The first known Photographic Portrait
The similarities and differences between these photos is one on the left is a selfie one on the right is a portrait. Both of the portraits were taken in 1839, Hippolyte's is black and white, whilst Cornelius's is faded colour I think the reason they are different colours is because different methods were used to make them. They both claim to have the first self portrait, both were taken in 1839. The way both of these are framed oddly they are Both not centred but they are both to the left. Robert Cornelius's Portrait was made in the back of his family store in Philadelphia, he took the image by removing the lens cap, running into frame after a minute he covered the lens back up again and wrote 'the first light picture ever taken 1839'. Hippolyte Bayard's Portrait was taken by using his own method called the the direct positive process. It involved exposing silver paper to light which made it black, he then soaked it in Potassium ionide before being exposed in a camera. After the exposure it was washed in hypo-sulphite and dried.
Portraiture |
I think we are studying portraiture because portraiture expresses peoples feelings and it expresses their culture. The thing that is so beautiful about portraiture is it shows beauty and it captures an idea of a person also what they stand for, it can also be used in so many other good ways for example Tyler Mitchell used portraiture to defy against the media and change people's perception of young black people his portraits also express joy.
Portraiture can also show the sadness in some communities and it can express that in such a sad but amazing way for example Cris Killip's exhibition he embedded him self in his community he captures not just the people but the landscape as well, along with the black and white colour it gives solidarity.
But this just shows how vast and incredible portraiture is I have only talked about two portraiture photographers and already their photographs are so different Portraiture dates all the way back to 1839 and there have been so many from the victorian era to modern day.
Portraiture can also show the sadness in some communities and it can express that in such a sad but amazing way for example Cris Killip's exhibition he embedded him self in his community he captures not just the people but the landscape as well, along with the black and white colour it gives solidarity.
But this just shows how vast and incredible portraiture is I have only talked about two portraiture photographers and already their photographs are so different Portraiture dates all the way back to 1839 and there have been so many from the victorian era to modern day.
My First Portrait
The first ever portrait I remember that I saw was me and my brother standing next to a wall outside my old house making hand gestures I still have the photo in my room. The portrait was outside my old house on the brick wall. The colours in the portrait are grey and beige because of the wall and also a little bit of green because of the bush above our heads. The image was presented as joyful because it is one of the first memories I have had with my brother. Aesthetic, background, contrast, portrait, light, mood, visual, crop,
I think the way portraits have changed is they have gotten more creative, for example blurred portraits. My favourite type of Portrait is a group Portrait because you make good memories with people. I also like environmental portraits, which is when you go out and take pictures of people you find interesting. I found the task fun and a little bit difficult because I was working in a large group and none of them looked like me and my brother but Josh and Reece recreated the picture perfectly. It looks similar to the original because of the hand positioning and the background.
I think the way portraits have changed is they have gotten more creative, for example blurred portraits. My favourite type of Portrait is a group Portrait because you make good memories with people. I also like environmental portraits, which is when you go out and take pictures of people you find interesting. I found the task fun and a little bit difficult because I was working in a large group and none of them looked like me and my brother but Josh and Reece recreated the picture perfectly. It looks similar to the original because of the hand positioning and the background.
Re-create a Portrait from your family album
The first one is of me in sunglasses in my parents room I found this task very difficult because the photo I took with me in it didn’t look very good at all because I’m a lot older then I was. So I had my brother be my younger self. A difficult part about this photo was very the lighting right because the photo
was taken with a different camera and the flash was yellow so I had to get a light from my room to match the lighting. It looks pretty similar to the original but it was hard because we moved house a few years ago. I also used the vivid warm filter to edit the photo to make it look more similar.
was taken with a different camera and the flash was yellow so I had to get a light from my room to match the lighting. It looks pretty similar to the original but it was hard because we moved house a few years ago. I also used the vivid warm filter to edit the photo to make it look more similar.
The second photo I recreated was of me when I was 4, stroking my cat (Coco). This was very difficult to re create because I was at my uncle’s house when this photo was taken so I didn’t have the same sofa therefore I had to put a vivid warm filter on it again to make the lighting look more similar and the sofa look more yellow. Another problem I had when recreating this photo was the cat wouldn’t stay on my so it took many takes. I don’t think it looks as similar to the original because the sofa is different and I’m a lot older.
Nico Fro Workshop
Nico Fro takes portraits of people on the street who look interesting, he takes environmental portraits which are outside of his house he takes the pictures in his local area South East London. He uses solid colours in the background and he frames the image so the people are in the centre and they are the whole focus of the image. He photographs people who look interesting to him, when he photographs the people he makes the background mostly colours and he uses the light to his advantage to make the people contrast to their surroundings. He makes South London look so diverse and full of colour. If I were to approach this task outside of school I would photograph some of my friends and try to Re-create one of Nico Fro's pictures in the same place he took the photograph. I would Re-create his basketball hoop photo as it looks good especially with sunset and it look fun and a little bit dangerous to do.
