Studio Portraiture : January 2013

Thursday 17 January 2013

Evaluation

From the beginning to the end I struggled to relate to the portraiture task. Portraiture was always something I had steered away from when I was doing my A-level, and now the choice was taken away, I knew I lacked studio skills and lighting techniques. I think I was a bit intimidated as well by the work of photographers like Martin Schoeller because I wouldn’t have known where to start in trying to recreate his work.

I was quite surprised when it came to my first shoot because I didn’t feel nervous at all which I put down to the calm atmosphere we had in the studio at the time. I was slightly anxious prior to this as we were introduced to a new camera the day before which was difficult to use and I didn’t want that to limit the outcome of the shoot, therefore damaging my grade. From a technical point of view I think this was one of the most difficult things in the section of the course, alongside using Light Room which I find challenging. Its editing tools were great but I didn’t really know why it was so complicated to access my edited light room files in Photoshop when they are both made by adobe or just to file and save my pictures as TIFFs or JPEGs so I could view them on my computer at home.

After receiving the results of my last module I became a lot more confident with my research, and again that’s helped me a lot to decide what aspect of portraiture I want to explore, in this case it was lighting and in particular Rembrandt lighting.

My most successful shoot was my second because I had a plan of what I wanted to do and I think I enjoyed it more than the first because I could have a laugh with my brother at the same time and I think this showed in the photographs.

If I was to do this project again I would spend a lot more time in the studio because with photography, practice makes perfect. I would also like to try and shoot in a similar style to Malick Sidibe because he really has a unique look to his photos and it seems to be a light hearted affaire when he’s in the studio, and with his models which makes it easy for everyone. I would also spend more time watching videos on how to operate Light Room properly because that was one of the things that annoyed me the most. To summarise I think it went ok and a good learning experience but portraiture isn’t something I am confident with at this stage.

Choosing pictures for printing

Choosing pictures for printing:

Choosing the pictures that I wanted to print wasn’t a very hard decision because I don’t believe I have that many good prints to choose from, but the ones that I liked, I thought were quite good. To make the images I chose work better together, I converted them all to black and white. I had to do this because the colours in the pictures were too different and they would look out of place together.

I decided to size my images A4 on a A3 piece of paper because I like the thick border, and I positioned the images towards the top of the paper because I grew fond of it over the street photography period.

I decided to print on photo speed high white cotton rag 315gram (fine art pager) because I have always liked a soft finish no matter what I was printing. I did try printing on 192 gram Epson matte paper but it didn’t feel substantial enough and still had a slight shine to it which I wasn’t happy with.

I don’t think that I was really inspired by one particular photographer during this assignment; I took my influences mainly from the videos that I watched. As I only ever tried to recreate the effects the photographers produced, it could be said that my influence was a particular lighting style and it would have to be Rembrandt lighting.

Thomas Ruff

Notes from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Ruff

· Was born in Zell am Harmerstarch, Germany 1958 and got his first camera in 1974 after going to camera classes

· - He photographed half-length portraits, similar to passport images.

· - He used even lighting and used people ages between 25-35.

· - He used 9x12 cm film camera, starting with black and white but later switched to colour

· - He allowed the models to choose the background colour, probably so it put across a bit of the sitters personality but insisted that the model made an expressionless face.

· - He later experimented with large format printing in 1986 producing up to 7x5 ft. prints

· -After doing that he found that the coloured background dominated the print so he reverted to a neutral background so the subject matter is the focus. Even though I am not doing to be printing that big, I need to be aware of this.

I quite like his work because it seems to be quick and simple and has a creepy look to it when the pictures are grouped together like when there displayed on Google images.

I like how he allowed people to choose their own backgrounds which adds personality to a picture and I imagine that it would give the model a bit more confidence knowing that they can make their own choices to put their spin on the outcome. I think if I was to shoot in the style of Thomas I would probably allow my subject to smile or have a laugh while I was taking pictures of them so it’s not so boring and dreary for me and the model and more of the personality of the model will come through.

Pictures below from: http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/aipe/thomas_ruff.htm

I think I prefer the black and white work done by Thomas because the low levels of contrast created by the head on lighting looks much softer than the colour stuff which I think is better. But the colour allows you to see the colour of the clothing which can tell you a lot about the person you are photographing. One thing you notice when you compare the black and white work with the colour work is that he’s pretty much always chops the top of the head off and is zoomed in much closer when it’s the black and white stuff. I think this is better because in my opinion he’s removing the meaningless space and retaining the important bit, the face which then more pronounced and the centre of attention, which in this case is an essential part of the picture.

Evaluation of second photo-shoot

My second shoot went better I think. Beforehand, I planned a series of light setups and worked through a few of them which I thought had the most potential. I got the best results by just using a beauty dish set at a slight angle. Here are my best results, and the setup I used.

I had a flash to light the background, a beauty dish facing the model, positioned above their head. I also had a reflector for a few of the pictures positioned under the chin to the left.

