Juxtaposition in photography is the placement of two photographs close to together to present contrast or similarities. Inspiration could be taken by the pairings of the old monochrome portraits of Henry Mullins and more recent portraits of Michelle Sank which are opposed to show the comparisons, e.g., between the classes (social & professional) in Jersey mid-19th century & early 21st century. Juxtaposition can create that interest and contrast in a photograph, it may also try to convey a message from the photographer. It could also create tension and difference.
Juxtaposing images can also be terms of shapes, colours, repetition, object vs portrait.
Contact Sheet for my headshots:
Experimentation with Photoshop:
In terms of Juxtaposition, I took inspiration from my mood board and experimented with different gels and lights in contrast and opposed the different hues in the studio against the subject being photographed.
In the photographs below, I decided to take the title “Juxtaposition” in a different approach and put two photographs in contrast to each other, as shown below. The collages of different emotions and facial reactions can represent a division between one thing and another.
In terms of photo montaging, it is the experimentation and process of making a “composite photograph” by cutting, gluing, rearranging, and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image for artistic effect.
It is how magazine editors used to design “publications” before digital design software existed. It can exposes “the component images simultaneously through superimposed negatives”. Photo montaging can give the illusion of many object in one, it can look dramatic, bold and most of all interesting to look at in depth.
It’s been a potent and/or strong means of communication within the field of visual art since at least the early 20th century, first appearing most frequently in work of “Dada artists” e.g Hannah Hoch and John Heartfield. Ever since, photomontage has remained, among artists, popular that work with ranges of styles and images that are different.
Contact Sheet for my headshots:
Experimentation with Photoshop:
In this edit I looked at the experimentation of Brno Del Zou:
Brno Del Zou is a French, photographer. In Brno’s ‘photosculptures’ series he uses the fragmentation of the body in order to better understand it.The body and the faces are revisited and the features under various angles are highlighted in order to create collages interwoven with the other features creating a distorted and unproportional effect.
Brno grew up during the 1970/80s and was influenced by the artistic culture of the time.
These distorted collages are edit in a monochrome palette probably on photoshop.The 1980s were a vital time culturally and were marked by growing global capitalism and widespread mass media. Artists growing up during this time were heavily influenced by this cultural environment.
I personally like Brno’s work as as I feel that each specific photograph expresses a new feeling or thought going through the person’s head. The fact Brno displays their work in black, white and grey undertones adds a negative and mysterious atmosphere.
If I were to recreate this I would change the sizing of the pictures to create a sharp and clean effect yet still disorganized and chaotic as it is much more difficult to observe the photograph if there is much more to explore through the layers.
Bruno Del Zou inspired editing process:
In this Photoshop edit, I decided to do a face fragment idea. Firstly, I opened the images I wanted to work with. They can be desaturated so they look at a similar tone to Brno’s edit’s but decided not to change any hue to them. I selected my background portrait image and double-clicked the layer to unlock it. I used the rectangular marquee tool to draw around different scaled features of a face, moved them around to create a distorted and layered collage using the move tool on the Photoshop toolbar, and used shortcuts such as ctrl d to fit my scale with I wanted the size to be and ctrl j to copy the layer so that I can move it later on in the edit. I took into consideration the other two photographs of the face at a different angle and copied them on the “Base Layer”. At the end of my Photoshop edit, I added a drop shadow to create additional layers and texture behind the fragments moved.
Double/Multi exposures are made by creating and layering photographs on top of each other. It can be created throughout the use of Photoshop and in the camera settings (making and experimenting with layers). The “Blending Options2 and “Opacity Control” can be used too. It can create a surreal feeling for the photographs and it two photographs collided can convey deeper “meaning or symbolism” (like a story).
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Double exposure has been used since the 1860s. In the 1860s it was a significant business boost. “they discovered how to make a portrait subject appear twice in a frame as if they had an identical twin. In each of the pictures, the individual was striking a different pose.” In order to take those now-vintage images, the photographer would snap a picture of the subject in one position. Afterwards, they’d direct themselves in a different pose. A rotating lens caps and special plates were also part of the process. The result ends up looking in a surreal approach to early photographs. The images today through the use of double exposure can be manipulated in a way to look distorted in the viewers perspective.
John Deakin (British Photographer) is known for his portraiture however Deakin has produced some fantastic images with this technique. The video below shows “explores his artistic development from the 1930s into the more recent years…
Contact Sheet for my headshots:
Photographer Andrés Gallardo Albajar takes “double, long and triple exposure photographs in few different locations”. Many artists and photographers use double and long exposure photography to “convey emotional insight, show a progression of movement or relate a change in time”.
For Andres, he does not document he editing’s and experimentation with the use of double exposure and the backstory for how he got the results he got. I think it explains for itself and that Andres did not find it quite difficult to come up with the result as the description is very limited.
This technique appears when there is a high contrast that can utilize a low-key lighting setup to achieve contrast between a subject and a dark background.