Nico Fro Home Work
For my homework to make it look like the style of Nico Fro’s, I chose the afternoon when the sun was at it’s best (blue hour) to make the lighting similar to Nico Fro’s. I tried to include environmental backgrounds like the shop and the houses, the colour of the sky matched the Thomas Tallis T-Shirt. My favourite photo was the one with the car this is because I got half shadow half light, it adds a pop of colour thanks to the car and the car also projects a shadow. I also position Eli perfectly on the border of the sunlight and the shadow. For the top left one I positioned my friend Isaac in front of the blue wood and I tried to get the sun to shine through the bushes. I think the thing I need to improve about all these photos especially as they are Nico Fro inspired. I need more colour and shadow.
Tyler Mitchell
Tyler Mitchell takes portrait photos, of people of colour he takes these images to show how black people are shown in negative light on the news. He takes his photos almost like he's on a fashion shoot. Colour is a very important part of his work which why his work is inspired by Cuba when he visited because it is very colourful there, he wants to project an image to the rest of the world by doing this he denies history and portrays black people in the correct positive light. Which is why he is referred to as 'black topic vision'. What makes Tylers work he capture many ideas in single image, he wants every image to influence on the world that no one is different. What emerges is a visual representation of the black community a one that emphasises empowerment, and by using bold colours and black models Mitchell challenges the ideas of beauty. He wants his images to have a sense of freedom with his pastel coloured background and. his ribbons and fashion got really makes the image have a sense of belonging. Tyler shoots in natural lights he uses the sunlight to illuminate the subjects in his images, whenever Tyler takes his photographs he always makes sure the person is in the centre this attracts the viewers attention as well as the colour and the sunlight around it. He illuminates the image. Tyler’s images are theatrical and staged and he most commonly has youth in his images, I think maybe this is because he started photography when he was in his youth and he wants to capture the joy. So he uses young people who are usually always happy.
Central London Photography Trip
On the Central London photography trip I learnt a lot about Tyler Mitchell and I also learnt the confidence to go up to someone and ask to take a portrait, which was very surprising to me. I learnt in Cris Killips exhibition about the experiences for the poor in the north. I learnt about how Tyler Mitchell takes his images the colour he uses nature and the elements of the earth (green and brown). All of Tylers photographs are incredibly similar he borrowed from the genre of painting and made it his own, he borrowed the colour pallet from the Victorian era and since photography has come into fashion Tyler has changed the whole idea of photography being similar to Portraits, he has used the same pallets but reimagined the entire thing.
For the Central London photography trip we went to the Tyler Mitchell exhibition, we saw many amazing photos all framed and polished from top to bottom, we also went to second exhibition where all the photos were black and white and were all taken in England in the 1900's. We also went to a park where I took photos of two of the staff members there, the one with the orange is my favourite because he is in a orange uniform and he is in a orange shed so it really makes the photo pop, stand out. Overall I learnt a lot from the central London photography trip including how to ask people tot take photos
Family Portraits
For this lesson we did family portraits, mugshot portraits and self portraits, for the self portraits I thought I did very well, it was a creative idea and I had a few attempts, I positioned it perfectly and the picture was in just the right place where there is not to much but not to little sunlight, it almost gives me a silhouette like image. For the jail portraits I came up with the idea of taking a book of the display and using it as a prop, although I think I could have used light better in both the family and the mugshot portraits, I think that is an area I need to improve in using light properly.
Elements of Portraiture in Paintings
For this section of Work on Tom Hunter, me and Josh chose Saint Jerome in Meditation and Girl with a Pearl Earring, for Girl with a Pearl Earring we chose it because we could use the sunlight to our advantage and it was a close up. We wrapped a piece of cloth around our heads and we tried to make the sunlight shine through the cloth this took a very long time, until I timed one perfectly.
For Saint Jerome in Meditation, we chose it because it was a lot more colourful than the others we could also be a lot more creative with it. We struggled to find the perfect spot so we settled in on the basketball court because sunlight reflected perfectly onto our faces after stuffing a blanket with a hose to make the baby we just had to time it right and we did so.
For Saint Jerome in Meditation, we chose it because it was a lot more colourful than the others we could also be a lot more creative with it. We struggled to find the perfect spot so we settled in on the basketball court because sunlight reflected perfectly onto our faces after stuffing a blanket with a hose to make the baby we just had to time it right and we did so.
Review and Refine
To improve my portrait I think I need to retake it to get rid of the reflection of the paint on my top, I think it's a good idea but could make it better, for example getting rid of the coloured words in the background but I think I did a good job because I positioned myself for the actual painting to cut off the camera, but u can see the camera string which is something I could do better.