I am happy with/ the way that my pictures turned out, especially with the one on the left because of the soft look that has been achieved by using the beauty dish. I considered using a defused reflector to light the left side of his face but then I thought that I would lose the shadow under his neck which I liked because it helped to separate his head from the rest of his body. The one picture that I wished I had used a reflector with it the one on the right because this would have reduced the impact of the shadow under his eye which is caused by his finger. Despite this I quite like it.

Wex Photographic

I was browsing the internet looking for different types of lights and I found this site: http://www.wexphotographic.com/blog/two-light-studio-photography it showed different light setups and the results that they give, which is helpful.

Flat lighting

High key lighting

Low key lighting

The height and angle of the light can changed for a different effect.

All the pictures and diagrams are from http://www.wexphotographic.com/blog/two-light-studio-photography

Yousuf Karsh

Book research : Yousuf Karsh, Toronto, printed in Switzerland

I really love this guy’s work, even just looking at the first few pages, I knew that this was some of the best work I had seen, in my opinion. His simple approach that really shows the character of the mode is amazing, for example the picture of Muhammad Ali shows the confidence and arrogance he was famous for, as well as being the best heavy weight boxer of all time. I think that the lighting helps this as well, in most cases photographers choose a light setup that will emphasize an aspect of the model that the photographer notices, but he pretty much always uses a natural looking light that shows that person in the most honest way.

I think my favourite picture is the one of Michael E. Debakey because the amount detail that he’s captured within his face is amazing. I also like how he’s framed the picture, it’s clear that he’s taken his time leading up to taking the picture because he’s managed to get the writing on his shirt in, his arm is coming into the frame exactly in the middle of the corner, he’s just managed to get the tops of the eye lids framed in his glasses, while still getting the desired angle for the photo. Again its really plain light setup but it looks slightly more intense, the source could even be a surgical light to make it more relevant to the subject.

After doing this research I know now that I should spend more time making my pictures relevant to the person I am shooting and maybe not worry so much on the lighting effects that I could possibly create.

Angus Mc Bean

Angus Mc Bean
Book research: Angus Mc Bean Portraits…. National portrait gallery publications

After looking through the book I am definitely a fan of his work but only after the thirties. I think this is because he focuses more on the person in the picture rather than building up the scene around them beyond this point. I think my favourite picture in the book is the picture of Margot Fonteyn, 1951 page 79. I think it’s great because as soon as I looked at it I was drawn to the face in the middle of the picture which is amazing considering that there’s a massive pair of the legs in the foreground of the picture. After looking at it while you realise how this happens. To start with the legs act like a frame, and in this case with the model in the centre. Secondly, her dark dress makes her stand out against the white background which makes her the most noticeable feature in the frame.

I also like the picture of Christopher Fry, 1950 page 90. I like it because it’s a completely natural looking pose and the lighting provides a soft range of tones throughout his face. This soft look is enhanced by the contrasting clothes and their harsh texture. It’s also helped by the large dark space behind the subject

After completing this research I think I should spend more time planning the ways I make the models pose because it’s clear that Angus McBean has done this, which could be the key to his success.

Richard Avedon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Avedon

· Started as an advertising photographer in 1944 but then began work for Alexey Brodovitch, the art director of the fashion magazine ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ where his work appeared in the Junior Bazaar.

· Made his own studio in 1946, making images for magazines like Vogue and quickly became the chief photographer for ‘Harpers’

· He didn’t take his fashion shots in a typical fashion. He had his models showing their emotions where as others would do the opposite.

· At the end of the 50’s he switched completely to studio photography only using strobe lighting

· In the 60’s he focused more on studio portraits, making pictures of civil right workers, politicians and people of different cultures.

· As he became more well known for his portraiture, he attracted famous people to his studio like Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol and captured them using his large format 8x10 camera and in a minimalist style.

· He would sometimes put his models in uncomfortable positions, by talking about personal or controversial matters to evoke different expressions which was an unusual method at the time.

I like the work of Richard Avedon because every one of his pictures is unique; this is done by capturing the moment during his shoots while he asks difficult personal questions that provoke a range of facial expressions. If I had to choose my favourite style of work by him it would be his indoor studio work where he uses his strobe lighting that he did after his outdoor portrait work. I say this because I love the effect that he’s managed to create when he’s been able to control the light fully which is demonstrated perfectly by the picture of the girl, and the fact that he’s in the studio. Its given him more of a creative licence which explains the nice touch of the diamond. This is my favourite picture because I think its great how he’s managed to make the side of her face the same tone as her clothing on her neck which was done by using a powerful flash at right side of her face and probably a bit of burning during the printing stage.

From looking at these pictures I have learnt to experiment with a range of lighting because there is clearly a wide range of setups used throughout his portfolio and also to emphasise the main features of the subject, like the eyes of the girl and be creative.

