juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is positioning two images together to show contrast or similarities. this could be done by adjusting the composition, to convey the contrasts in the picture.

To juxtapose an image means to place them next to each other. When those things are notably dissimilar, the juxtaposition highlights the differences between them and creates a sense of contrast. When we get it right, that contrast can be very powerful aesthetically, conceptually or both.

these images are similar because they are take in the same place, they re dissimilar because they weren’t taken in the same time. his shows the effect of time on out island.

history of photography – portraits

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. Frequently, portraits are commissioned for special occasions, such as weddings, school events, or commercial purposes. Portraits can serve many purposes, ranging from usage on a personal web site to display in the lobby of a business.

Portrait photography has been around since Louis Daguerre invented the daguerreotype in 1839—the same year that Robert Cornelius aimed the camera at himself and took what is widely believed to be the first self portrait photograph ever, laying the groundwork for portrait photography to emerge as its own art form.

History of Portrait Photography

Portrait photography has had a long and varied history since Louis Daguerre introduced the photographic process in 1839. In that same year, Robert Cornelius produced what’s considered the first photographic self-portrait. Photography has served many purposes, mainly to commemorate occasions and periods in history.

In 1839, Robert Cornelius, who was a pioneer of photography, was able to make the first ever portrait or photograph of a person. He did so by setting a camera in the back of his dad’s gas lamp-importing business on Chestnut Street in the centre of the city of Philadelphia.

National Selfie Day: 5 Self-Portraits That Made History | Time
The first ever self-portrait, Robert Cornelius.

Edwin H. Land

Edwin Herbert Land was an American scientist and inventor, best known as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation. He invented inexpensive filters for polarizing light, a practical system of in-camera instant photography, and the retinex theory of color vision, among other things.

On 21 February 1947, Edwin Land demonstrated his one-step instant camera and film at a meeting of the Optical Society of America. Less than two years later the Polaroid Camera Model 95 and Type 40 Land film were on sale at the Jordan Marsh department store in downtown Boston at a cost of $89.75: it weighed 4 lb.

image comparison

Here I have compared one image of Luke Fowler’s with another image of Claude Cahun, to make this process easier we discussed these images in class and which aspects of each are similar and different. I have created a table below using the information discussed and laid it out clearly and in preparation to fully compare these images.

Luke Fowler’s work (left) and Claude Cahun’s (right)
Luke Fowler
Differences
SimilaritiesClaude Cahun
Differences

juxtaposed from top to bottom
1 person
juxtaposed from side to side
portraitmonochromatic edits
2 faces
juxtaposed from top to bottomcomposed of 2 images plain background
from shoulder up
separate imagesmore light tones
landscapetells a storyvisual facial features
not centredscratchy linesside profile
different shadingface is main aspect of image
idea of freedomloss of identity

Full Image Comparison

To compare these 2 images, one composed by Luke Fowler and one by Claude Cahun I have created a this table above to better layout my first ideas, and this has helped me to build my analysis paragraph. Firstly, its important to note that the lighting of these images contrast each other, on the left the lighting is full of gradient terms and medium grey and white tones, whilst the multi exposure, Claude Cahun, piece is a massive contrast between the very light ones on her the faces and the very dark grey background, this means that these images can be linked together of juxtaposed depending on the work.

Furthermore, Fowler’s image is contains other arms of the body and in this case the mans right arm whilst Cahun’s is only composed of faces, this creates the focus just on the face and unlike in Fowler’s, the landscape doesn’t take away from the facial features. Additionally, they can be contrasted as the left is created from two images that are laid out on top of each other (with final piece being portrait) where the right is a multi exposure edit with two different landscape photos (with the final piece being landscape as well) and the fact that the final products are different orientations means this can even be compared.

These images tell two different stories, with Claude Cahun’s exploring the ides of a loss of identity and how the same person can have multiple identities and can feel as if they don’t have one personality or belonging. I can be implied that the message behind Fowler’s image is that identity is lined to this freedom, as he no longer cares about what other thinks when it comes to his identity. This idea is supported by the birds in the background as it contains the sky and birds, which represent freedom and then it links to the freedom within his identity.

Tableau photography

Tableau is used to describe a painting or photograph in which characters are arranged for picturesque or dramatic effect and appear absorbed and completely unaware of the existence of the viewer

Tableau paintings were natural and true to life, and had the effect of walling off the observer from the drama taking place, transfixing the viewer like never before.

Tableau photography captures a very similar style to what interests me in photography. I love the use of props that create a cinematic feel to the piece and are composing a movie-like set to the image. The story it holds is particularly impressive and the choice of setting, props, cast, costumes etc. Is executed all for one image which I find very impressive.

Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson is an American photographer best known for staging cinematic scenes of suburbia to dramatic effect. His surreal images are often melancholic, offering ambiguous narrative suggestions and blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality. Working with large production teams to scout and shoot his images, his photographs have become increasingly complex as if it were for a motion picture production, including its painstaking preparation of elaborate sets, lighting, and cast

He is very well known for his incredible Tableau photography which is composed with an incredible amount of thought and detail. Every prop used has a meaning to the photo to give it a very cinematic feel. Almost like a movie set.

Philip-Lorca diCorcia

Philip-Lorca diCorcia is an American photographer whose work encompasses both documentary and staged photography, lending his large-scale colour prints a narrative mixture of truth and fiction. He stated “I think it’s a sense of disappointment after realizing that most of the time they’re being lied to,” diCorcia has observed of his audience’s reaction to ambiguous nature of his photographs. He also stated “And what medium has a stronger relationship to people’s idea of the truth than one that is supposed to be an accurate representation of reality?”

 His cinematic approach echoes Gregory Crewdson’s methodology, wherein the artist prepares the shots as if they were scenes in a film, as seen in his series Hustlers. The “dramatizing elements,” as the artist calls them, are what gives his images their narrative power

This artist takes a wide amount of inspiration from Gregory Crewdson who I find to be very intriguing with his photographs portraying realistic, cinematic-like scenes. They both produce very surreal settings within the art form itself, with the unusual use of props and location.