DAVID BAILEY
David Bailey is a London based photographer who was born 27th January 1938. When growing up his mother found it very difficult to provide for the family thus he had a very hard childhood, his mother would rather take them out to the cinema then stay at home as heating cost a lot of money. His father was a tailor, his mother a machinist, however he didnt see his father that much as he was ' he was too busy scallywagging around.'. He also found it especially hard to concentrate in school, and only attend 33 days of school in a whole year and after the age of 15 when it was legally accepted for him to leave, he immediately left to join the army. Growing up he had a very limited choice of Job market and was given the options like becoming a boxer, a chef or even a musician however a photographer wasn't on the list. In his early career he did exactly this, he went back and fro from many different jobs which although provided him with money didn't fulfill his desire to do his dream job. He first started his interest in photography when he was sent to Singapore from the Royal Air Force, his inspiration coming from a fellow photographer called Henri Cartier Bresson.
"I was smitten, and gradually the prospect of becoming a photographer became less remote, perhaps even attainable."
After partially working with a magazine in 1958 called 'Queen Magazine'. he became an assistant to fashion photographer John French in London. By 1960 at the age of 22 he was almost as famous as the people that he was photographing. for example fashion designer Mary Quant, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
"I wanted to be like Fred Astaire, but I couldn't, so instead I went for the next best thing, which was to be a fashion photographer."
Throughout his years David Bailey has written and published many books for example 'Goodbye Baby' and 'Amen' has complete record of of his work and captures the decade he first started in with the photographs of people such like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, as well as actresses, politicians, artists and writers of the time. Bailey also directed television commercials and documentaries and by 1972 he began publishing the fashion and photography magazine Ritz. He has developed an interest in painting and has had his works exhibited. In 2001, he was made a CBE, which is a class of the Order of the British Empire, for his service to the arts.
I personally really like his photo's as they have an element of 'edge' as all the images below look very sharp and fierce mainly due to them staring right into the screen which could show a connection between the audience and the photos themselves. Also it looks like they are trying to tell a message or a story behind his work. Most of his work is also practiced in black and white and which add a sense of sophistication into his work and look much more important as we instantly link them to historic event, however even to this day where the coloured photos have been out for a long long time, he continues to capture his image in black and white. We can also see that every person that has been captured by him has very sharp features with eyes that stare right at the camera and the whole image itself looks very neat and tidy and very finished. They all have no specific expression on their faces and look very serious and neat which could say something about the photographer. David Bailey himself.
"I was smitten, and gradually the prospect of becoming a photographer became less remote, perhaps even attainable."
After partially working with a magazine in 1958 called 'Queen Magazine'. he became an assistant to fashion photographer John French in London. By 1960 at the age of 22 he was almost as famous as the people that he was photographing. for example fashion designer Mary Quant, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
"I wanted to be like Fred Astaire, but I couldn't, so instead I went for the next best thing, which was to be a fashion photographer."
Throughout his years David Bailey has written and published many books for example 'Goodbye Baby' and 'Amen' has complete record of of his work and captures the decade he first started in with the photographs of people such like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, as well as actresses, politicians, artists and writers of the time. Bailey also directed television commercials and documentaries and by 1972 he began publishing the fashion and photography magazine Ritz. He has developed an interest in painting and has had his works exhibited. In 2001, he was made a CBE, which is a class of the Order of the British Empire, for his service to the arts.
I personally really like his photo's as they have an element of 'edge' as all the images below look very sharp and fierce mainly due to them staring right into the screen which could show a connection between the audience and the photos themselves. Also it looks like they are trying to tell a message or a story behind his work. Most of his work is also practiced in black and white and which add a sense of sophistication into his work and look much more important as we instantly link them to historic event, however even to this day where the coloured photos have been out for a long long time, he continues to capture his image in black and white. We can also see that every person that has been captured by him has very sharp features with eyes that stare right at the camera and the whole image itself looks very neat and tidy and very finished. They all have no specific expression on their faces and look very serious and neat which could say something about the photographer. David Bailey himself.
