Tag Archives: portraiture

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Diamond Cameos

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Henry Mullins

“Edward Joseph Bellew, 2nd Baron Bellew” – Henry Mullins (circa 1862)

Henry Mullins moved from London to Jersey in 1848. He set up his studio knows as the “Royal Saloon” at 7 Royal Square, where he worked in partnership with Mr Millward for a year. He then worked alone in the same studio for another 26 years. He would take multiple portraits of high class people such as police officers and the Royal Militia, and narrow his portraits down into a set of 4 images cut into oval shapes, and placed into a diamond formation.

Analysis of Diamond Cameo images

Headshot of Philip Baudins – Henry Mullins (circa 1850)

Henry Mullins uses 2-point-lighting in his portrait photographs to gently illuminate the face. The soft lighting subtly highlights the high points of the face without creating harsh shadows. However, some of Henry Mullins photographs can be seen as over-exposed as not a lot of detail of the face is captured, and the photos tend towards lightness although the clothing creates a strong contrast between light and dark.

He instructs the model to turn themselves at different angles in order to capture multiple perspectives of the face. Mullins uses a white background so that nothing is distracted from the face. He would usually take photographs of the models entire body and cut down the selection of images to create headshots

Once Henry Mullins takes the images, he cuts them down into a card which was commonly traded amongst both friends and visitors around the island.

Photoshoot Plan

Diamond Cameos inspired photoshoot

For this photoshoot, I used two-point lighting with soft box lighting to gently alluminate the face without creating harsh shadows. I took photos of the face at different angles and used a tripod in order to keep the camera still and prevent the photos from blurring.

Photoshop Development

Original Image
Original Image
Original Image
Edited Image
Edited Images

To edit these images into the diamond cameo style similar to the technique used by Henry Mullins, I used the elliptical marquee tool and cut oval shapes over the face of the model. I then copied and pasted these onto a new page on Photoshop and arranged them into a diamond configuration. For one of my diamond cameos, I used the monochrome filter to achieve the same effect that Mullins does in his images, however I tried a more vintage look on my second diamond portrait to give it a more modern look without discarding the aged appearance of the photographs.

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Portrait and environmental Photography study

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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.

Independent, Task

Street Photography Photoshoot inspired by Elliott Erwitt

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Photoshoot plan

Street Photography/Candid inspired photoshoot

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

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environmental portraits

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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 as a genre of photography. By photographing a person in their natural surroundings, it is thought that you will be able to better illuminate their character, and therefore portray the essence of their personality, rather than merely a likeness of their physical features. It is also thought that by photographing a person in their natural surroundings, the subject will be more at ease, and so be more conducive to expressing themselves, as opposed to in a studio, which can be a rather intimidating and artificial experience.

  • Unknown
  • Daniel Korzeniewski
  • Anders Erriksson

ACTION PLAN

WHO – I will be photographing people in their working environment.

WHAT – I will be taking photographs of the subject’s natural working environment including any tools / equipment that they are using.

WHERE – I will be taking my photographs at my place of work, at the Central Market, the Fish Market, and florists.

WHEN – I will be taking photographs over the next few days whenever I have the opportunity to go to the different locations or whenever is the most convenient for the people I will be photographing.

WHY – I will be taking these photographs in order to showcase different lifestyles and areas of work.

MIND-MAP

MY RESPONSE

My thought process behind this particular shoot was that I wanted the subject to be the main focus of the photograph, so I used a plain white background in order to keep the viewer’s attention on the subject. I used fairly natural lighting because I wanted the images to appear light and soft, as opposed to the harsh and dark effect I would’ve gotten if I had used artificial lighting. I placed the subject in the centre of the photograph, again to keep them as the main focus. I experimented with different angles to give each image a unique look and feel, and to avoid capturing the same image over and over again.

As I used different angles, I also managed to change the amount of free space in the photograph which was not used up by the subject. I tried leaving more room above them, below them and to either side of them in order to make each image look different. Additionally, I explored different depth of fields by using a varying range of angles. Again, I did this in order to make each photograph appear different and individual.

Independent, Reading, Task

Portrait / Environmental PORTRAITURE

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What Is Portraiture?

Portrait photography draws attention to the subject. This is normally achieved through some combination of a shallow depth of field, composition, color, and lighting. It is aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people.

Mood Board

These are photos are inspirational, and I plan to take some of my own in a similar style.

Images from Google “famous/iconic portrait photography”

Complementary Photography

Complementary photography is marked by the current time period, and reflects our values and, challenges at that point in time.

Environmental Photography

Environmental photography is when you take a photo of someone working in there environment, wearing there uniform, to create a more informative and dramatic photo.

Images from Google “environmental portrait photography”

Steve McCurry

He is an American portraiture photographer, he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He made many trips to India and Pakistan, he was also smuggled into Afghanistan. He  is best known for his evocative colour photographs that document both human struggles and joy. Having travelled the globe for over thirty years, McCurry has photographed warzones, burning oil fields, refugee camps, ship breaking yards and monsoons all over the world.

All images were taken by McCurry and published on https://www.stevemccurry.com/

Photo Shoot Plan

I plan to go into town and ask people that are working if i can take photos of them working naturally or stage a quick photo shot with them.

I plan to ask post men, bakers, shop assistants, fishmongers, and anyone else working in there environment.

I can take photos of them from the other side of the counter, which means the products they’re selling will be on display. Which helps the viewer understand their work environment.

My Photos

My Favourite Image

I like this because it shows the fishmonger in front of his filleted fish. The colours are vivid and they pop out as the rest of the image has a cold atmosphere as there are mostly cooling blue colours. The subject is centered, which sets the image up nicely. The whole image is in focus as it hows the work environment off. To take this photo I had to ask if it was ok to photograph them, I had to take it quick so it wasn’t to staged, although there is eye contact with the camera.

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Street photography introduction

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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.

Independent, Task

Portraiture Introduction

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Portrait photography captures a person or group of people- it demonstrates their personalities by using different poses, background environments and lighting. Photographers take different approaches when photographing people for portraits, the four main types are environmental, constructionist, candid, and creative. It is important, when taking portrait images, that the subject and photographer are both aware of the type of atmosphere and personality they wish to portray in every photo.

Mood Board – Iconic Portraits

  • Steve McCurry
  • Arthur Sasse
  • Joel Santos
  • Zoltan Huszti
  • Philippe Halsman
  • Steve McCurry
  • David Lazar
  • Eric Lafforgue
  • Lee Jeffries

Contemporary Portrait Photography

Contemporary Portrait Photography is highly focused on the values of the modern world, however it does not have to ignore a prior historical context. Contemporary portraits can either reinforce or challenge modern ideas and feelings by portraying different emotions.

Fernando Rodriguez

Fernando Rodriguez | 2017

An example of Contemporary Portrait Photography is this series of images by Fernando Rodriguez. Fernando Rodriguez is a Mexico City based photographer, who was inspired by Frida Kahlo’s iconic self portraits. Rodriguez has reimagined Frida’s recognisable portraits into contemporary pop-art style images. These images combine historic traditional hairstyles with vibrant futuristic outfits, bringing together moments of the past and present in a highly stylistic manner.

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portrait introduction

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  • Rehahn
  • Manny Librodo
  • Lisa Kristine
  • Lee Jeffries
  • Steve McCurry

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.