Although the light for the first one of The girl with the pearl earring is really good the buildings distract you from the image so we improved by making a plain background to bring more attention to Josh, so we refined the image although with the sacrifice of natural light we completed the main which was to bring Josh in the image this helped bring a sharp focus on Josh. For the mug shot I decided not to use the artificial light because it made the mug shot look gloomy so I thought that a black background and and a serious face would do the job and all though it's a bit plain I'm satisfied.
Photograms
A photogram is an image made without a camera, it can be done by placing objects onto a sheet of photographic paper in a room which has only red lights and then exposing it to light and placing it in 3 different liquids then leaving it up to dry this creates an image and gives you the ability to make photographs without a camera.
Man Ray
Man Ray uses house hold items in his photograms, Man Ray claims to have invented the photogram his first photogram was when he places thumbtacks a coil of wire and other circular objects on to sheet of paper in a dark room and then exposing it to light. Man Ray photographs every day objects, in his photograms Ray created surreal irrational combination of objects. This led to a massive change in photography as Ray had discovered how to make camera less images.
William Fox Talbot
William Fox Talbot’s photograms mainly consist of nature, compared to Man Ray’s photograms they are very different Man Rays consist of house hold items like scissors, buttons and thumb tack whereas William Fox Talbot’s seem less chaotic and more calming. Photograms are a photograph made without using a camera it is done by placing objects on light sensitive material and then exposing it to light. Man Rays seem chaotic which is why I prefer William Talbot's photograms, Talbot along with Man Ray were some of the first people To discover and use photograms. My favourite photo from William Talbots collection of images is the negative image of the tree although not as calming as the others it is very powerful.
Obstructed Self Portraits
For these self portraits I did them at night because of the pitch black sky which served as a plain background, to obstruct my face I used a football and nature like leaves, for my favourite 2 which are the ones which blind the bottom of the camera which also obstructs my face. These are my favourite because it obstructs my face as well as looking good. I did this by getting a flash light going outside facing down at the camera so it is facing up toward the sky and putting the torch at the bottom of the camera, this gives a mystic effect which looks like fog. For the first one it is really hard to see me but that is what I like about it, it gives off the sense of mystery and it looks like I'm not there but I really am. Overall my favourite two photos are the flashlight ones because I used creativity and it took a long time to get perfectly right.
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Self Portraits
For these self portraits I experimented a number of different ways, I took these images in school by the field just when the sun was shining this gave my images a glow, I took my images from a number of different positions for example I took some with objects in front of me, or I took some with the sun behind me shining into the camera which obstructs the image a little bit.
Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander is an American photographer in his photos the element of light players a big role always shining in his face in the self portraits it makes the image vibrant even though it is black and white. The focus in his photos always vary he is not always in the centre of the photo or he has something obstructing his face which is usually the focus. He took the photos in the period of the 1960's and 70's when there were still black and white photos. The point of view is either taken from his point of view or you feel like a photographer. He usually frames himself in the middle but not sometimes an object gets in the way or he is on the side of the photo, he does this because
Self portraits
For these self portraits I attempted to utilise the sky as much as possible because of it's tone and colour and the depth it added to the photograph. For example the one in the bottom right looks so much cleaner and an overall better photograph because of the way I utilised the sky, rather than an object.
Close up self portraits
For these photographs I took them out in the sunlight and I positioned myself on the table tennis table, perfectly so that I had my lower body in the shadow and my upper body inn the sunlight this gave the photo a glow. I also took another few photos standing up o a hill then I got my photography partner to take the photo kneeling down this got the light shining on my face but also the crystal clear blue sky above me which made the photo so much better. Overall I'm very happy with these photos,
Rankin Destroy
Rankin wants to be unique in his portraits, he takes photos of 70 famous musicians and asks them to destroy their own portraits this gives the portraits personal worth because the famous musicians have put personal investment into the portrait. To create the portrait Rankin uses a series of techniques. For example, distance, he always has the camera 1 metre away from the head shot. So when the musicians destroy there photographs it give sit more worth because it's nothing else just their faces no body, just face. Background, Rankin always uses a plain white background , this makes the photo more professional and neat, it also highlights the product detail of the artist. Using a white background is also good for Rankin because it makes editing easier, a white background creates a high contrast in colour so it is easier top edit in photoshop eg.
Lighting, the lighting Rankin uses is a single source of light which is not to bright and that is placed above the camera.
Lighting, the lighting Rankin uses is a single source of light which is not to bright and that is placed above the camera.
Destroying Portraits Photopea
When i used photo-pea i used many different filters, for example i changed the temperature on both photographs i made one warm which gave it a bright colour and tone. I made the other photos temperature low so it turned into a cool icy blue tone. I also used the filter liquify to destroy the face. The use of light is effective in the warm image but not in the low temperature image because of the tone it doesn’t make the light as vibrant as it is in the first one which is a downside to the second image, although i like the second image more because icy blue is a more pleasing colour to the eye, than warm dry yellow. I have learned about editing images and how you can completely refine your art making it look completely different to the original image.