David Bailey, Jean Shrimpton (1962)
This photograph itself has an even amount of positive and negative space distribution as we see both the colours black and white complementing each other, as there is roughly the same amount of these colours. We see that this lady’s dress is black which mirrors the colour of the wall however there is a splash of white coming from her skin colour which overall complements the picture very well. Although the photograph altogether can be seen to be very simple and it is due to the lack of colours embroidered into this photo and also the women is standing in a vertical position and there is nothing else appearing in the image that adds an ‘sharpness’ to the picture as a whole. However the simple use of diagonals that is shown with her dress can add the element of excitement and edge that we wanted. Her right arm is also bent at a 90-degree angle, which can add a portion of dimension into this otherwise very simple picture, which also contributes the use of levels. Another reason why this image specifically stood out to me was because unlike his other photos (above) where the eyes of the subjects are the central focus as they are staring right out at the audience in this image, David Bailey has decided to capture an image where the subject has her eyes closed. This could have been done deliberately to avert the attention of the audience away from the eyes and to appreciate this work as whole piece. David Bailey has also used a much slower shutter speed to catch the motion of the women as she flips her hair this again adds to the element of excitement and transforms what would have been otherwise a very boring image.
Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon was born on May 15th 1923 in New York, America into a family who was already involved into the world of fashion. He knew from an early age that he wanted to continue with his passion for photography therefore by the age of 12 he was already a proud owner of Kodak Box Brownie camera. In his secondary school, DeWitt Clinton High School, he was the he was the manager of the school’s literary magazine.
"The way someone who's being photographed presents himself to the camera, and the effect of the photographer's response on that presence, is what the making of a portrait is all about."
By the late thirties he was already studying philosophy at Columbia University, however he had to drop out after a year as he was required to serve in the Merchant Marines during World War II. As a Marine, his primary duty was to photograph sailors for identification portraits. After a number of years of photographing daily life in New York, Avedon was given the assignment of covering the notorious fashion week in Paris. Throughout the next ten years, he photographed the models out and about in the city of Paris, posing in places like cafes and streetcars.
“There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth”.
He photographed countless icons such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Marilyn Monroe, the Beatles, and President Eisenhower.
“One evening my father and I were walking down Fifth Avenue looking at the store windows,” he remembered. “In front of the Plaza Hotel, I saw a bald man with a camera posing a very beautiful woman against a tree. He lifted his head, adjusted her dress a little bit and took some photographs. Later, I saw the picture in Harper's Bazaar. I didn't understand why he'd taken her against that tree until I got to Paris a few years later: the tree in front of the Plaza had that same peeling bark you see all over the Champs-Elysees.”
He started working for 'Vogue' in 1962.
I personally really like his photography as there is a clear theme involved in them and that is that most of the people that he has photographed are not looking directly at the camera and are facing slightly away at a certain angle from the camera itself. This could add an element of mystery to his photographs and could leave the audience asking about his style of photography which would mean that he has connected with his audience. From the 1st image I can see that at the time Marilyn Monroe, who was a huge figure in the fashion industry was one of Richards objects this shows us that he was a great fashion photographer as he had people like Monroe who were willing to be photographed by him.
"The way someone who's being photographed presents himself to the camera, and the effect of the photographer's response on that presence, is what the making of a portrait is all about."
By the late thirties he was already studying philosophy at Columbia University, however he had to drop out after a year as he was required to serve in the Merchant Marines during World War II. As a Marine, his primary duty was to photograph sailors for identification portraits. After a number of years of photographing daily life in New York, Avedon was given the assignment of covering the notorious fashion week in Paris. Throughout the next ten years, he photographed the models out and about in the city of Paris, posing in places like cafes and streetcars.
“There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth”.
He photographed countless icons such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Marilyn Monroe, the Beatles, and President Eisenhower.
