Studio Portraiture- JUST TEXT

Portraiture



Ideas:

  • Full frame of body, clothed then unclothed.
  • Full frame of face. e.g. passport photo/ Mugshot
  • Contrast in age, gender
  • Tattooed/ Plain skin
  • Difference in distance. e.g. old portraiture was shot from a distance. Modern, is close up and sometimes intimidating.

My Final Idea/ Concept

Portraiture can encompass many styles, for example the classic artist Rembrandt and his textured self- portraits, to modern day photography portraits such as Emma Crichley, who has a particular style of photographing her subjects underwater. This inspired me to experiment with a variety of styles from the, classic, and modern.

When looking at such people as Julia Margaret Cameron, I found she guided me to draw my attention to the distance's my subjects should be at. Julia Margaret Cameron, has her subjects full in the frame, she creates a connection, with an immediacy and intimacy. With this in mind I think with my project, I'm going to concentrate on the body as a whole. Showing the subject fully dressed, and in full view, and then a contrasting shot of them partly dressed. I want to have two subjects, Male and Female, and their bodies to contrast one another. For example, I want the male subject to be covered in tattoos, and the female pure, so to speak. This contrast in body type, I want to have the effect of unraveling the body and the beauty of all bodies, as different as they come.

I also think I will experiment with full fame shots of their faces. I find this helps the viewer and, me the photographer to connect with the sitter and take in their personalities.

When taking the images Im going to use a medium formant camera. I might use a ring flash so you get the beautiful effect in the subjects eyes, just to draw you in that bit closer. And experiment with Low Key lighting and Tungsten Lighting. The reason being is that, in Yosuf Karshs work, he uses Tungsten Lighting and the effect is brilliant, you are able to see the subject submerged into darkness but still get the quality of their clothing. I think this will work with my concept well.

In the brief we are meant to experiment with colour and black and white. Im going to experiment with both, but have every shot the same in colour to the shots in black and white.



Portraiture Paintings

I find that portraiture is the art that immortalises and remembers a person at their most manifest moment, and relates their story to the world.Through the History of Portraiture, we have seen humans portrayed as divine beings and historical personages, a part of nature and conquerors of nature, passionate individuals and part of a mass consciousness, subjects of experimentation and icons of self.

Artists
  • Albrecht Durer
  • Marcus Gheeraerts The younger c1592
  • Van Gogh
  • Julia Margaret Cameron
  • Paul Gaugin
  • Gustave Klimt
  • Andre- Adolphe- Eugene Disderi
  • Lucian Freud
  • Nicholas Hilliard c1599

Albrecht Durer

Firstly, Albrecht Durer, is one of the greatest German artist of the Renaissance era. He made a huge impact on all artists with his use of tempera, oil glazes and most importantly his self portraits.

It is however, his self-portraits that gives us the greatest insights to his character. Durers first self portrait was drawn when he was 13, depicts the soft features of a young boy, and sketched with great skill and self confidence. He also added the inscription:'This I drew, using a mirror; it is my own likeness, in the year 1484, when I was still a child.' I find the fact that when he was only 13 he was already intrigued with creating self portraits, and being different in the way he writes on his work.

Another of his self portraits from the 1500s is inscribed:'Thus I, Albrecht Duerer from Nuremburg, painted myself with indelible colours at the age of 28 years.' when analysing this painting you can see he has depicted himself in a christlike pose. when thinking back to that time, life was mainly surrounded by religion, I think the reason he has presented himself in this way is because he wanted to show the acknowledgement that God had made Christ and man in his own image. His face is painted with great realism and shows the evidence of skill.

Top: Self-Portrait sketch 1484
Bottom Left: Self-Portrait 1500
Bottom Right: Self-Portrait 1493

In Durers time he drew several self-portraits in which he inscribed and made his own. By doing this, Durer made history and became the first to be the example of self-portraits.


Marcus Gheeraerts the younger c1592

In the Elizabethan period, portraits of royalty where most often of the whole body. Queen Elizabeth I, was painted in her finest clothing, the background of the light blue sky and the lightning on the other side, depicts her nature of fiery personality. The setting narrates herself and the current situation of England's state. Standing on a map, on the east side of the earth, facing Spain. In a way this painting at the time was to show the integrity of England and how we would stand to face them and fight.

