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. A portrait photograph may be artistic or clinical. Portrait photography is one of the most popular genres of photography, with good reason. Good portrait photographers are able to capture the personality and emotion of people around them.
Contemporary portrait photography focuses on modern values from today’s world and how they are referenced or challenged in a photo and the message or emotions that reflects. They can either reinforce or challenge modern ideas and feelings by portraying different emotions.
Examples of Contemporary portraiture
Fernando Rodriguez
These images were produced by Fernando Rodriguez a Santiago based photojournalist and fine art photographer.
Street photography, a genre of photography that is taken of everyday life in a public place. The more busy the public setting is enables the photographer to take candid pictures of strangers, often without them knowing which is a positive as street photography is not often posed, its whats happening in the moment. Street Photography is not often photos down the streets of towns and cities, its a photographer walking around and encountering random incidents within public places. This style is capturing a person or a group of people in their own thoughts, their own actions, their own day to day life. As the years go on , street photography has developed, but here are some examples of some modern and old street photography…
Mood Board –
Modern and Old Street Photographers …
These images above are a range of scenes that can be found in day to day life. Weather it be someone on their way home on a bus, or a fallen drunken guy, they’re all no staged, live moments captured in a photograph. We can make out the type of incident that is happening by simply the facial expressions by the innocent people and their body language. For example , the top right image has a woman resting her head on her hand with wide open eyes . This indicates that she is tired and the fact that she is sitting down what it seems like a bus, makes out that she might be on her way home from a long day of work. This example is a clear indication that this is one way to capture a live moment in the day (street photography).
Street Photography does not have to be capturing a portrait of just one face , the cities we live in are filled with thousands/millions of people . This is an advantage to photograph what goes on in E.G rush hour, lunch times, quiet nights, Friday and Saturday night clubs etc…
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.
He enjoyed street photography and viewed photography as capturing a “decisive moment”
Analysing one of his images-
Seville, Spain 1933
Technical- It looks like this photo is taken in natural lighting as there would be no way of getting artificial lighting in at this scene. There’s a lot of contrast between the white and black sections of the photograph especially seen when there are 3 young boys wearing black suits and the rest are in normal white clothing. There’s no colour which creates quite a cold tone and the photo is taken from further away making the whole background visible. Its a sharp and focused photo which was most likely taken on a high shutter speed as it’s not blurry.
Visual – The photo is in black and white with many different tones of light and dark. There’s an oval like shape of the walls which creates a suttle frame for the photo and gives me the illusion of looking through into a different world. The boys standing on the edges makes it easier to look into the photograph.
Contextual- This photo was taken in 1933. This photograph has sometimes been misinterpreted as a document of the Spanish Civil War, but it was made three years before that war began.
Conceptual– Knowing that was this photo was taken 3 years before the Spanish Civil War makes the viewer think about what might have happened to all the young boys during the war- did some of them fight and be soldiers or did some not make it?
Henri Cartier- Bresson was one of the co-founders of Magnum photo agency in 1947. He was the first foreign professional photographer to be allowed into the USSR since the death of Stalin in 1953.
Comparing to Dougie Wallace-
Dougie walks around the British streets and photographs random individuals that he thinks stand out or have interesting characteristics. Once he spots the person he wants to photograph he simply gets up really close to the them and quicky takes a photo with the flash on. He uses the flash because it creates the idea of a busy atmosphere and anxiety as large cities tend to be packed with different individuals and are always very busy.
Differences- Dougie uses flash when he takes his photos whereas Henri doesnt. Dougies work is in colour and there’s more going/ movement in his photos compared to Henris photography which is all in black and white and has a powerful meaning behind each photo. Dougies work makes you think that you’re there in the city as the photos are so close to the different individuals , however Henri’s photographs his work from a lot further away and tries to capture the background as well as the people.
Similarities- Both Dougie and Henri focus on street photography and try to capture how different people live or lived. There’s not many similarities between the two because they have both very different styles of capturing various moments in the streets.
I think that both of Dougie and Henri have completely different intentions when trying to capture street photography. Dougies photos are very vivid with colour and the atmosphere of the photo is chaotic whereas Henri’s photos are dull and black and white which creates a sad atmosphere and as if there’s a meaning or story to tell behind each photo.
Environmental Portraits is a form of portraiture where the typical working environment of the subject is showcased.
Anthony Kurtz
Kremer Johnson
Dennis Walsh
Brian Megens
Environmental Portraiture Mood Board
Kremer Johnson
Kremer Johnson Pieces Kremer Johnson
The above three quarter length, head-on image taken by Kremer Johnson is a perfect example of an environmental portrait.
It is a good example because the image is of a man engaging with the camera wearing his wetsuit and fishing accessories while holding a spearfishing gun and sporting wet hair. This indefinitely shows us that fishing is his passion/job.
The image also has the ocean as the backdrop of the ocean which concludes the overall scene and setting of the environmental portrait.