“One evening my father and I were walking down Fifth Avenue looking at the store windows,” he remembered. “In front of the Plaza Hotel, I saw a bald man with a camera posing a very beautiful woman against a tree. He lifted his head, adjusted her dress a little bit and took some photographs. Later, I saw the picture in Harper's Bazaar. I didn't understand why he'd taken her against that tree until I got to Paris a few years later: the tree in front of the Plaza had that same peeling bark you see all over the Champs-Elysees.”
He started working for 'Vogue' in 1962.
I personally really like his photography as there is a clear theme involved in them and that is that most of the people that he has photographed are not looking directly at the camera and are facing slightly away at a certain angle from the camera itself. This could add an element of mystery to his photographs and could leave the audience asking about his style of photography which would mean that he has connected with his audience. From the 1st image I can see that at the time Marilyn Monroe, who was a huge figure in the fashion industry was one of Richards objects this shows us that he was a great fashion photographer as he had people like Monroe who were willing to be photographed by him.
Marlon Brando, New york, April 19 1951
I have specifically chosen this photo from Richard Avedon as it instantly got my attention. The positive and negative light here do not complement each other as the negative light is more visible as this image as a whole has a sense of darkness within it. We only see the colour white or the positive with the towel and the cigarette which shows an imbalance in this photo. The cigarette that is casually hanging from his fingers shows that this image is not as simple as it would initially seem as it could represent another side of this photo as a whole. Also the unfinished shaving could also signify a sense of unfinished elements within the photo and could leave the audience asking questions about the idea and the reasoning behind this choice. The towel could also act as a leading line and would lead the audiences eyes to the back of the towel which dissolves into the white background which could leave the audience being confused as to what the main attraction behind this photo is. Also wee see that the man himself is not situated right in the middle of the frame as we see more white space in the left side of the frame then the right side, this would be following one of the composition as not placing your subject directly in the middle of the frame and also the rule of thirds could apply here. The audience is seen to be more inferior as we have to look up slightly to see the picture very well and the man in the photo is looking directly down showing his significant character. There is also a clear depth of field shown within this photo as the man himself is very focused however the background can be seen to be very blurry, this only shows us the importance of the man. This could have an oxymoron idea imbedded into it for example shaving could make him appear more presentable and more clean however the cigarette tells us / gives us a contrasting side to the man in the image and the image itself, it could show that although it appears to be very simple looking it has a deeper meaning behind it. Both his hands appear to be fumbling the left side of his neck and I can see a neckless that is dangling from his middle finger which would then add a completely different element to the image as it would contrast with the cigarette as the cigarette can be seen as harmful and dangerous however the neckless can show a loving and a heartbroken side to it. The arms are bent at a perpendicular position which creates a 90-degree angle which adds dimension to the photo to make it more 3D like. Also it could leave the audience feeling uncomfortable because the man seems to have been caught off guard as he appears to be getting ready which shows us that he looks unready and this would overall make the audience feeling uncomfortable. However as he is looking directly at the camera we have a much closer relation to him which makes the audience and the subject feel much more closer.
Martin Schoeller
Martin Schoeller was born in Munich, Germany in 1968 and growing up in Germany, he had a heavy influence by August Sander’s countless portraits of the poor and this could be said to have been one of his very first interest towards the large world of photography. He worked as an assistant for Annie Leibovitz from 1993 to 1996, here he developed his "big head" portrait technique, Choeller studied photography at 'Lette Verein in Berlin. Schoeller joined Richard Avedon (previous artist) as a contributing portrait photographer at The New Yorker in 1999, where he continues to produce his award-winning images. His portraits are exhibited and collected internationally all around the globe, including in several solo exhibitions in Europe and the United States.
He left in 1996 to pursue his freelancing career. Soon his street portraits started getting published in Rolling Stone, GQ, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, and W.
"A photographic close-up is perhaps the purest form of portraiture, creating a confrontation between the viewer and the subject that daily interaction makes impossible or at least impolite"
Throughout his years as a popular and ever growing photographer he has had many of his work exhibited out into museums and gallery and he has also published a book giving tips about and taking in general about the world of photography. His photography are well recognised by the way he takes them as they have a bak drop however with very simple details to the subject themselves.