"In the 1500s there was a major rivalry on the seas between the ships of Britain and Spain over control of trade in the New World. King Philip II of Spain decided to settle the question once and for all by invading and conquering England itself. Philip assembled a huge fleet of warships known as the Spanish Armada and in 1588 sailed into the English Channel."http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/elizabeth.htm

Her clothing is beautifully big and full of extravagant detail. Showing her place and wealth in England. The size of her arms are mammoth in proportion to her body. She is also wearing pearls which are the symbol of purity, she is pure as she is known as the virgin Queen.
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
This portrait I found helped me think of how to present my subjects to the viewer and use particular backgrounds to depict their characters.



Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh - Self Portrait: Saint-Rémy
(oil on canvas, 1889)

Vincent Van Gogh charted his development as an artist in an amazing series of sincere self portraits. In the last five years of his life he had painted over thirty self portraits. These recorded the changes in his painting techniques, but also reveal a part of his psychological decline, which reminded me of the self portraits of Rembrandt, though more colourful and textulised, they show a honesty of how he sees himself.

The self portrait above, brings together all the elements of Van Gogh's later work:

  • Choice of colour that reflects his emotional state.
  • A style of drawing that pulsates with energy.
  • Intense features, depicts his life state.(It was painted shortly after he left the St. Remy asylum in July 1889 and shows that he was still fighting his demons.)
  • His piercing eyes hold you transfixed but their focus is not on what is happening outside, but inside his head.
  • The energy of the picture builds from the eyes which are the most tightly drawn feature.
  • The rhythms of his brushstrokes spread across the planes of his face, gaining energy as they ripple through his jacket and hair, and finally burst into the churning turbulence of the ice-blue background.
  • The cool blues and greens that he uses are normally calm colours, but when they are contrasted with his vivid red hair and beard they strike a jarring note which perfectly sets the psychological tone of the portrait.
  • This is a very courageous image of a man trying to hold himself together as he wrestles with his inner fears.
  • It is arguably the most intense self portrait in the history of art.







Vincent Van Gogh - Self Portrait

(oil on canvas, 1886)


This painting drew me in with its dark earthy tones, (which are characteristic of traditional Dutch painting) are used to create an image of humble dignity. This painting struck me with its use of tone and harsh lighting. In my images I really want to create this dark atmospheric lighting as you can see above. I find it takes hold of you, his eyes are captivating, drawing you in closer to finding meaning. The physical texture of his brushstrokes helps to convey the roughness of his jacket and the softness of his sunken skin beneath his eyes.




André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri

André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri was a French photographer. Disdéri, a brilliant showman, made this system of mass-production portraiture world famous.
Prince Lobkowitz, 1858
On 27 November 1854 he patented the system of printing ten photographs on a single sheet (although there is no evidence that a system printing more than eight actually materialised).This was the first patent ever for a carte de visite. Disdéri's's cartes de visite were 6×9cm, about the size of conventional (nonphotographic) visiting cards of the time, and were made by a camera with four lenses and a sliding plate holder; a design inspired by the stereoscopic cameras. As a curious fact, it is said that this system became popular when Disdéri published a card in this format of the Emperor Napoleon in 1859.






Julia Margaret Cameron

"From the first moment I handled my lens with a tender ardour, and it has become to be as a living thing."


Cameron’s portraits captivate the viewer, into a story you do not know, and draw you into the dream like expressions and eyes, becoming lost within them. Her portraits of women have always inspired me when creating my own; the way she always portrayed the women as femme fatale, soft lighting, tilted heads, showing their femininity, pureness, beauty and poetry. Cameron's purpose, with her imagery I think was to convey the stereotypical helplessness of women, and create the male figure to be strong and to show intelligence and authority.

Herschel:
The portrait of Sir John Herschel from 1867 is considered one of the most iconic images of the distinguished astronomer. The low-key lighting is what I found drew me to this image. It creates a tension, by the way he is looking right at you, as if he were looking right into your soul. You are able to see the creases of age deeply ingrained into his face. The light falling on top of is head picks out his untidy wiry hair, it shows his type of character and maybe even his relationship with Cameron; that they are at ease with one another. Overall this image influenced me by the way he is positioned and the lighting. It’s the exact dark atmospheric mood I am looking for my portraits.