The lighting adds depth and impact, there is an atmosphere created between the contrast of the shadows and highlights. “Dark colours add richness and drama to a scene.”
It’s “employed” visually to represent light and shadow as they define three-dimensional objects.
Butterfly lighting is when the lighting creates an even amount of light across the face. It’s a great lighting pattern when photographing a subject with strong cheekbones.
The key light is placed above the subject and points down at them. This creates a dramatic shadow under the nose and chin that appears to look like a butterfly but this can also appear as quite soft and as a flattering effect on the subject’s face. Whereas in Loop lighting: If the shadow from the nose doesn’t extend into the shadows, it is loop lighting (and if the shadow of the nose is directly below the nose, it is called butterfly lighting).
The technique is achieved by placing a light source at a 45-degree angle to the subject, above the eye level. This creates dark shadows and dimensions to the subject’s facial structures.
A butterfly lighting effect refers to the setup not the quality of the light. It can be soft or hard light depending on the effect you want.
Setting up the butterfly technique:
Setting up the loop lighting technique:
Once the key light is set up then you can experiment to fill the shadows. You can use a reflector to bounce the light back up and make the shadow softer under the chin & the one from under the nose.
Split Lighting is when the light in the setup “illuminates the subject perpendicular to the model”. The set-up lights up only half of the face presented while keeping the other hidden and “shadowed”. Therefore, it can split the lighting on the subject’s face. This technique creates a sharp yet subtle/moody contrast that can make the image look more dramatic, assertive, and intimidating. It can emphasize power, glamour, and drama in a photograph. At its most basic level, it’s constructed with a single light source placed 90 degrees from the subject and a bit higher than eye level.
It is one of the oldest portrait lighting techniques. The technique relates to the 17th Century painter & his technique of adding light to the side of the face in his paintings.
It is considered a dramatic lighting effect with half the face in shadow and the other half-it .
Photographers use Rembrandt lighting as it creates images to look dramatic and moody yet natural with the featuring dark and/or background behind the subject, putting the subject front and centre. It “predominately characterized” by a lit-up triangle underneath the subject’s eye on the less illuminated area of the face (fill side).
Studio Lighting is when a photographer uses artificial lighting source to either add to the light that’s already there or completely light their photograph. It allows you to experiment, modify and manipulate the light in interesting ways and in a variety of situations for example the variety of the situation could be whether the photography or videography is a from a thriller movie where the light source may be form one direct aspect/direction or a general model to photographer photoshoot where the lighting with not be blinding and appear in a general broad direction in contrast.
Studio lights should be placed at a 45 degree angle from the subject.
The idea for the photoshoot was to take inspired photographs of a subject in their natural environment and/or a place of work they are associated with. Places I looked at for possible locations were general high streets shops, markets, and a less packed place, the beach. Other places could include e.g. butchery, hospitals, governmental areas, banks, etc. Lightning that will be needed with generally need to be daylight as most of the photographs have direct light coming through in the place of work and lightening on the ceiling of the environment.
In terms of what the subject in the environmental portrait would wear would be whatever the place of work wardrobe would dress. I look at differentiation for example one individual would wear all black with a name tag whereas another could wear a pale-like apron with a white chef hat.
The inspiration behind myself taking a photoshoot on environmental portraits is looking at other artists and photographers taking similar themed ideologies such as Arnold Newman, Jimmy Nelson (portraiture of tribal & indigenous people), and Paul Strand.
For the shoot, I want to try and capture people feeling happy and positive in their place of environment/work. I feel like it’ll give the photographs a positive perspective and outcome therefore I believe it’s important to think about this idea of the theme of moods.
The environment added to the narrative of the subjects by presenting what type of atmosphere they spend their time in and how they live daily life. The portrait is of people, strangers, family and friends. I believe that photographing strangers can be even more beautiful and interesting to add as there is this element of discomfort and life to bear finding out about one life and how they spend the majority of their life in a certain place important to them and how they progress.
Above I have displayed the rest of my contact sheet of my own response to environmental portraiture. I believe the photoshoots overall went well, my response to taking photographs of individuals in their area/environment turned out well and I believe that my photographs present it well as there are some individuals having tools and the wardrobe of a worker in that particular work field e.g. cleaner, cheese maker, cashier etc.
I have edited some of my best photography photos out of the contact sheet and they are displayed below.
Presented below are edited photographs without image diagnosis:
Arnold Newman was an American photographer widely known for his “environmental portraiture”. Arnold’s journey began his photography career in 1938 “working at chain portrait studios in Philadelphia, Baltimore and West Palm Beach” (https://arnoldnewman.com/biography.html). Afterwards he immediately “began working in abstract and documentary photography on his own”. With his way of environmental portraiture later on, he placed his sitter representatives of their professions. In his photographic work, he was partially influenced by Flemish Painters. He had mentioned as well that the work of the Cubists, including Picasso had influenced the way that he structured a photograph. Newman was known to use a range of lighting techniques to create “the desired mood” and atmosphere in his portraiture. Arnold’s skills played a part in his use of natural light as well as studio lighting setups. They helped him balance between “the subject and their environment”. In his photographic work, he used a 35mm SLR camera where “additional freedom” was an advantage.