His photography can be either interpreted in two different ways, one could be that his photos are very consistent in the style that they are taken in, an example being that most if not all of this photography is a very large portrait of his subject who have no particular expression in their faces. The background here is not visible at all due to the close up capture we have of these subjects so in a way they could all be seen to be roughly the same. It is all about exemplifying the natural features in the photos themselves. However it does stand out between our other two photographers, which is that it has some colour and is actually very vibrant as he takes pictures of people of all different skin colours and race. They could also be interpreted to be very interesting and although simple still exciting. This is because the background can sometimes distract the audience from focusing on the main subject so in a way with his photography we can all focus on what Martin wants us to focus on. We can really appreciate the close up details that he has tried to include and we can see the petit details that could otherwise be ignored completely. In most of the images below the most alluring feature is their eyes and one of the key patterns within his photography is the change in eye colour and this can make the photo very interesting as initially they are all very simple so by changing the eye colour, it changes the picture as a whole. Most of the images below have no shadows casted on to their faces which only enhances their importance as they are not covered in any sense.
He left in 1996 to pursue his freelancing career. Soon his street portraits started getting published in Rolling Stone, GQ, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, and W.
"A photographic close-up is perhaps the purest form of portraiture, creating a confrontation between the viewer and the subject that daily interaction makes impossible or at least impolite"
Throughout his years as a popular and ever growing photographer he has had many of his work exhibited out into museums and gallery and he has also published a book giving tips about and taking in general about the world of photography. His photography are well recognised by the way he takes them as they have a bak drop however with very simple details to the subject themselves.
His photography can be either interpreted in two different ways, one could be that his photos are very consistent in the style that they are taken in, an example being that most if not all of this photography is a very large portrait of his subject who have no particular expression in their faces. The background here is not visible at all due to the close up capture we have of these subjects so in a way they could all be seen to be roughly the same. It is all about exemplifying the natural features in the photos themselves. However it does stand out between our other two photographers, which is that it has some colour and is actually very vibrant as he takes pictures of people of all different skin colours and race. They could also be interpreted to be very interesting and although simple still exciting. This is because the background can sometimes distract the audience from focusing on the main subject so in a way with his photography we can all focus on what Martin wants us to focus on. We can really appreciate the close up details that he has tried to include and we can see the petit details that could otherwise be ignored completely. In most of the images below the most alluring feature is their eyes and one of the key patterns within his photography is the change in eye colour and this can make the photo very interesting as initially they are all very simple so by changing the eye colour, it changes the picture as a whole. Most of the images below have no shadows casted on to their faces which only enhances their importance as they are not covered in any sense.
Ben Machell
Published at 12:38PM, October 19 2013
Published at 12:38PM, October 19 2013
I really took an interest in this image because it hugely contrasted against the subject itself. For example the man in this photo appears to be very masculine due to his masculine facial features and this hugely contrast against the flower which can be seen to be very feminine, as flowers are heavily associated with femininity . However the clash of these two different groups can make this image a whole lot more interesting, therefore this could confuse the audience as to what this image is really trying to explain. It could be interpreted that even though he has a feminine perceived object e.g. flower he can still be seen as masculine and is breaking the barriers between the genders and it could have a social message of gender neutrality within it. By the subject deliberately looking away from the camera we loose the connection that we have with the photographer which can make this image less dynamic and less communication. This also follows the rule of filling in the frame as we only have one subject, its a good idea to take a close up image so that we can really see and appreciate the image. There is also a huge contrast in colour, we see a total of two different colours. For example the background of this image is a dark black colour, that matches the colour of his shirt, which could show us the dark side of being different and challenging societies norms, however the colour of the flower which is a rich pink and yellow shows a colour of freedom and the true colour of happiness so therefore this creates a sense of oxymoron. This could therefore influence other people to accept differences and challenge what is accepted. In terms of lines, the flower on his hair follows the direction that his nose is pointing towards and his eyes are also diverted to the corner of the frame which could lead the audience to follow this through and copy him. This image also has no shadows visible and this just enhances the importance of the man being capture as no parts of him are covered. The photographer would have used a gold reflector to cast a warm golden/yellow light on to the subject.
