Evaluation

Throughout this module of Portrait Photography, I have developed my knowledge and understanding with reference to shooting on the large format 5x4 field camera from what I have used in previous modules, and on the Hasselblad medium format camera using colour film, that I have never used before until shooting these portraits for this assignment. It has been a challenging experience learning new techniques and printing in the colour darkroom for the first time, but having to learn these new skills, will be ones that I will definitely be carrying on using in the future. It has also refined my perspective of what a portrait actually is, by researching photographers and portrait projects from other artists and by means of capturing my own images to portray this type of photography in different ways and by printing them it in different sizes and on different papers that were knew to me.

The brief title of “Who are they?” also proved to be an interesting topic. At first the title spoke out to me as shooting strangers, which is who I started out shooting on the large format camera at first. It was interesting because the strangers that I asked to take pictures of either seemed quite interested in the camera, what I was doing and why I wanted to take a picture, or they were reluctant straight away and were not willing at all. I found that older people were more pleased to have their photograph taken, due to the fact they wanted to know more about my reason of photographing them. Using the Hasselblad for the first time in colour proved to be quite difficult as I had never shot in colour film or was familiar with the camera, but after a couple of shoots I felt comfortable and began to enjoy capturing images on this format. In some of my other colour images I did not use strangers, but my friends instead who I do not think matters concerning the title as the audience does not always know who is in the images and the question of “Who are they?” is depends on the individuals views and beliefs.  

Shooting Black and White again was also an engagement with expanding my skills once again, on this large format camera that I have previously used before. After researching a number of photographers such as David Bailey and Richard Avedon at the beginning of the assignment, I felt I felt more inspired to go out and shoot portraits on different camera’s, of people that were strangers and also close to me. The use of each depth of field being used  was also interesting to learn and develop  my intelligence on apertures and f-stops, in how it would effect the positioning of the person who would be in my shot and frame depending on where they would be stood. The whole process of this was a step forward in the present time of my awareness to how to use the camera and how to approach people, which has lead to using this camera in this sense again has improved my level of understanding and will proceed to continuously from this module.

Overall I feel that I have achieved the outcomes of this module but also could of done better. My skills have extremely developed in using both cameras that were needed and also by learning to print in the colour darkroom. Having to shoot strangers will always be a challenge but proves it can turn out with capturing good results, as I have found with my own work. In the event of if I was to do something different during this module I would doubtlessly shoot a lot more, so that it would of helped my skills develop and also would of ended with handing in final improved and overall better more successful prints. The title is also apparent in my photographs because I have used strangers in some of them, making the question “Who are they?” clear to see, and although I have used friends in other ones I feel that when looking at a portrait there is always questions to be asked and answered about the individuals in the image. On the whole, the techniques and equipment that were used to capture the images are certainly ones that I plan to carry on using and proceeding to expand my knowledge, as I have enjoyed learning new ways to photograph and print, that I definitely want to become better and see more progress at.

Final 6 Colour Prints

Above are my final 6 images that I have chose to print for this module. It was the first time that I have used the Hasselblad, colour film and also printing in the colour darkroom from two different shoots. I really enjoyed experiencing these for the first time, especially shooting in colour because I did not know what to expect, as well as learning to print them. I am quite pleased with them because although I am not that experienced with this side of the module, they have turned out good for my first couple of shoots and will hopefully continue to develop these skills outside of the module.

Final 20x24 Print

Above is the scanned image of my negative that I have chose to use for the 20x24 exhibition sized print, taken on the 5x4 large format camera and below is the actual print. I am really pleased with this image and is my favourite photograph from the whole module. The woman was a stranger I approached after I had set up the camera, that was close to uni. She did not object and was willing to have her picture taken even though she did not know me. This being printed on the biggest size of paper I have ever used, I was slightly anxious at what it would turn out, as not all of the image is in focus. However after experimenting with filters (final print using filter 5) I am overall very pleased with how this print has turned out, along with the tones and contrast the filter has created and I would definitely print this size again because I think it really shows off the detail and definition. 

Shoot 2

Shoot two using the Hasselblad with colour film.