The image is lit using natural light with aid from a more fluorescent light which fills in the right side of of the subjects face and creates a shadow which intensifies his features and helps drive the idea of a well weathered fisherman in the portrait. Kremer uses a smaller aperture to create a large depth of field by isolating the subject from the background and creating a bokeh effect. There is also use of a warmer white balance to accentuate the theme of pride.
Kremer has created texture by using a high resolution camera and lense combined with the lighting. The texture is constructed around the contrast of the smooth neoprene chest plate with water cascading down it and the fishermans rough hands and facial features and metallic gadgets which tells the story concealed in the portrait.
PhotoShoot Plan
Who – Surfer
When – Later in the afternoon so natural light is not too harsh
Where – By the ocean
What – Subject holding surfboard in a wetsuit.
Why – This portrays her passion/hobby clearly in the portrait.
How – Use a warm white balance and a combination of natural and manmade light.
Contact Sheets
Final Images
I chose to use a low saturation and a high contrast to give my image more tonal depth and clarity. This helps outline the subject and make her the focal point of the portrait.
I used a combination of natural and fluorescent for the first few images the sun was hitting my subject from the side on creating an outline on one side whilst casting shadows on the other side to emphasize her facial details. for the last two images I wanted to light my subject head on so I use a one point lighting system and it worked well with the background.
I used a lower ISO to slightly udder-expose the images to relay a gloomier mood to emphasize the winter environment. This also gives us more context into the life of the subject relaying by informing that she is a more passionate surfer as she endures colder weather.
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.
Mood Board
Henri Cartier-Bresson Photography
Image Analysis
Technical: In this image it is clear the the lighting used for this picture was used with nature lighting and the picture is in black and white due to the times he was in with taking the picture. As for the aperarture he probably had the camera set at f11 because the picture is clearly focused on all the people in the image however their is a slight blur to the buildings in the background. For the shutter speed it was set to be quick as the picture is very sharp not having any one in the image appearing to be smudged or blurred in their movements. Finally, for the ISO it was set at a low sensitivity most likely at a 50-100 as the image is focused on just the people in the image not showing any dust particles or anything else in the place in which he took the picture in
Visual: The colour of the photo is in black and white once again due to the eras in which he took the picture in, on top of that the tone appears to be fairly bright as the picture is clear in what you can see. Moreover, their is somewhat of a contrast in this image from black and white, with the buildings in the background and you can tell the image is cropped in order to have a focal point on the people who appear to be protesting.
Contextual/ Conceptual: The image shows that the people In the image appear to be protesting for a matter of an event that is happening in their country to do with the government which is a great picture that Cartier-Bresson captured and he could show the world that even in countries that are corrupt or even in poverty still fight for their rights.
Magnum Photo Agency
In 1947 Cartier-Bresson founded Magnum Photos which was a co-operative photography agency that was accompanied by other photographers such as David Chim’ Seymour, Robert Capa and George Rodger. Cartier and his fellow photographers had a realisation that photography was incredibly powerful in the use of it being a communication tool, and their agency placed them at a vanguard industry. Cartier’s objective was to cover India and China however, he ended up travelling widely for the next twenty years making assignment’s in the USA, Italy, France, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Pakistan and Indonesia making him become one of the world’s most sought after photojournalists.
One of his personal favourite trips was being able to go to Moscow as he was the first foreign professional photographer to be allowed in the USSR since the death of Stalin in 1953. With help from the locals Cartier Bresson was set about photographing daily lifestyle in his usual style of photography however, there was restriction from him taking pictures of military building’s, bridges and other “sensitive” subjects. This trip that he took aboard created an amazing series of photographs that were published in Life Magazine in 1955. His pictures where mostly taken a across her Western World which most people had little idea about what it was like living daily lives in places like the USSR.
Aside from his influential book the Decisive Moment, Cartier Bresson published over thirty further publications, with the last one being Landscape Townscape, published in 2001. He retired from his professional photography career in 1968 wanting to live out the rest of. His life with his wife, later one dying in his own home in Provence on 3 August 2004.
Comparison
Henri Cartier-Bresson
William Klein
These two pictures have comparisons from Henri and William. This is shown with the two images being in black and white having the contrast from the black and white making different figure stand out in the images also, in the images being in black and white you know that both photographers where taking pictures in similar eras. Moreover, in both images their is a focus point on it being the people in the images which leads to the effect of certain images becoming blurred like the gun in the boys hand and some of the flags that are moving in the images. Another comparison is that you can see the images have been cropped down to make the images neater. The final comparison in the images is how both images seem to have angered people in them giving the pictures a background on what they are about, like in William Kleins image, it goes to show how their was gang violence on the streets, whereas with Henri’s, you can see it is some kind of protest that has caused to anger the citizens from inequality.
It is when you take a portrait photo of some one without them knowing to get a more realistic and a not staged image.
This is an image I took as the subject isn’t engaging with the camera, and also isn’t setup or staged in any way.
What is street photography?
It captures unmediated chance encounters and random incidents that happen in day to day life. It is also called candid photography.