Gregory Crewdson
Gregory Crewdson was born in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1960s. His first experience of photography, at the age of ten, was a Diane Arbus retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He graduated with an MFA in photography from Yale University in 1988. For his thesis project, he took photographic portraits of residents of the area around Lee, Massachusetts, where his family had a cabin. It was also in Lee that Crewdson conceived of his later Natural Wonder series (1992–97), in which birds, insects, and mutilated body parts are presented in surreal yet mundane domestic settings. He turned away from brightly coloured close-ups to black-and-white bird’s-eye views of strange situations . His photographs have become increasingly spectacular and complex to produce, requiring dozens of assistants, Hollywood-style lighting, and specially crafted stage sets. Crewdson plans to direct a feature film in the future. Crewdson has had solo exhibitions at the Houston Center for Photography.
"I don't deliberately look for something dark or bleak or disconnected, in fact that's not something I'm ever conscious of in the work as I'm making it. I'm always trying to create beauty, reveal hope, show the sense of longing that exits in isolation and loneliness and capture the search for something greater inside all of my subjects."
Gregory's images are very different to other artists as they are very well in-fact perfectly in composition and they are done 'right'. I can see from his photography that he uses artificial light and this is evident because there are some light which are very bright and specifically aimed at certain parts of the photo and cast any unnecessary lights. They also look like they require additional help as it looks very well prepared rather then an abrupt photo. I really do like his photographs because they really play with the the themes of light and darkness, as all the pictures below have their lightest points highlighted and their darkest points also pointed out. These darkest points that are pointed out in most of his photos can reveal a senses of ghastly or sinister intentions behind the image as a whole.
"I don't deliberately look for something dark or bleak or disconnected, in fact that's not something I'm ever conscious of in the work as I'm making it. I'm always trying to create beauty, reveal hope, show the sense of longing that exits in isolation and loneliness and capture the search for something greater inside all of my subjects."
Gregory's images are very different to other artists as they are very well in-fact perfectly in composition and they are done 'right'. I can see from his photography that he uses artificial light and this is evident because there are some light which are very bright and specifically aimed at certain parts of the photo and cast any unnecessary lights. They also look like they require additional help as it looks very well prepared rather then an abrupt photo. I really do like his photographs because they really play with the the themes of light and darkness, as all the pictures below have their lightest points highlighted and their darkest points also pointed out. These darkest points that are pointed out in most of his photos can reveal a senses of ghastly or sinister intentions behind the image as a whole.
This image really stood out to me due to the very small detail that were printed on the large frame. The little girl sitting up in the bed has a white dress which could represent the innocent or the angelic side of the young girl which will leave a positive impact on the audience leaving a good connection between the subject and the audience. However there is another way of interpreting as white can be seen as sinister and quiet ghastly as we see gothic characters like ghosts and 'mummys' that are associated with the colour white. Therefore it can leave the audience feeling confused and asking question about the image as a whole. However the little girl has a bright light shone above her to show her innocence and venerability however the older women laid down has no light shown on to her which can show her sinister and darker side. The dark shadows that are casted on to the wall of the building add another sense of gothic horror into the image and I know that these are artificial light as they shadows casted perfectly fit the frame and also there is light shown specifically in places that the artists wants to highlight. The girl creates a perpendicular angle as she is sitting up causing a vertical stance whereas the bed is at a horizontal slant which creates a 90-degree angle which creates dimension to make the picture appear more 3D like. The top half of the photo is very light however as you move down the spectrum of the frame it start to get much darker and the only light that is seeping in is at the right hand corner of the frame. The contrast of the women laying down and the little girl sitting up shows us the abstract positions that the artist has tried to show which can add a different side of this image as a whole. There are also very sharp lines that are obvious in this photo for example one of the main being the squared windows that are reflected on to the light. These lines can appear to be too dominating as they take over the whole frame and can look too harsh on this image as this image seems to simple and too 'soft-like' for these dominate lines. Also this image as a whole is very dark and there is no sense of colour that speaks out to the audience which means that the image can loose a sense of excitement or interesting features however the small details means that there is too much for the audience to loose track of. Overall I really like his photos as they have a lot going within them. The girl herself is situated right in the middle of the frame so it gives the audience an idea of where to divert our attention so we know where to the attention should be placed.