Shoot 1 - Colour

The images above are from my first shoot on the Hasselblad using colour film. Using this camera was quite hard to get used to, clearly apparent in the photographs because none of them are in focus. I feel that Depth of Field was the issue because of the problem with focusing even though when capturing the images I thought that they were fine. The following people in the images are all strangers that I approached around Hartlepool town centre. They were all very friendly and were totally fine with my taking a photograph of them once I explained my purposes of it. Following on from my black and white 5x4 images, shooting strangers is an interesting experience that will either go really bad or good. Thankfully this shoot went okay and I did not have to ask many people to take a picture of them. I am overall satisfied with how these images have turned out, as it was my first shoot and I will hopefully do better on my next one. I plan to print a couple of these ones just to see what they come out like, which will hopefully might look okay and will be a good experimentation with my first time using the colour darkroom. 

Final Black & White Prints

These are the final three black and white photographs I have decided to print at each level of depth of field. They are all strangers that I asked to take a photograph of and were all okay with me doing that.  I am fairly happy with my images, but I have clearly had problems with the depth of field and getting the camera in focus. However I feel that I have achieved each depth of field length correctly, just not the right settings on the camera. Next time in the near future when I shoot on this format, I will continue to develop my skills and correct what I have done with these images. I feel that shooting strangers was much more interesting because each image will be different and each individual will bring different characteristics, whether it may be their clothes or the expression they appear to be doing.

Self Portraits

I found the body of work by Jen Davis, self portrait series really interesting and nothing like I have seen before. It is clear to see the influence of photographer Cindy Sherman, but the style and aim of Jen's photography is totally different. After looking through this project of self portraits that started in 2002 and carried on to 2011, I saw an article on the Daily Mail website explaining why Jen featured herself in this long project. Her self portraits were a exploration of her body, insecurities and her own views of love and beauty, in which she hoped would help her to love her body at the start in 2011, but eventually over the years of developing this project Jen realised she wasn't changing and was still the same 9 years on, which then became a project of inspiring herself to lose weight. Her series 11 years has gone on to become a book and recently exhibited in New York City and showcased in many other places around the world. Unlike other artists who produce self portraits, Jen used hers to understand herself better and become more comfortable within herself. After her epiphany within herself, she undergone a gastric band surgery and rapidly lost 110lb. Her series progressed from her surgery, presenting her weightless and experience. I find her work really her photographs and the stories within them really stunning and fascinating, showing this chapter of her life that began as one thing and ended as something that has changed and led to a positive outcome. I have included some images from Jen's series of work 11 years below.

• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2633497/Woman-spends-11-years-photographing-overweight-body-try-love-come-accept-societys-view-ends-resorting-gastric-band-surgery.html
• http://www.jendavisphoto.com/index.php?/work/self-portraits/

No. 55 (Last photograph of the series)

No. 26

No. 1 (First image)

David Bailey

David Bailey is one of the worlds most well know and iconic portrait photographer. Bailey has shot everyone who is anyone over his successful career. From previous research I have gathered in other projects, I have explained and presented why Bailey has been so acknowledged throughout his time in the photographic industry. I have included two of his most well known portraits below, the photography of Mick Jagger in 1964 and the one of Kate Moss in 2013. Although their is 50 years between the photographs, you can only slightly tell.This shows Baileys famous portrait style that was new and different at the start of his career because there was no one else shooting portraits and fashion photography the way Bailey did, which are still extremely popular and in demand today. His iconic way of capturing portraits are what has made him so well know, the clean simple minimal background makes his subjects stand out so that the audience will concentrate on only them, clearly representing his subjects. David Bailey changed the face of portrait and fashion photography, clearly having a heavy influence of photographers today.

The ways in which Bailey worked also have effect on his photographs. Bailey has always been confident and friendly when photographing and often has a good relationship with his subjects, often already being friends or quickly becoming friends once he has photographed them, shown in the documentary "The Man who Shot the Sixties.". David still shoots today and held his most recent exhibition in 2014 "Stardust" at the National Portrait Gallery which I was looking enough to visit. The exhibition featured a number of his most well known pieces of work and also portraits of others which I did not know existed. He has shot a number of portraits of his wife, that have also been a successful piece of work. They are in a different style to his iconic black and white portraits, but show how diverse and talented Bailey is. The photographs Bailey has captured and produced over his career, will always have a huge impact in the photographic industry, being so famous and having such a advantageous career.

