as though the image tends towards darkness as the larger shapes of the image are made of darker tones.
The monochromatic filter of the image allows for the contrasting tones to be further highlighted through shadow and light. I think this image was taken in black and white to give some form of tranquility amongst the chaos the photograph. If the image was in colour, the viewer may get distracted by too many aspects of the image and therefore lose interest.
The composition of the image is unorganized and unbalanced. There seems to be no use of technical organisation in the photograph as the various objects are randomly scattered around the room to represent the messy life of Eugene Smith. This means there is a lack of rule of thirds, which makes it difficult to understand the composition of the image.
I think the images highlighted in red are my least successful images for this photoshoot as they don’t focus on one person and are rather vague in terms of capturing identity. The last image highlighted in red also isn’t in focus, and Erwitt’s work focuses on a sharp, focused portrait or candid.
The images highlighted in green are my most successful images as they capture the identity of the person much better, as they are the main focal point for the image. I feel like these photographs also capture more interesting individuals because of their clothing or facial expression.
Photoshop Development
Original Image
Edited Image
Original Image
Edited Image
Original Image
Edited Image
To edit my images, I used a simple black and white filter and adjusted the brightness and contrast of the images. The use of the monochromatic theme makes the images more similar to the work of Elliott Erwitt, as the lack of colour is the motif of his work.
Comparison between mine and Elliott Erwitt’s work
‘Crowd at Armistice Day Parade, Pittsburgh’ – Elliot Erwitt (1950)
My Work
I feel there is both similarities and differences between my work and the work of Elliott Erwitt. In terms of differences, Erwitt’s work was produced many years ago, therefore there is a vintage feel to his work. On the other hand, my image has a clear modern look to it as it was taken in the present day, however I feel like the through editing, the use of the monochromatic filter helps to produce the illusion of the image being taken at an earlier date. Additionally, I feel like both mine and Erwitt’s work capture the theme of identity well through the clothing the people wear, as the older models both provide an older fashion
“WEST GERMANY. West Berlin.The Berlin Wall” – Henri Cartier-Bresson (1962)
Henri Cartier-Bresson was born to a wealthy textile manufacturer in France in 1908. Because of this, he was supported financially by his parents to allow him to explore his photography career. He was a humanist photographer and was considered a master of candid photography. Cartier-Bresson first started discovering his love for photography in family holidays, and received his first Leica camera in 1931. His photos were first featured in an exhibit in the Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1933. In 1952, Cartier-Bresson published his book of photographs named”Images on the sly” or “Hastily taken images”. Cartier-Bresson later retired in 1970, but continued to paint until he died in 2004.
Analysis of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work
“Madrid” – Henri Cartier-Bresson (1933)
The lighting in this image is harsh, which allows for strong shadows and highlights to be created. The seemingly natural lighting is projected from the top right corner of the image, which casts shadows infront of the children. The harsh whiteness of the wall in the background juxtaposes with the dullness of the darker features of the people in the foreground, for example the clothing and the hair.
Although there is no repetition of line within the photograph, the leading line at the bottom of the wall leads the viewers eyes from one side of the image to the other, with the focal points of the people either side of this line.
There is a repetition of shape in this photograph which can be seen in the background of the image. The repeated, shady squares on the back wall of the image juxtapose the radiant white that they sit on. The use of black and white could be interpreted as a form of repetition, with the constant contrast between light and dark.
The majority of the shapes in this image are natural and organic, especially in the foreground of the photograph, however this is contrasted with the geometric squares repeated in the background.
The wide depth of field allows for the viewer to recognize the image as a whole, with both the background and foreground visible. The background is used as an empty space in order for the audience to focus on the figures in the foreground of the image.
The overall texture of the image has a smooth appearance as there is no representation of rough surfaces or texture. However this portrait image focuses more on tone and light rather than the texture of the photograph.
There is a strong contrast in tone in this photograph due to the use of the black and white filter on the image. Because of the monochrome appearance, the lack of colour means that the viewer can focus on the juxtaposition between light and dark.
The composition is unbalanced and unorganised, as the image was taken in the spur of the moment. There is a lack of use of thirds within the image as there is multiple focal points which don’t feature in the middle third of the photograph. However the focal points of the people act almost as a border around the bottom left and right thirds of the photo.
