Brief:
– concensual portraits
– a selfportrait, a familiar person, a stranger
Research:
Irving Penn:
Penn is considered one of the most important portrait photographers in history; we were introduced to his work in the lectures.. His work is very distinct; his portraits are black and white, often with side or Rembrandt lighting and with a focus on the face, a feature more prominent in his later work. Moreover his work tends to be studio based, with his often infamous subjects usually sat down. I considered all of these features in the development of my own portraits, having a great respect for his work.
Rembrandt:
During workshops, “Rembrandt lighting” was often mentioned. The technique draws from the painting style of Rembrandt, whose portraits faces were only half lit. Upon researching his work, I discovered that his portraits were often very expressive, also focusing on the face above the whole body, with subtle but rich colours.
Johannes Vermeer:
I also looked into the paintings of Dutch master Vermeer. Whilst most of his work focuses on the use of colour and detail around the subject, a focused in particular on ‘The Girl with the Pearl Earring’ or ‘The Girl with the Turban’, a fascinating portrait. Whilst I did not overtly style my work like his, I did take into account his methods when composing my own portraits.
Henri Cartier Bresson:
Bresson’s portraiture is more casual in style, often featuring subjects outside or in natural surroundings. His images are black and white and focus on the face, however this is not usually head on, favouring a half side profile. Many of my development images favour his style.