Beatrice:
Another print by Cameron is the study of the Beatrice Cenci, the photographer’s niece. This beautiful portrait has a history of love, justice, deceit and murder. When analysing this portrait of the young girl you are immediately drawn to her eyes, they tell a story of heartache and suffering. Her tilted head towards the viewer is almost pleading. The light falling across her face, touching her hair and following her gaze into nothingness. This image and the story have touched me and made me look at the image differently. It becomes more poetic.

Julia Jackson:
Julia Jackson was one of Cameron's favourites and most photographed subjects. She made numerous portraits of Jackson but none are as visually compelling as this profile, where the light cast across her face and neck emphasizes her strong classical features. Cameron did not generally use Jackson to portray religious or literary figures and narratives but rather made heroic studies of her in her own right such as this. When looking in detail the print has a hair, probably the photographers, embedded between the print and the original mount in the lower right section of the sheet. I really love this quality, even though it can ruin a print, Cameron’s images are so magnificent in composition and the use of light, these faults don’t even matter.





Napoleon Sarony

Among many of the portraits of notable figures shown in Saronys work, the one that intrigued me the most, was the portraits of Oscar Wild. They bring out the elegance and relaxed nature of the sitter.(despite being clamped into a head or torso brace,because of the long exposures.)


Oscar Wilde Full Length Standing Portrait 1882

This portrait of Wilde is notable also for its part in some groundbreaking legal history. 'The print was used as the basis for an advertisement for a New York department store – Sarony challenged the use of his image in such a way and the resulting case paved the way for far more stringent laws on the rights of individual photographic images. It was declared that as a photograph could be 'authored', it was therefore subject to copyright.'

The four images I've chosen I found captivating and thoughtful. I think the purpose of these images was to show the sitter in a natural way, so the viewers thought one way about them; seeing as these where calling cards as well. In the end image, reflects parts of his profession, loosely holding onto a book; his expression shows him in a daze, in a relaxed position against a detailed wall.

Within the images:
  • Elegance
  • Flattering lighting
  • Glamour
  • Fascinating background
  • Relaxed posture
  • Simple composition
  • Head tilted(like in a day dream)
This portrait of James G. Blaine has a feel of elegance and authority. I became attached to this portrait; The colouring his position, the dark beetle eyes penetrating the viewer, the lighting hitting one side giving more depth to his face.
James G. Blaine Sarony Portrait 1892



Lucian Freud

self- portrait1985


































Medium format cameras and Large Format cameras

Large format Camera 4x5

http://www.cameras.co.uk/html/medium-format-cameras.cfm
Positives
  • A monorail large format camera has three types of movement which allows you to change the plain of
  • focus.
  • Because of the size of the negative, (5x4 inches) the quality is much better especially when enlarging the
  • prints.
  • Change the shape of the scene and view another part of the image circle.
  • The three movements are sliding, swinging and tilting.
  • Sliding the front and back allows you to see different parts of the image circle.
  • Swinging the front creates a vertical band of focus.
  • Swinging the back has the same effect but also changes the shape.
  • Tilting the front creates a horizontal band of focus and tilting the back does the same but changes the
  • shape.
  • The image is shown on a screen at the back of the camera, with a grid (of 1cm2) on it allowing you
  • to accurately frame the shot.
Negatives
  • The film is in a film holder which slides at the back of the camera in front of the screen.
  • Which means you are unable to look any more. Unlike most cameras which have a viewfinder.
  • When taking a photograph of the sitter you cannot see if they move, you are completely relying on the
  • sitter to keep still as the slightest movement can change the focus and framing.






Comparison of film sizes

As you can see from this diagram, the film size goes up dramatically. Which obviously the bigger the film size the better and more detailed the image will be.




Medium Format Camera



There is a medium format camera, and there is a twin-lens-reflex camera; I will be using a Mamiya RB67 a medium format camera. The format (negative size) is 4.5x6 on a roll of usually 10 frames.

Positives
  • The film is typically 350% larger than 35mm film, so the quality is much higher which is good for enlargements.
Negatives
  • The development of the film is becoming more expensive and fewer labs are processing it any more.