Claudia Legge - Underwater Portraits

ID article about Claudia's work here 

Danny Santos

Danny Santos is a professional photographer based in Singapore, who's project on portraits of strangers I came across when trying to find something similar to my own portrait assignment. His work concentrates on strangers he comes across when walking the streets of Orchard Road in Singapore. He focuses on people who appear to look interesting that he encounters and often has to look twice at. Danny's aim was to capture people who were by all means not ordinary, but strangely wonderful. What stroke me about this project is how it is similar to how I have had to approach strangers in the streets of Hartlepool and ask to take their picture. Like Danny explains in his article, it's hard asking strangers to take a photograph of them because you don't know what their  reaction will be, similar to street photography. The outcome of this project is really interesting. Danny has captured strangers close up creating really beautiful portraits shown below, presenting that its not impossible and can produce a really good outcome.

http://www.dannyst.com/shooting-portraits-of-strangers/
http://www.dannyst.com/gallery/portraits-of-strangers/

Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon was one of the worlds leading portrait and fashion photographers up until his death in 2004, and still holds an iconic place in the photography world. Avedon's well known portrait work was so successful because of how character revealing they were about his subjects and also very minimalistic. His famous large scale portraits were nothing like the normal portrait's at the time because of what they revealed about the people in them. The simple white background meant that Avedon's subjects would stand out with no distractions or other context in the image, focusing the audience on what their expression is, what they are wearing and even what objects are in the photographs.

Avedon is argued to be the most influential fashion and portrait photographers of his time. His trademark style meant that no one else produced photographs like him, making him different and leading to a long successful career. His subjects are always standing up in his images, always facing towards the camera. The fact that his portraits just simply focused on the subjects, concentrates on the emotion the subjects bring, composing them to be very humane and compassionate, showing the human form in that instant when the photograph was taking, presenting the emotion the individuals in the image were feeling at that second. In the same as any other portraits, they always have the same outcome, but what makes Avedon's portraits so different is that he thought that portraits were pointless and ineffective unless they had a story behind them and presented a narrative, capturing his subjects showing something about themselves that would be apparent in the photograph. 

Richard's fashion work was also hugely influential in the twentieth century. He worked with Harpers Bazaar magazine and Vogue at different stages throughout his career, creating a different way of capturing and pressing fashion photography that was like no other from the beginning of his career. Avedon would have his models posing different to what was the norm of simple, still and lifeless shots that were generally filling up the fashion magazine. He would create images that were full of movement and excitement. His fashion photography was sometimes seen as quite controversial as he included nudity, violence and death, which also separated him from the "norm". He has separated and expanded portrait and fashion photography, which has created such a legacy of his work and an influential mark in the photography industry. Presenting his subjects in their true form, capturing and presenting something about them that shines through the photographs. 

Colour Printing

After getting our colour films processed we received them back ready to print. The colour darkroom is a little more complex than the black and white darkroom as their is no red light when printing, just complete darkness as the photographic paper is extremely sensitive when printing. It was a little bit difficult at first to get used to the darkroom, but the enlargers are quite similar to the others i have used in previous projects. The white light is okay to be on when setting up the enlarger and negatives and then once ready the light has to be switched off when ready to use the paper and make a print. Another difference is there are the filter settings already in built in the enlarger, which takes effect on the colour of the negative once it has been printed. After doing a few contact sheets and test strips, it began to become easier to print in the complete darkness.

Portrait and Photography

Portraits initially define the subject but also what the photographers intention of what the image means and speaks out to its audience and if it creates a reaction. Portrait's originate from centuries ago and has been a symbolic use of showing identity and power ever since. They were extremely popular during the 16th century and famous painter of this period, Han's Holbein reflects how portraits were an important part of everyday life, which now presents history and development of this subject. The painting "The Ambassadors" painting in 1533 and by Holbein is one of his most famous pieces of work. It contains two men of power, which is known through the colours used and the way they are dressed. The painting has many objects that has created debate over the years because of the religious status of that period. Holbein also included an anamorphosis, a distorted skull on an angle at the bottom of the painting, this will of had a symbolic meaning when it was produced, which again has been much debated. Another famous portrait painting by Gainsborough "Mr and Mrs Andrews" presents a view of power because of the land and body language of the subjects and also the fact Gainsborough has included their land, that shows the couple are very self assured of themselves and their lives. As photography has developed it is clear to see that the painting's I have mentioned have had influence in a number of portrait photographs, keeping some of the themes seen in paintings centuries ago. American photographer Tina Barney reflects this is her work such as her portrait "New York Couple" that also presents wealth and shows the identity of the subjects. Not only has portrait paintings and photography presented wealth, power and identity, but how it shows us history. Photography was and is an amazing invention that has allowed to see how people lived from the late 1800's. Edward Curtis' work is a great example of this because he documented the American West and its native people who also lived there, which was interesting at the time because the people Curtis was photographing were also the ones that fighting and killing them, but is great because he has documented this people that we do not hear of anymore. Sociology also has an impact on portrait photography because of the issues that surround society. Photographers over the decades have captured an objective way of seeing which can can be confrontational in the issues that are going on or have been around the world, that presents the subject of what photographers should and should not photograph. Portrait's also create a passage of time and embraces the sitter in photographs that is clear depending on what clothes are worn, furniture surrounding the subject or when comparing two images together that maybe of the same people, but within that moment of the photograph it is gone, which Roland Barthes explained in his theory of photography a "mini death" because it is gone in seconds. When presenting their portrait work, photographers generally always have a context behind it, which they want its audience to see and deconstruct, that photographys such as William Eggleston and Cindy Sherman present, but depending on our beliefs it may come across differently. Eggleston creates a prejudice in his images because of the narrative that he creates, which makes the audience question the background of the image and what is going on. Sherman however uses everyday situations in her portraits of herself that makes the audience shocked and question todays society.
Portrait photography has filled the world with history and identity that makes us question the world and want to know more about the person in the photograph's that show us different situations and circumstances effect us and our lives.