Elliot Erwitt
“Marilyn Monroe, New York – Elliott Erwitt (1956)
Elliott Erwitt, born in 1928 as a French-born American, is an advertsing and documentary photographer known for hus work of black and white candid photos in everyday settings. In 1939, Erwitt moved from Italy where he lived with his family, to the United States where he studied photography and filmmaking at Los Angeles City College at the New School for Social Research, he then graduated in 1950. In 1951, Erwitt was drafted intot he army, where he served as a photographer’s assisstant while stationed in France and Germany. Elliott Erwitt successfully started his career when a former director of the Farm Security Administration’ photography department hired him to produce a projects for the Standard Oil Company, he then became a freelance photographer to produce work for Collier’s, Look, Life and Holiday. Elliott Erwitwas then accepted as a member of Magnum Photos since 1954.
Analysis of Elliott Erwitt’s work
“Honfluer, France” – Elliott Erwitt (1968)
The harsh lighting projects harsh shadows and highlights in this image, which can be seen around the chair in the foreground of the image, aswell as around the features of the peoples faces such as under the eyes and around the jawline of the man in the backgrgound. As the image is taken inside, it is suggested that artficial lighting has been used to capture this photograph.
There is little use of line within this photograph, although the outline of the table and chairs can be said to act as leading lines, curving towards the boy in the middle third of the image, who acts as a focal point.
There is no use of repetition or echo within this photograph, as the composition is natural and has not be seen up by the photographer.
The shapes in this photograph are all natural and organic. The artificial shapes, such as the tables and chairs, have a curved outline to them. However these shapes have no relation to each other.
There is a very narrow depth of field in this photograph, as very little of the image is in focus. The only section which is in focus is the boy in the middle third of the image, which further proves this as the focal point.
Because of the even surfaces of the chairs and tables, the photograph overall has a smooth texture to it, however there is little to no use of texture in this image as this is not the main focus of the photographer.
There is a limited range of tone within this photograph as the image displays a black and white appearance. The lightest tones in this photograph can be seen in the clothing of the people, specifically the white shirt of the boy in the foreground. This is juxtaposed with the darker tones in the image, for example the chair in the foreground and the boy’s harsh, black jumper. Overall, this image tends towards darkness.
There is no use of colour in this image, which allows the viewer to focus on the use of tone and the narrow depth of field.
The composition of this photograph is unorganised and unbalanced. The majority of Erwitt’s work is taken of unusual features and personalities of the everyday settings. As he does this in the spur of the moment, his images lack compositional uniformity in order to understand the photograph better.
Comparison between Elliott Erwitt and Henri Cartier-Bresson
Photograph by Henri Cartier-Bresson
Photograph by Elliott Erwitt
Elliott Erwitt and Henri Cartier-Bresson both share the use of monochromatic themes within their work, which allows the viewer to focus on other aspects of the image, such as tone or simply the message of the photograph. Both photographers also have a sense of almost aged photography as the use of black and white adds a vintage appearance. Both Erwitt and Cartier-Bresson take their images in the spur od the moment, which is why they are hard to understand compositionally.
On the other hand, I believe the main difference between Elliott Erwitt and Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work is the purpose of their photography. For example, Henri Cartier-Bresson acts on his humanist interest in order to take documentary-like photos, whereas Elliott Erwitt focuses more on capturing the abnormalities in everyday life.
Henry Mullins was a profile picture photographer who producing over 9,000 portrait photos of islanders in Jersey between the time of 1852 – 1873. In this time period, the population of islanders was 55,000. He had a base studio known as the Royal Saloon at 7 Royal Square in Jersey where he would photograph Jersey political elite, mercantile families, military officers and professional classes. His portraits were printed in albums using egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper. To create the head shot he desired to get he would first take a portrait photo of someones feet/knees and above. Then he would simply cut around the body to create a photo of shoulders and above. These photos were placed together (mainly in a group of four different head shots) by the same person to create a diamond cameo …….
Portrait of Philip Baudains, Writer, Advocate, Constable and Deputy of St Helier. The four headshots are called a diamond with a cameo…
Henry Mullins Album showing his arrangements of portraits presented as cartes de visite
As we can see Henry’s work is based upon upper class workers who seem to be wealthy locals from Jersey. They are photographed wearing their best uniform next to posh and expensive furniture to show off their wealthiness for their profile pictures. Here are some of my own diamond cameo’s….
My Best Portraits –
Studio Set Up –
The studio set up involved a tripod for the camera, two flash head lights to cancel out the shadow that would appear in the background as well as to capture good lighting of the face. A white infinity backdrop is hung behind the model for a blank background.
These images relate to street photography in the sense that having to take images of people without them noticing. This captures them in that exact time with no interference of them knowing that they are getting photographed. This will indicate there exact expression and mood with everything happening naturally and no staging with what the image should look like. Candid Photography seems to be the type of photography that captures the person individually rather than more than one person.