Test Shoot

On my first shoot I wanted to experiment with the 4x5 camera but thought it best to experiment first the Canon 5D. Test out the lighting and placing of the sitter. I also tried to work with tungsten lighting and found It was easier than I anticipated.



Tungsten Lighting studio set up


This Video helped me with my lighting. It explained how to use the lighting and the affects.
LINK HERE TO VIDEO

CONTACT SHEET ON 5D CAMERA

As you can see from my contact sheet, Some of the lighting was very bright, but I was able to edit most of them to see if I could get the lighting just right, to create more shadow. But I would have rather just get it right first time and not edit, so on my next shoot I will make sure it comes out with the half moon shadow over my subjects face.


My editing Process

I went into Lightroom, I really didn't like the orange lighting, so I went to the WB tool and change the setting to tungsten:


As you can see there is a marked difference! For me it makes it easier to look at and edit, compared with the harshness of the orange.

When editing, I just changed the exposure and dodged it in places that needed lighting like her eyes. I wanted her eyes to be the first thing that captures the attention, drawing the viewer in. I made the image darker submerging her in darkness, and lighting the face more for a dramatic look.










Final Image from Test Shoot:

Original:



Edited:

ISO: 100
F/7.1
1/60

I wanted to create a sinister, but calming image in my test shoot. I found the way I positioned her with her head tilted, to show her femininity. With a slight smile I find she can communicate with the viewer onto another level. The darkness enveloping her creates a suffocating look, and she's being pulled out. I like the way I did this and will consider bringing these aspects into the final shoots.








Large Format Print

This is my first attempt on the medium format camera. I found that taking it slowly really helped me manage the lighting better, it gave me more time to improve it, and get the lighting perfect for when using the Large Format Camera.

Taking the image

When preparing I used the Canon 5D to check the lighting and positioning. When it was how I wanted, I moved the Large format camera into position. I made sure that the image was in focus and positioned correctly. I altered the shutter and aperture (Shutter: 125 Aperture: 16).
I moved my Film Holder into place, cocked the shutter, and took the image.


Processing

When processing I went into the room with my Film Holder and developing tank, turned off the lights so I was in total darkness. I managed fine to get the film out of the film holder but I struggled when attempting to get it into the rack. The tank was wet before I put my negatives in, so my film kept sticking to the sides, it was really frustrating because I must have put numerous amounts of finger prints on the negative. The films where loaded into the rack, using the removable loading bars. After loading the films. I finally managed to get the negatives in the holder and shut the tank lid.


I then came out of the dark and began pouring in the developer into the tank. I found this difficult and slow. (I found also that from it taking so long to fill up it would only be developing one side! Next time I won't use this tank I will use the developing trays, apparently its much faster and guarantees to develop the film fully). I then carried this process on with Stop and Fix. Occasionally, I tapped the tank against the table to dislodge the air bubbles.
My Developing Time:

Developer+Stop+Fix= For 10.5 minuets.

VIDEO GOES HERE

This tutorial really helped me understand how its supposed to be done. I found I learn much better when I can see it being done, instead of reading what to do!





My first Image on the Large Format Camera

As you can see from my film below, the developing did not quite go as expected as there is a yellow water mark and also a lot of scratches. I remedied this by taking my negative and placing it in a tray of fix and leaving it for approximately ten minutes and this dissolved the water mark.

On Photoshop I inverted the film scan. You could still see the scratches and the water mark slightly which when inverted gave a green tinge. I changed the threshold, and used the healing tool to take away the marks and this is the end result.

The lighting came out perfectly. Almost like a crescent moon style over her face. I decided to highlight her face this way because wanted I this atmospheric and sinister style. It is a shame she moved her mouth though.

Next time Im going to try and recreate this lighting and same positioning.


Overall, I decided not to photograph my subject from distances as I prefer more intimate shots with the head in full frame with harsh shadows to accentuate expression and character.

