Irving Penn.
Since starting to study photography at A Level at college, I have always been interested in portraiture and the ways in which photographers in the modern day are still influenced by iconic photographers of the past - myself included.
The photographer I am going to be looking at is Irving Penn due to him being a very well known photographer and one that I find to be very interesting. There is a lot of work available to view online of his ranging from still life to portraits, but I am obviously going to be looking into his portraiture work and analysing his personal style from different shoots he has done and with a variety of people.
In these images, there are clear similarities between them instantly - they are all in black and white and all include the subject's hand(s). The use of black and white is most likely due to the time the images were taken and he won't have had much of a choice in the matter as this was the only option available to him at the time of his career. I think the black and white effect works really well with these portraits as it brings out every feature on the subjects within the photographs and I especially love how clearly the freckles on the close up of the woman's face are as this is clearly one of her most noticeable features. Secondly, hands are the next noticeable aspect of these images as they are in them each, but in very different ways for varying reasons. The first image of Robin Williams was probably taken to go alongside an interview or an article in a magazine, or possibly to promote a new film he was starring in. Because of this, Penn has taken his portrait in a very standard yet fun way as he is looking over his shoulder resting his chin on his hand, as if he is listening to someone speak. This image really captures his personality and character as he was known to be very charismatic and fun. In the middle image, the hand has been used in a specific pose to rest under the model's face - this looks like it is part of his fashion portraiture work as it is very posed and structured within the composition, and I think this image would have been used as part of a campaign advert in Vogue or somewhere like that. In the third image, the woman looks like she has been posed to look dramatic; she looks deep in thought due to her hand positioning being on top of her head which make her look as she is leaning on a table thinking about something. This again looks like a fashion shot due to the dramatic pose and how she is looking away from the camera. This simple use of hands is very interesting as each image says something different about the subject within the photograph, and I like how subtle this is.
These are 2 of Irving Penn's images that are fashion-orientated, and I chose these 2 because of how very different to each other they are, with the only real similarity being that they are in black and white. I think that Irving Penn's fashion work is really interesting to look at as he is one of the first photographers that I know of that has taken fashion pictures in such an interesting way and his work has become really iconic because of his individual style. The image on the left is really interesting as the model is looking at the camera through her peripheral vision and not directly staring into the lens, which gives her a passive and perhaps rebellious attitude, which is something that would have worked for whatever reason the shoot was taking place. The coat the model is wearing also really works well with the netting on the hat she is wearing because they are similar styles - this makes the image aesthetically pleasing to look at, it is very easy on the eyes. The image on the right is a lot more dramatic than the other image because of how the woman is facing the camera and how she is seen to be screaming. I also think that it is interesting that the model has closed her eyes for this shot, as the eyes are a feature that you can express emotions easily with. The black make up used on the model's face adds to the dramatic effect because it draws the eyes in and gives the image even more depth.
The photographer I am going to be looking at is Irving Penn due to him being a very well known photographer and one that I find to be very interesting. There is a lot of work available to view online of his ranging from still life to portraits, but I am obviously going to be looking into his portraiture work and analysing his personal style from different shoots he has done and with a variety of people.
In these images, there are clear similarities between them instantly - they are all in black and white and all include the subject's hand(s). The use of black and white is most likely due to the time the images were taken and he won't have had much of a choice in the matter as this was the only option available to him at the time of his career. I think the black and white effect works really well with these portraits as it brings out every feature on the subjects within the photographs and I especially love how clearly the freckles on the close up of the woman's face are as this is clearly one of her most noticeable features. Secondly, hands are the next noticeable aspect of these images as they are in them each, but in very different ways for varying reasons. The first image of Robin Williams was probably taken to go alongside an interview or an article in a magazine, or possibly to promote a new film he was starring in. Because of this, Penn has taken his portrait in a very standard yet fun way as he is looking over his shoulder resting his chin on his hand, as if he is listening to someone speak. This image really captures his personality and character as he was known to be very charismatic and fun. In the middle image, the hand has been used in a specific pose to rest under the model's face - this looks like it is part of his fashion portraiture work as it is very posed and structured within the composition, and I think this image would have been used as part of a campaign advert in Vogue or somewhere like that. In the third image, the woman looks like she has been posed to look dramatic; she looks deep in thought due to her hand positioning being on top of her head which make her look as she is leaning on a table thinking about something. This again looks like a fashion shot due to the dramatic pose and how she is looking away from the camera. This simple use of hands is very interesting as each image says something different about the subject within the photograph, and I like how subtle this is.
These are 2 of Irving Penn's images that are fashion-orientated, and I chose these 2 because of how very different to each other they are, with the only real similarity being that they are in black and white. I think that Irving Penn's fashion work is really interesting to look at as he is one of the first photographers that I know of that has taken fashion pictures in such an interesting way and his work has become really iconic because of his individual style. The image on the left is really interesting as the model is looking at the camera through her peripheral vision and not directly staring into the lens, which gives her a passive and perhaps rebellious attitude, which is something that would have worked for whatever reason the shoot was taking place. The coat the model is wearing also really works well with the netting on the hat she is wearing because they are similar styles - this makes the image aesthetically pleasing to look at, it is very easy on the eyes. The image on the right is a lot more dramatic than the other image because of how the woman is facing the camera and how she is seen to be screaming. I also think that it is interesting that the model has closed her eyes for this shot, as the eyes are a feature that you can express emotions easily with. The black make up used on the model's face adds to the dramatic effect because it draws the eyes in and gives the image even more depth.
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