Yousuf Karsh
Yousuf Karsh was born on the 23rd December 1908 in Mardin Ottoman Empire and unfortunately died on the 13th July in Boston. He was a Canadian photographer known for his portraits of important and famous men and women of politics, Hollywood, and Arts from Albert Einstein to Martin Luther King to Sir Winston Churchill to Walt Disney. In his early life, in 1922 he fled by foot with his family to Aleppo, Syria. After two years of staying there his father sent him to Canada with his uncle who was working as a photographer. This is where his intreats for photography and art in general started from, in the beginning he was just assisting his uncle but later began to develop key skills which were recognised for him to be a future photographer. Later in 1931, with the help from his uncle he established a studio and he was given the opportunity to photography great artists and actors.
"Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can"
The prime minister of Canada at the time also approached Yousuf and organised a way for his photograph to be taken by Karsh who was at the time one of the best photographers in Canada. The image of Churchill brought Karsh international prominence, and is claimed to be the most reproduced photographic portrait in history. the late 1990s Karsh moved to Boston and on July 13, 2002, aged 93, he died at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital after complications following surgery.
His photography is very simple when you initially look at it as it just captures the photographs without a background as I think they have a backdrop to divert the intention to the main subject of the image e.g. the famous people in the photographs. Majority of the people that he photographs are people of much higher status and most of the faces that have been taken are well recognised, this makes me believe that Karsh was a very highly thought of photographer as he would have been very popular among the more famous actors and figures in society during the 20th century. Although the way he has captured the images in black and white we can really see very fine details on the faces of these faces so we can clearly see the lights highlighted and rich tones and features on the faces.
"Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness"
"Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can"
The prime minister of Canada at the time also approached Yousuf and organised a way for his photograph to be taken by Karsh who was at the time one of the best photographers in Canada. The image of Churchill brought Karsh international prominence, and is claimed to be the most reproduced photographic portrait in history. the late 1990s Karsh moved to Boston and on July 13, 2002, aged 93, he died at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital after complications following surgery.
His photography is very simple when you initially look at it as it just captures the photographs without a background as I think they have a backdrop to divert the intention to the main subject of the image e.g. the famous people in the photographs. Majority of the people that he photographs are people of much higher status and most of the faces that have been taken are well recognised, this makes me believe that Karsh was a very highly thought of photographer as he would have been very popular among the more famous actors and figures in society during the 20th century. Although the way he has captured the images in black and white we can really see very fine details on the faces of these faces so we can clearly see the lights highlighted and rich tones and features on the faces.
"Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness"
Sir David Low
13 in. x 10 in. (331 mm x 255 mm) -Given by the photographer, Yousuf Karsh, 1991
13 in. x 10 in. (331 mm x 255 mm) -Given by the photographer, Yousuf Karsh, 1991
I really like this photo due to the positive and negative light distribution through out the entire image. I can see that however there is a higher portion of the negative light in comparison to the positive light. We see this because the mans suit is black which complements the colour of the wall at the back which compliment and work well together. However the lower half of the image is much brighter with whiter colours as we see the paper laid out in front to be much brighter. However we see that around the man there is a ring of white light around hi this could be seen as a halo or like an angelic character so we see him in a good light and perceive him to be a good person just because of the colour of the light. The glasses also cast a shadow onto the white/positive light at the bottom of the frame creating a darker negative light which ruins the patter of the lighter shade at the bottom and the darker shade being at the top. Also most of Krash's photos lack the eye contact and the connection between the audience and the subject in the frame, this photo also follows this pattern as the man himself is looking towards the left side of the frame. this would encourage the audience to follow his eyes to look where he is looking therefore this could add an element of leading line as we follow the gaze of the man.