Photographic Studio Techniques

historical and contemporary portraiture
Photographers


  • Jacob Melenhuis
  • Clarence Sinclair Bull
  • Erna Lendrai Dircksen
  • Frederick Sommer
  • Richard Avedon
  • Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
  • Sally Mann
  • Bettina Von Zwehl
  • Yousuf Karsh
  • Craig Mc Dean
  • Emil Otto Hoppe
Clarence Sinclair Bull


Clarence Sinclair Bull's portraits show romanticism, beauty, femininity and light. His portraits of Susan Lenox, and Rita Hayworth are outstanding in the way he composes them and the lighting he uses creates this soft texture. Compared to the works of Fredrick Sommer, who's work is harsh and gritty. Bulls, show this scene of American movies, during the “golden age” of Hollywood, a time that, for me I wish I could have witnessed, but thank goodness for Clarence, or we wouldn’t be able to hold on and cherish the portraits that made Hollywood glamour. All Bulls portraits draw you in to a time where everything was new, glamorised and showed beauty in everything. He encapsulates beauty and a moment in time.

Susan Lenox, 1931
Rita Hayworth for Gilda, 1946




Frederick Sommer

When I came across the genius of Fredrick Sommer, I was drawn in in by his distinctive images of surrealist collages, Eerie landscapes, and decaying animals. They don’t fit what I am looking for, but there is one portrait that stuck out from the chaos of his other images. This portrait holds his passion for texture in the backdrop, but contracts with the soft angelic child. Her eyes bulging and childlike innocence. The soft tones on the girl pulls her away from the cramped background.

This is the sort of style that Sommer's work is mainly about the decay and texture of the world around him. His work fascinates me; It is though, confusing to find this portrait among his work, it is a random act, but so beautifully presented, still reflecting his style.

Jack Rabbit, 1938











First Shoot

These image where shot with the Canon 5D, and tungsten set up. The tungsten set up really gave the effect I was looking for and am really happy with the results, even though on some of the images, shadows of the sitters nose falls across the face, next time I will address this .
Example:
With this first shoot I decided to change my concept and the positioning of my models. I still wanted the contrast in gender and age; but I wanted to present my images as sinister and like the portraits I have looked at in the paintings, for example, Vincent Van Gogh's Self Portrait 1886 The almost crescent moon lighting creeping over his face. I tried to change the distance of the sitter, but I found that having the full frame much better with detail and shadows.

When analysing the contact sheet I found a couple of strong images, which I could use as a final image, and fit best to my criteria including good composition, the right lighting and my subject looking directly at the camera. I also have a thing about my sitter not to smile, I find it helps the viewer create a story themselves.


The images I've narrowed it down to:


ISO:
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I really find the composition good, nicely centred, shadow from sitters hair falling and creating lovely shadows. The only problem is the shadow from the nose. If I were to use this picture I would have to change it to black and white to soften tonal range as below:



I edited it on Photoshop, using the burn and dodging tools around the eyes and background/ Shadows.








ISO:
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This I found was my very strongest from the whole contact sheet. I love the lighting, how she’s submerged in the darkness, with her head creeping out. Also the way her eye looks really haunting and penetrating. Below is the edited version, I ended up editing this image on Lightroom and Photoshop. This image did not require a lot of editing I dodged the eyes to lighten them to lift them.


As you can see it really fits what I wanted to create; dark, atmospheric, sinister and almost like a painting.

ISO:
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I wanted to see if it worked well with the shot being portrait, but to me it doesn't seem strong enough. And I also do not like the fact the sitters top is in the frame. But on the other hand it is good variety to have a change in positioning, and the shadow on her body is really beautiful. I did not edit this one, because I would not have used it at all any way but wanted to show that I experimented with the distances.
Final Image From Shoot/ Digital
+(Black and White)

Well, I chose this image not only because it was the strongest, but because it has a different feel, and depth to it than the others. When taking this image I really was trying to get the same effect as, Julia Margaret Cameron’s image of Hershel with the crescent moon shadow and Yousuf Karsh's picture of Jean Sibelius, illuminating the sitters face and immersing the rest in darkness.


Yousuf Karsh

Each picture of Karsh's captures not only an extraordinary image but a personality. Perhaps the most intriguing is the one of Winston Churchill looking slightly grumpy towards the camera; This is because Karsh’s impertinence in removing the cigar from Churchill’s mouth. This however, ultimately contributed to what became one of the most famous photographs of the wartime leader. This image not only shows you the leader or Britain, it evokes every image you ever saw him in.




