Richard Avedon had a very distinct style of portrait photography that primarily focuses on upper body shots from either the waist up or chest up. His models would always be interesting people he found on the street. He would set up a portable studio consisting of a plain background. He used a large format camera that would capture incredible detail of his models as well as having up to two assistants that would use reflectors and light dampeners to create the perfect lighting on his models faces.

Image Analysis

This image from Richard Avedon has a plane background which was common is Avedon’s images as it ensures the viewers focus is on the model. The photo would have been taken in black and white due to the camera technology available at the time. The photographer took this image outside on an overcast day which is when he would go out onto the streets with a portable studio and ask people he saw if he could take pictures. He ran into Madelyn Monroe on the streets of New York when she was on a break from a movie she was acting in. There is a high contrast between the model’s skin and clothing as well her the background. The image was taken at eye level which gives the model accurate proportions when the photo was produced.