Workshop - Colour

Today (5.12.14) with Tim we learned how to use the Hasselblad camera's with film backs and how to load the film. After a well informed discussion and demonstration the camera seemed quite easy to use and once loading the film was straight forward we all bought some film in pairs so that we could have 6 exposures each. 'Colour' was the theme we were given for these first 6 shots and strangers has seemed to follow with this from the black and white images. This shoot was successful in that I had taken my 6 exposures of strangers. I found it quite difficult to get used to the camera at first as the Hasselblad is used from a lower angle than other cameras, however I feel that once processed it will be clear to see whether the images have worked and if they are in focus. I kept using the same angle on each shot to keep it simple, focusing on a small depth of field, only of the shoulders upwards and focusing in on closely to the face. As my first shoot with the Hasselblad I feel it went well and the next few shoots will be even more successful and I will look forward to printing in the colour darkroom.

Boy's Don't Cry

Ukranian photography collective GORSAD produces very candid, white wall, relatable images. The series below is called 'Boy's Don't Cry' and includes portraits of young boys and girls who seem to be rebelling against their parents and challenging society. The images straight away give off a sense of controversy because these kids are smoking, under the influence of alcohol, their dress sense's are a little different and the way they are posing gives off an attitude and an opinion about their behaviour. GORSAD states that this series is about the period in everyone's life when you do not care and do not think about the consequences. The narrative of these photographs is clear, which I think makes these portraits successful because when you look at them, the story of these children and teenagers jumps out.

http://www.dazeddigital.com/photography/article/22534/1/boys-don-t-cry

http://gorsadkiev.tumblr.com

Shoot 2

Today (20.11.14) I went out shooting again hopeful to capture some more black and white portraits on the 5x4 camera. With a change of location, it was much more successful in capturing strangers passing by my set up. It seemed that out of the people that I asked to get in my images, only one man said no. As I only captured three images, it did not take me long to shoot and with careful consideration of who I was going to take pictures of, it was overall a successful shoot. Unfortunately when processing the negatives I did not develop it for long enough and came out a bit thin, but I will still be able to print them, which I am looking forward to. Overall I feel that I have successfully captured portraits that I can use and have been a development in capturing strangers and and skills in portrait photography. Below are my scanned images from this shoot.

Shoot 1

Today (17.11.14) I went out to shoot on the 5x4. The location of the shoot was in hartlepool town centre, where the first image I captured was a young girl and guy, which I chose the medium depth of field where it would only be from the waist up of the people in the image. The second one I did was a long focal point so that it would be a long depth of field, so a full length body shot, which was of two middle aged women. This was the first time that I have gone out and asked for strangers to be in the photographs, it turned out the majority of people did not want to be in the images and the ones that did needed quite a bit of convincing. It was also interesting to see, what type of people were more willing to have there picture taken, young lads who attend Hartlepool college were up for it as it seemed it was for a laugh and more of a joke, older people also seemed more interested because we are using a camera that has been around for decades and is different to the digital cameras we tend to use today. Overall todays shoot was a success because I captured two images that I can use and print after they were shot and processed. I now feel more confident in going out to shoot and asking strangers if I can photograph them. Below are my two scanned negative's from today.

Commercial

Some recent commercial portraits I have done for a charity event earlier this month.