Portraiture photography for me in a
1000 words
Portrait photography for me is a very special and kind
type of photography. The ability to capture someone’s personality in one image
is unique. I think the greatness of a portraiture is in the feelings what it
generates. There is an old quote that says “If you want to shoot portraiture, shoot
in colour, but if you want to shoot emotion, shoot in black and white.” In my essay I would like to discover the different
portrait photographers and different type of methods and techniques. I would
like to show some, for me inspirational photographers and their works. I would
also like to explain some studio and natural lighting techniques, and how different
photographers used it.
Introduction
to portraiture photography:
Portraits
have been made since the invention of the camera. Daguerreotypes (which is a
historical method in photography) have been made since the early 19th
century. The reduced sitting time for the subject what led to a more general
use of daguerreotype, than painting portraits. The style of these early works
reflected the technical challenges associated with long exposure times. The
lighting in these years for portraits was very rudimentary, by using one light
source mainly the sun through the window, because that was powerful enough to
light the photographing subject, and used mirrors to reflect the light. The
subject were seated against a plain background and lit with soft light. When
portraits are made and composed in the studio, the photographer has full
control over the light, and able to control the light and manage the subject.
There are three key-point lighting in portraiture photography. The purpose of
the three types –sometimes four- of lighting is to bring out the shadows,
details and three-dimensionality of the subject.
Key-light: Also called the main light. Usually been
placed to one side of the subject’s face in 30- 60 degrees off centre but a
little bit higher than the eye level. The main purpose of the light is to add a
character, a shape to the photographing model. Also the depth of shadow can be
controlled by adding fill-light.
Fill light: Fill light is used to bring out details by
lifting the shadows up, by the difference between ratio with the main light
source. The amount of light is always less than the main light. The light is
always placed above the lens axis. A 2 stop reduction in intensity for the
fill-light would be a typical start point to maintain dimensionality (modelling)
in a portrait or a head and shoulder shot.
Accent light: This type is used for accentuating
the subject, to separate it from the background. Examples would be a light
shining into the subject’s hair giving it a rim effect or shining on the
background to lift the tones. When using it for separating it should be more powerful
than the main light source.
There are also two different type of lighting
what I personally like. One is the Rembrandt lighting, named after the painter
because he used this kind of lighting for his paintings. The other one is
called the Butterfly lighting.
Rembrandt lighting typically falling
to the object slightly above its head and leaves a slightly triangle of shadow
on its cheek. It is a dramatic split lighting technique, creates more mood and
a darker feel to your image.
Butterfly lighting is named for the
butterfly shaped shadow that is created under the nose by placing the main
light above and directly behind the camera. Used mainly to glamour style shots
and to create shadows under the cheeks and chin.
For me portrait photography most of the times
come along with fashion photography itself. Many portrait photographers worked
for fashion companies and magazines as well.
Photographers:
The photographers who I did my research on are
also fashion photographers and well known worldwide.
One of them would be the British born David Bailey. Bailey was a photographer
for the big name in fashion magazine’s world, Vogue. The career of David Bailey’s
started in the 60’s, when he began photographing to British Vogue magazine. His
work for fashion magazines and celebrity portraitures characterized by stark
backgrounds and dramatic lighting effects, transformed British fashion and
celebrity photography from chic stylization to something more youthful. His works
reflects the 1960s British cultural trend by breaking down barriers by
injecting a working-class or “punk” style into his clothing and artistic
products.
Bailey’s portrait work for me is really
straight forward and simple. He said it once “I try to simplify things by just
having a white background and no distractions. I don’t care about ‘composition’
or anything like that. I just want the emotion of the person in the picture to
come across… to get something from that person, even if I have to force it out
of them by being rude’. When he did his series of Michael Caine and Man Ray, he
used a medium format camera, plain background and a strong flash to bring out
the details. That’s why inspirational his work for me, the skills of catching
the subject’s personality. In that time his style was pioneer and quickly made a
name to himself.
Terry
Richardson who is another controversial and world famous portrait,
celebrity portrait and fashion photographer of our times. Richardson was born
in New York and began photography in high school. Raised in Hollywood. He has
shot campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Aldo, Yves Saint Laurent and also worked for
magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar.
Richardson’s style is well known and
controversial at the same time. He uses small cameras and photographing
high-profile celebrities in mundane situations. It is called the snapshot
aesthetic in photography. Many of his work shot before a white background such
as David Bailey’s. Terry’s work more “bolder” than Bailey’s, but I think in our
age it is similar to what Bailey has created in fashion and portrait
photography and cut through some borders with his photography in the 60s.
Photographing with a one-flash setup harsh strobe on the subject and simple
composition what describes his work. Often uses a point and shoot film camera.
The style “snapshot aesthetic” what I mentioned
before is another style from the 60s, what Nan Goldin and many other
photographers promoted. In our age snapshot photography is a contemporary art
and me personally I like it in fashion, or portrait photography such as
Richardson’s work. From the early nineties becomes the predominant mode in
fashion photography, especially youth magazines such as Face. Photography from
this era is often called ‘heroin chic’ look, a look often having been
influenced by Nan Goldin.
Conclusion
Since I
got into my research about the topic, it helped me a lot to understand and
learn more about lighting for portraits and techniques and also different
styles in on genre of photography. What makes a good portrait is to capture the
subject’s personality and show it to other viewers, and I think the above
written ideas and photographers gave me more inspiration towards my own project
and helps me generates more ideas.
Bibliography and referencing:
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (2010). David Bailey Biography.Available: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1255819/David-Bailey. Last accessed 14/03/14.
Photographing People
roger hicks, frances schultz, alex larg (2006). Photographing peple. Switzerland: rotovision. 256.
David Bailey
David Bailey (2014). Bailey exposed. London: National Portrait Gallery. 160.
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