When looking at Karsh's work, to me, he concentrates on the expressive characteristics of his subjects, for example, the pondering look in the eyes of Einstein; even though he is not looking at the camera, its still so powerful, with this in mind I will experiment with my subject looking directly and just a little away from the camera, to see if it has this effect that Karsh uses frequently. Or the questioning stillness, and relaxing nature of Jean Sibelius face.
I also find the way he uses the sitters hands to their full potential. They are always in the frame, near the face, either in a praying position, touching themselves, looking like they are in deep thought. It is his tool to draw in the viewer to question, what are they thinking about? What are they feeling? Taking this to mind I might experiment with using the sitters hands, but for me I think I just want the viewers full concentration on the sitters face, and not to get distracted with anything else.
Karsh's style is full of rich tonal range; Karsh uses the tones to draw engrossing contrasts. Black tones, jump out at the viewer, and delicate lighting technique gives the pictures an extra edge. The portrait of Churchill appears natural, as if no artificial light was used. I adore the way Karsh can do this with ease, but with my portraits, I really feel the contrasted and un-natural lighting will fulfil my purpose in creating an edge and depth to the images.






Richard Avedon

Richard Avadon, one of the most iconic and powerful photographers of the century. His portraits reflect the American society in a way that know one has presented them. They are raw, gritty, truthful and most of all, Real. As the viewer, I felt like their eyes where looking right into me, the personal nature of them are striking and will leave an imprint of you.

'I've worked out of a series of no's. No to exquisite light, no to apparent compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no's force me to the "yes." I have a white background. I have the person I'm interested in and the thing that happens between us.' - Richard Avedon
1994


Avedon's greatest achievement, and most inspirational to my project, has been his reinvention of the genre of photographic portraiture and his ability in expressing the essence of his subjects. The portraits I have chosen to look at are well lit, and mainly in front of a white backdrop. No props, no irrelevant details distracting from their being; particularly from the essential of the face, clothing, gaze and gesture. I also find that the images commonly contain the dark outline of the film, framing the subject. Its a simple and very contrasting technique. Within the frame, Avedon confronts you with the unemployed, drifters, convicts, farmers; “They appear to show no feelings beyond scepticism and reserve. In the bar, or at the rodeo, or wherever Avedon has found them they may have been emotionally involved, cheerful, uninhibited, stressed or sad: But in front of his camera, they appear totally inward.”
















Second Shoot

In this second shoot, I had the same tungsten lighting set up. I used the Canon 5D to start, and before using the Medium format camera I used a polaroid back to make sure the lighting was correct before moving on.

Polaroid SCAN
These image where shot with the Canon 5D, And tungsten set up. The tungsten set up really gave the effect I was looking for, I am really happy with the results, even though on some of the images, shadows of the sitters nose falls across the face, which was a bit clumsy of me. Next time I will make sure it wont happen again.

On the Medium Format camera I found it really good to use, I liked the fact you have to slow everything down, it makes you concentrate on the aspects of the images you want to create. Rather than on a digital where it is very fast paced. So all in all this shoot was by far the best. As you can see from the contact sheet, the exposures came out great, as well as positioning. But on some, I did loose a bit of my focusing on the eye area. But, I wanted to use this fault in a positive way, and decided that even though there is lack of focus it does create more depth and atmosphere into it.

Contact sheet +
Medium format
























The images I've narrowed it down to/ Digital Images:


ISO:
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Within this image, it contains all that I wanted; Hash lighting, submerging one side of his face. Only thing I dont like about it is the ring shadow from his eyebrow ring, Its not a massive deal but If I where to reshot, I would deferentially, either take it away or just move the lighting.
Edited: I tried to bring out his personality through his eyes. Making sure I highlighted them, to look like he’s staring right at you. I also used the burning tool, a tad on his hair and arm to create a bit more depth.








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I chose this because it was from a different angle. Like the fact you can see the sitters arms/ Tattoos. I didn’t edit this one, reason being, I wouldn’t have used it at all any way but wanted to show that I experimented with the distances.
Edited: With this I wanted to bring out more colour from the image, as you can see from the image above, its quite cold looking, so I added a bit more vibrance and livened up his tattoos to stand out more.





ISO:
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I do like this image, but Im not sure if I should have a veriation on models or stick to just two. But I did edit this image to see what the final out come would look like:
When edited it looks much better; I burned away her shoulder so she looks more like a floating head, and dodged around her eyes and hair to make her seem less flat. In a way I find this is one of the strong ones, you really get to see her personality, with that slight smile in the corner of her mouth.











