DEADPAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Deadpan photography is considered a photo devoid of emotion. Forms of deadpan photography include passport photos – the subjects stand or sit, usually making eye contact with the camera. Rules of passport photography include no smiling, no hats, and a white background.
THOMAS RUFF
Thomas Ruff is a contemporary German photographer and prominent member of the Düsseldorf School. His work incorporates deadpan photography, both portraits and still life. Thomas Ruff got into capturing portrait photos in 1981. He mastered the required photography technique between 1981 and 1985. Along with portrait photography, Ruff was into large format printing, producing images in large seven feet (2,1 meter) by five feet (1,5 meter). This combination helped to introduce a unique feel to the pictures.
By 1987, Thomas Ruff was well settled as a portrait photographer and in high demand. This tempted him to try other photography styles and come up with innovative photos. To do that, Thomas Ruff experimented with composite faces in 1992, assisted by Minolta Montage Unit. Then Thomas Ruff started working on 8×10 colour portraits. He took these photos against coloured backdrops. Along with that, he went ahead to capture night images and buildings as well.
I used photos from our headshots photoshoot to create a grid of deadpan photos using the passport layout inspired by Thomas Ruff’s work. I made sure all the photos included a clear background and eye contact.