Examples of street photography
(First photo was taken by Teeman Jarvinen), (second photo was taken by Keenan Hastings), (Third photo was taken by Mats Alfredsson), (Fourth photo was taken by Martin U Waltz), (Fifth photo was taken by Dave Bottoms), (Sixth photo was taken by Marcin Baran), (Seventh photo was taken by @francesco_portelli)
Some other great examples : http://neocha.com/magazine/asia-by-night/
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered a master of street photography. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as capturing a decisive moment.
Famous Images
He was alive during August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004, which is why his work is all in black and white.
My Favoutite Henri Cartier Image
I like this image because he has used the railings to create leading lines, which draws the viewers eye instantly to the subject. The rule of thirds is applied in this image, the subject on the bike sits in the top left of the image.
The black and white effect creates a drama in the image, the emptiness makes the image stronger as it singles out the subject
Henri Cartier-BressonX Magnum
In 1947, following the aftermath of the Second World War, four pioneering photographers founded a now legendary alliance. The Magnum Photos agency.
Cartier-Bresson helped deliver the highest quality photographic content and has extensive experience in creating significant visual records, which became note-worthy editorial, books, events, exhibitions, and digital campaigns.
Compare And Contrast
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Teemu Jarvinen
The image by Bresson was taken in black and white and has a high contrast, to make it have more definition. Jarvinen’s image is taken in Tokyo, where they have lots of neon and vibrant lights, that illuminate the subject. The lights have a soft infused glow to them, with gives the image a more positive aspect to it.
Both photographers uses reflections in the image. Bresson reflects the subject through a puddle in the horizontal axis, where as Jarvinen reflects the light on the right side of the image to create a blur effect through a window. This effect adds more detail to the image without over crowding it, and making it busy.
My Street Photography Pictures
I took all these images on the same day except for the postman one. It was cloudy so I went for more dramatic shots, so that I could edit them with a more moody style.
My Final Images
To edit them I increased the contrast and saturation to make them pop out more.
For the images that have a more of a rainy day atmosphere I decreased the saturation and individually masked over bright and colourful objects and toned the colours down, so that they blended with the image, for example the blue car in the background of the lady crossing the road, and the bright yellow cove sign in the image where the man is sitting down on the bench.
The image of the postman in the rain I edited a few more rain lines and used a motion blur, so that it would seem as if there were falling. I also increased the definition and made the colours more dark to give it the rainy day atmosphere.
The photo that’s includes bokeh isn’t edited that much all I did was boost the saturation and used an “s” curve to manipulate the contrast. The create the bokeh effect I positioned my camera close to some lights to shoot through them, then focused on the subject, so that the lights would become out of focus.
For the image where there are two people on a bike all increased the saturation, darken the background and brightened the subject, then finally added vignette.
My Best Images
I choose these 2 images as my final images as I thought they both were my strongest images that fitted into the candid photography niche. They both captured people acting natural, in an unstated environment.
The image on the left as strong detail and definition, which makes the image more dramatic, that combined with the rain, the deep reds and glowing shop windows creates a great image. the building is straight with the horizon, and there is a slope which the postman is pushing his cart up, this image show the struggle of every day life.
The image on right, the bright orange jacket contrast the entire background, the vignette helps lead you eye the to bike as well. I shot this with a focal length of f.5.4 so the people in the background are blurred.
The Definition of Contemporary Portrait photography is ‘A type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses.’
This environmental portrait was taken in 1963 by Arnold Newman, creating a menacing feel due to the low lighting and specific shadows around the mans face. The man is Alfried Krupp, a Nazi war criminal who owned many factories, mass producing dangerous arms, vehicles and other weapons. He is also known to have heavily profited from the racist slave labor imposed by the Nazis. The images intimidating atmosphere comes mostly from the dark shadows surrounding Krupp’s eyes, created by butterfly lighting, giving him a sinister appearance. His eyes are also the focal point of the image. The dark, more negative essence is further emphasized around Krupp as the background is obviously much brighter. The background is a post war view of one of Krupp’s factories. Newman uses all sorts of techniques to give the image this unnerving feel. Firstly he deliberately positions his camera so Krupp is central in the image, ignoring the rule of thirds. This, combined with the depth shown going into the background gives Krupp a sense of undeserved power.
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.
Mind Map of Ideas
Plan
My mum does a lot of art and up-cycling and is currently fixing and painting a set of chairs. I plan to take photos of her painting as well as portraits of her in front of projects shes completed to create the effect of an environmental portrait.
I narrowed down the photos by getting rid of the ones where she wasn’t looking at the camera as I felt that they weren’t actually portraits.
Final selection
Conclusion
In conclusion, I feel like the photos fit the subject matter of environmental portraits well as my model uses the kitchen as a workspace for her projects and is surrounded by some of her work. Anyone who saw this photo could easily gain a rough idea of what she does by just glancing at the portraits as the use of overalls and props like the paintbrush and paint on the face directly connote art .