Images I've narrowed it down to on the medium format camera:

Using the medium format camera was a beautiful experience, and the images I took came out how I wanted. These two images I have selected from the shoot, where my absolute favourites. Apart from a slightly out of focus eye, I managed in Photoshop to correct it best I could. The image below, as you can see the background turned a greeny colour, but nothing that photoshop cant fix. It has the atmospheric and emphasizes strong classical features. I tried to create the portrait to be similar to Julia Margaret Cameron's photograph of Julia Jackson, with the slight tilt of the head showing that classical womenly figure you so often see in paintings and photographs from the late 1800's.

Pros
  • Tungsten lighting was how I wanted.
  • Focus on eye captures attention.
  • Atmospheric
  • Elegant
Cons
  • Backdrop wasn’t darkened enough.
  • On the eye closer, it is not focused enough.
  • A bit to much of a sullen expression.





This Image came out perfectly! I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but it has:
  • Very good focusing.
  • Lighting highlights the features well (maybe a tad over exposed on the eye)
  • Tattoos in view.
  • Colours a little green.
  • But over all I very much like this picture holds al the quality’s I intended.















Sally Mann
Black Eye by Sally Mann

Mann’s portraits of her children offer the spirit and the gloom of childhood. 'Naked, bruised, defiant these sanitized portrayals of youth incited a fair amount of controversy and censorship. In response to claims of child pornography, exploitation, or parental neglect, Mann simply defended her work as the perspective of motherhood.'

The reason I chose sally Mann's portraits, is because they seem to take you away from reality, and back to childhood. They are peaceful and elegant. I wish to reflect some of this quality into my images. The ones I have chosen of sally Mann's, reflect serenity and calm, the children’s eyes closed, their hair floating either in a cool breeze or on the surface of a still lake. Above the child is boxed in by a bulky chair, but the light pours onto the side of her face and floating hair; the lighting is soft and serene. With her series of images, I find that her purpose is to preserve her children’s childhood, in a way that is atmospheric and dreamlike.

In the introduction toImmediate Family,she writes:
“These are photographs of my children. Many of these pictures are intimate, some are fictions and some are fantastic, but most are of ordinary things every mother has seen. I take pictures when they are bloodied or sick or naked or angry. They dress up, they pout and posture, they paint their bodies, they dive like otters in the dark river.”
At Warm Springs1991


Bettina Von Zwehl

Bettina's work is simple to look at, you don’t get given much to feed off of, and understand, but when you hear how she has taken them it becomes more detailed and interesting. For example the images I have selected below, of the three women facing, but not looking at the camera, seem sad, tired and plain. But Bettinas process was to put the sitter in complete darkness with music on for long periods of time and capture their expressions. I think this is a beautifully unique way of capturing the true self of people. No falseness, just them as they seem to be, Its such a powerful way of taking an image. They don’t fit my criteria, but they are so interesting I had to include them.

'This series Alina (2004) portrays 12 young women of a similar age, in the same pose, each shown against a monochrome background, without any distracting clutter. Photographed at a contemplative moment, the nature of their meditation is, at first, unclear; the pared down aesthetic of Von Zwehl's work offers little by way of clues.'

I also found a series of images called, 'Made Up Love Song'(above) These images fit perfectly with my chosen concept; I wanted to create, an almost painterly quality to my images, and these images reflect that, the colouring is desaturated, yeat warm, the positioning within the circular frame remind me of Renaissance portrait paintings and drawings. These paintings below by Raphael, show the colouring I find resemble Bettina's work. Pale and soft texturing on the faces. This traditional style I think will reflect into my own work and processing.
La Donna Gravida by Raphael & La Donna Velata



Emma Critchley

Emma Critchley is another photographer that has extreme ways in photographing her subjects. In this seris of images I have chosen, she has placed her subjects in a vast tank, under water, all in the same plain clothing. But, she has waited till the last moment when they has no breath left in their lungs to take the image. It is a surreal, to think that they cant breathe and it is almost sickening, because when I cant get another breathe I panic, but with these images, you are almost at ease with them.
They are calming, being submerged into the deep black behind them, contrasting the the floating white shirt.