What sparked my interest was when I saw that Arnold was not only a photographer but an author as well, publishing many books throughout the decades. His work has been recognised and profiled in international and domestic magazines. He grabbed the attention of well-known commercial & advertising clients such as Ford, Canon, Eastman Kodak and Polaroid etc.
Emotional Aspect-
Intimidated
A quite a dark atmosphere/ same as the subject
Quite firm and threatening
Alarming and questionable
Feeling uneasy
Visual Aspect-
Can see a late 50 middle-aged/60-year-old white male at the bottom centre of the photograph with his hands locked together in a fist resting underneath his chin.
The middle-aged man may be working in an abandoned and dark factory, maybe a railway/train production factory centre/ place of work.
Technical Aspect-
The lighting may be centred specifically so that the eyelids and central facial features are darkened making the subject of the photograph look a bit sinister and uncomfortable to look at as he is looking directly at the audience therefore making us want to look away.
Conceptual Aspect-
The concept of the photo portrait is that Arnold takes a photograph of a convicted Nazi criminal, who supplied the German government with materials (being a personal supplier). At first, he refused but “eventually, decided to take the assignment as a form of personal revenge” (Newman being a Jewish Photographer) https://aboutphotography.blog/blog/story-of-alfred-krupps-portrait-by-arnold-newman
Contextual Aspect-
“The Jewish American photographer saw the convicted (and later pardoned) war criminal as the devil and wanted to put a knife in his back.”
Arnold “did the iconographic image of Marilyn Monroe, which is a signed photo (used for the Louisiana MoMA poster, signed, too), while the images of Carl Sandburg and Marilyn Monroe are vintage prints”. These photographs were made for an exhibition created by Peri Alcaide. Peri was very active in the film industry from the 1950s. She was a member of the Screen Actors Guild and worked to raise awareness of art and photographic memorabilia from Hollywood. In the late 1960s/ early 1970s, she created the exhibition of Marilyn Monroe.
The photograph of the two, taken in Carl’s home in Flat Rock North Carolina, presents Marylin Monroe having her head tilted to the lift and sitting on a couch, she faces Carl (famed novelist and poet). It is where Marylin gathered “information for a magazine article she was writing about the poet “. Looking from an emotional perspective at the photograph the chemistry between the two recognised individuals can be presented clearly as they both share an intimate glance. Arnold Newman shows the contrast between Marylin’s famous sultry and glamorous public persona and Carl’s more serious and intellectual image and how that is softened and differentiated in the photograph. Newman creates that emotional response by putting two individuals with different outlooks and backgrounds into one showing vulnerability and presenting both individuals underneath one theme, being on the same level (can be status-wise).
Looking for a visual perspective, I can see two recognisable people looking directly at each other with a clear glass (potentially a martini) in both their hands. It is hard to consider what lighting is reflected onto both of the subjects but the light features of the individuals are highlighted lightly potentially showing the natural light peeking through. The textures of the photograph are clear to understand and look at, it’s quite soft.
Carl is wearing a fur coat, presenting the difference in textures of clothing to Marylin, where she is clothed in a smooth fabric status higher/ above than Carl potentially presenting her popularity level at the time when the photograph was taken. The type of backdrop that I can see somewhat resembles a living room, a place of comfort as the two subjects appear to be sitting in the centre of the photograph with paintings presented on the walls and a teapot behind on a table.
The technical aspect of the photograph was that the focus was on both subjects as they are the centre and focus of attention for the viewer. If you were to take the rule of thirds into perspective, the viewer can recognise that the photographer intentionally placed the subject in the middle and centre column.
In the photograph, taken in 1956, Pablo Picasso is captured through the lens, he is seated on a chair in a large room filled with both finished and unfinished artworks. Picasso is dressed in casual attire (he appears to have wearing his house slippers). Arnold Newman catches him in his “natural environment”. The photograph is looked back on as a memorable image that has become ” an iconic representation of his artwork and his legacy”.
Looking at the photograph from an emotional perspective, the photograph makes me feel a bit intimidated and interested as the subject in the centre seems to be dominating as they are seated in a somewhat relaxed and focused position. The photographer created this emotional response to show how much control and status the subject has over the room and everything in it. The fact that the paintings, whether finished or not, are behind him presents the clear division and backstory of the subject himself, his skills and character can be translated onto his work therefore it is presented in opposition to the subject in the centre.
Looking at the photograph from a visual perspective, I can see the photograph in a black-and-white colour scheme. I can see an individual with arms crossed and hunched over a bit forward not looking directly but looking to the left on the photograph, this can mean the viewer feels more calm and less intimidated to look at the subject as they aren’t making eye-to-eye contact.
Looking at the photograph from a technical perspective, I can see the photograph has natural light appearing from the right of the photograph. Half of the face of Picasso is covered from the shadows, contrasting the features on his face.