Dark Room Asotape
We made this photograph in the dark room, we had to get our asotape on top of a piece of paper, I placed household items like string and keys onto the top of the image, I then exposed it to light for 3 seconds I then put it into series of liquids and moved the paper around making it absorb as much of the liquid as possible. I then hanged up the image and left it for a few hours and the final product was a light exposed image of me with many different household items obscuring the image, overall I am very pleased with how the image turned out because it looks very good.
Single colour experiment
For this photograph I colour copied a photo of me I did this by printing a self-portrait cutting it up and placing it into the printer face down I then colour copied it twice. This photograph gives me a sense of distortion, chaos.
Cynotypes
For this photograph, I used my asotope and a special piece of paper, I then exposed it in three 7 minute intervals, after that I soaked it in bleach and I left it to dry. Overall I'm quite happy with the result, because the part which is more visible, is the painting of the house and it makes me look like a silhouette which I think has a makes a very good anonymous effect. A way I could improve this image is by soaking it less because it turned out a bit to dark, so you cannot see my face so it may not be classified as a portrait.
Deanna Lawson
In Deana Lawson's portraits she takes them in nature with bright green colours and good tone she also has natural lighting in her photos which makes the green in the photo pop. She usually only photographs in nature, with her children taking the photo with her, in some of her photos you will see she has an old fashioned camera
Deena Lawson inspired homework
For these photographs, I was inspired by Deena Lawson to take these photos me and my friends took a train to Hyde park when the weather was good. I positioned my friends next to wildlife because that is where Deena Lawson takes most of her photographs. I tried to replicate some of her images I got my friend to holt their phone up and act like they were taking a picture of me, I then made sure they were perfectly positioned in the sunlight and I took the image. I also tried to replicate the image with Deena Lawson and her 2 children, I positioned my friends against a tree where the lighting was just right and took the photograph. To improve my images i will got in the summer to hide park because these photographs have been taken in the winter, and I feel there is not enough greenery to satisfy the image.
Ziqianqian
In Ziqianqian self portraits she does not show her face this gives the photo a sense of mystery, it leaves us wandering who is the lady behind this photograph. The self portrait gives us a very elegant feel, this is because of the single colour plain background, nothing is disturbing the image which gives it a very clean look. the way she uses the mirror to make it look like she is holding the flowers is very interesting she rests the flower just in front of the camera and places the mirror in front she puts her hand behind to male it look like she is holding the flower. Although the photo may come off as a little bit plain I think the background s a good thing because it gives all the focus to the mirror.
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Ziqianqian inspired self-portraits
Self portraits
For these images I was inspired by Ziqianqian, I used a square mirror as I tried to replicate some of her images using school items. For example I used a pencil pot and some string and other school items like a highlighter, to add excitement to the image, another way I did this was by including the camera in the image. It made my photos feel a lot more professional and with the camera being the focus of the image it looks nice but it also draws attention away from the actual photographer and it gives the photo a really nice balance.
My plan is to use the best portrait photos and print them out and create a booklet I will colour copy some of the photos to make them more exciting and I will take some more throughout the week, I will then have a general description under each of the photos.
In this photo one thing that is key is the camera level it is waist level there is no elevation, it makes it look like the people in the photograph are looking at something else, which gives it a graphic vibe, dramatic. The photo is also full of colour, the people in the photographs are wearing outfits with many different colours, each one is a variation of another. The nature is what makes it pop, the different shades of green, it seems to be lighter on the bottom of the photograph and as you look up the shades of green in nature get darker and darker, this is due to the lighting the sunlight mainly hits the lighter leaves and the shadow hits the darker ones giving it very different colours . The style of the photograph is also informal they are posed hugging each other, Deena Lawson is also wearing a ton of jewellery which is not simple in normal model images the background is plain white they are wearing one consistent shade of colour whereas Deena Lawson opposes that, she makes her children wear different colours of clothing, she has taken the photograph in nature, she is wearing a lot of jewellery, the image is not simplistic at all.
The process of editing my photos in photo pea was interesting, I first started off by uploading there image to photo pea then I experimented with number of different filters in filter gallery, there were filters like bubble wrap, u could make your images into a comic like image. I experimented and I also used other filters, the main ones I used were kaleidoscope and liquify, these made my images stand out I also used crystallise to define the image, once I had experimented and found my perfect combination, I then saved the image and then printed them out.
Final
My theme for the final piece was mirror images, to keep it simplistic I chose clean images with no distracting backgrounds and to make it even more pleasing to the eye and converted the images to black and white via photopea, to do this I edited the brightness and saturation you can see that because some are lighter than others.