I like the composition of the subject, having that foglight, lighting beam onto them giving you that feel of coldness, and death. It is beautiful in the way she has concentrated with the water, changes in the relationship we have with our bodies, the way we hear and see things, and the difference in gravity.

If I could reflect an aspect of Critchleys work into my own, I think I would experiment in the lighting set up. Hos is because I find that it adds to the depth of her underwater series, it looks like she has found them floating in the darkness.

Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin

I randomly stumbled on Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin work when researching different aspects of portraiture, and really fell in love with their portraits of celebrity’s. They use a lot a black nd white, with for me is brilliant, because I find the texture it gives images is extraordinary, ecpessically with their works. The three images I found really fit to my work , are of very well know celebrities. They reflect parts of the individuals personality for example:
    Mickey Rourke
  • Rugged.
  • Intimidating.
  • Manly.
  • Tattoos.
  • Jean.
  • Cigar.
  • Ripped top.
  • Cut hands.

All these elements centre around him, they didn’t ask him to dress in a leotard they made him be himself, which is the harsh character, which emulates further with him looking directly at you. They have presented him in a way that is fashioned, but real.


Michael Douglas
  • Soft lighting.
  • Flowers.
  • Aged skin.
  • Thoughtful.
  • Wiry hair.
  • bared teeth.
  • Penetrating eyes.

This image contrasting to the portrait of Mickey Rourke, has a softer lighting, showing his skin as light creases in his aged face. The flowers I think represent that feeling of youth, which you can also see in his eyes, they are looking directly out to you, and have a gleam in them that feels like he is looking just at you. I also noticed that they both have their hands up in the same position, substituting the cigar for flowers, contrasting altogether. With this in mind, I really want to try and get that sort of connection between viewer and sitter.


Erna Lendvai-Dircksen

Photographer Erna Lendvai-Dircksen specialized in portraits, landscapes, and images of architecture. In 1911 she began a massive project to photograph the rural people, architecture, of every region of Germany. She continued the project through World War II, while operating a successful portrait studio in Berlin and publishing a series of books. Lendvai-Dircksen became a member of the Nazi party, remaining in Berlin during the early years of World War II. In 1943 her studio and archives were destroyed in an air raid. She resettled in Coburg, Germany, where she continued to photograph. 














Final Images

With my final images I am going to have two Medium Format images in colour, and two Digital images in Black and white. I wanted to have a collaboration of the two.


Evaluation
Looking back, my first additional idea I wanted to show the comparisons in skin and gender. Due to models not being available, I changed my idea to having my sitters vary in age and gender still, but to have the image to have a more painterly quality, to look more traditional than new. I still wanted to experiment with the medium format camera, but I had never used it before so still used digital as a back up. In the end I had four images, two digital and two medium format. They all boast that traditional look and I am very pleased with the outcome.

I did have a few difficulties with placing; usually I have difficulties with lighting but with this project the lighting was the best aspect. In the end I decided to stick with all my images to have the same distance from the camera, and have a crescent moon shape lighting fall over their faces. I feel I stuck to this second concept well and very much enjoy the outcome of it.
If I where able to redo this project as a whole, I would really like to for fill my original concept I found it might have been a lot stronger. But keep the lighting the same.

When showing my work to peers and family, their reactions where positive. They all agreed that the lighting was very atmosperic and boasted that it reflects an inner essence of the sitter. They also said it would have been better if I varied my models but due to circumstances I did well in reflecting the two in differnet mediums. I was very pleased to hear this because I did want to reflect the sitter in two mediums and to present them as I have above, to give a mirrored effect.





In this recent work the colour and light lends the work an almost overtly painterly quality.



Jacob Melenhuis


“Molenhuis’s villagers are inhabitants of a state of mind unfamiliar with visual stereotypes, and thus virtually unequipped to wear any sort of complaisant public face. In front of such portrayals, successors have no choice but to see themselves as the mannered constructs of Hollywood and the advertising industry.

“At the time of origination (unknown in this case) such pictures may have been of little interest to anyone other than the portraitist and his subjects, but over the years they begin to look exceptional – because they come to represent a culture and state of being almost unimaginable to later generations.” Molenhuis villagers portraits show the reality of the world he was living in. It dipicts classes,


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