Evaluation of research so far

I am happy with the progress I have made so far. I think my most useful pieces of research have been the YouTube videos because they have shown me the different studio techniques required to be successful, and having someone actually setting things in front you is perfect because then theoretically you can’t go wrong. The visit to the Banana Studio was probably my least successful piece of research because it wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. I was hoping that it was going to be aimed at people with a bit of experience with the camera and lighting but it seemed to be for novices and people interested in equipment. However it was interesting to see the different scenes in the building and I could take notes from the light setups that were there.

I think that the research I have undertaken so far has been useful, but I still need to go to the library and research some literature because it provides a greater insight into the background of the picture and its meaning.

Summary:

Continue to do the types of research I am doing now and start to do some book research.

Banana Studio Open Day

On the first of December I went to the Banana Studios open day in Newcastle. It was an unusual experience to say the least; I was expecting it to be a day where some top class photographers were available to give some speeches in their field and for a guy called Karl Shaw to give some demos on how to set up studio lighting, which was the reason I went. As it turned out I knew most of what he was saying, so I presume that the talk was aimed at complete beginners, however I did learn a few lighting set ups, and one in particular, the Kino Flo lighting set up used by David Bailey, as shown in the picture on the left. And the other was fairly simple set up shown below.

Picture of model using the Kino Flo lighting set up taken on the day.

http://bananastudio.weebly.com/

The Banana Studio website was really helpful, it contained lighting tips that showed you how to setup lights for different shoots in great detail.

Pictures and diagrams from:

http://bananastudio.weebly.com/lighting-tips.html

All of these light setups seem simple enough to create at college and all the equipment used is available to me, obviously some of the setups aren’t really relevant to portraiture because they are for hairdressing but the basics structure of the set up could be used.

Malick Sidibe

Notes from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malick_Sidib%C3%A9

· Malick Sidibe is an African photographer born in Soloba, 1935

· Recognised for his black and white pictures of popular culture in the 1960s in Bamako

· His did a bit of documentary photography in his studio in 1958, he focused on the youth culture of the Malian capital

· He then turned to studio portraits in 1970

· His work is now exhibited in Europe (the Cartier Foundation in Paris), the United States and Japan

· Was later awarded the ICP infinity award for lifetime achievement in 2008.

I really like the work by Malick because it changes my perception of what a portrait is. The only experience of studio portraiture I have is being on the receiving end of the camera while getting my school picture taken, so seeing the crazy backgrounds and the unorthodox poses is a relief because I thought it was going to be a dull period in the course. I particularly like the relaxed style the pictures are taken with, which you can see in the framing of the picture ie there are uneven borders and there are bits creeping into the frame that the photographer would normally try to hide. You can also see that the models are relaxed because they are happy to do these poses even though they are just ‘guys’ of the street. I think I can learn a lot from his work because he takes his pictures from a range of viewpoints and they all capture the essence of the occasion that they were taken in and the expression of the models.

http://pdnphotooftheday.com/2011/02/8275

I think these two are my favourite pictures because I like how the stripy background defines the edge of the model and gives it a unique look and the plain one puts the focus only on the models. I also like the lighting in the pictures; it’s simple and creates light contrasts in the model’s faces which makes the picture look natural. I think the background is also lit, but very softly so it doesn’t affect the models.

To take these pictures I think there’s a soft box light almost directly above the model’s head just in front of them so their faces are well lit. This would explain the slight shadow under their chins and the fact that there’s no shadow by their feet and legs. This would also light the background slightly.

Even though this isn’t studio portraiture, I like it because of how it’s framed, with the guy positioned exactly in the middle, and the people around him are mostly in the frame and in decent focus.

I think this was done by using a flash just to the left of the camera.

Video research on studio photography

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h28ow0jh_0g

How to Set Up Lights for Portrait Photography

Lights used:

· Key light

· Separation light

· Background light

Key light set up, list of positions

1. Glamour lighting/ butterfly lighting (creates a small shadow under the nose and provides even lighting all across the model’s face. Light positioned above the subject head, facing straight on)

2. Loop light (creates more shadows on the side of the subjects’ face. Light positioned above the model’s face and angled about 25 degrees either side of front on)

3. 45 degrees/ Rembrandt lighting (lights a side of the subject’s face and leaves the other in the shadows but there’s a triangle of light just below the eye. (light positioned above the subjects head and angle 45 degrees from straight on)

4. Split light/ side light (lights one side of the face but leaves the other in complete shadow, makes a really moody picture; (light positioned above the subject facing the side of the face)

Separation light (positioned directly opposite the key light at the same height, adds definition to the subjects hair, similar to a snoot)

Back ground light (position the light behind the subject out of sight, shine the light against the background so there’s a glow around the head and shoulders of the subject so there’s more separation between the two.)

Studio portrait video research 2

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pu4uyfakdu

Home studio portrait lighting setup for beauty photography

Beauty lighting setup:

Evaluation of the first photo-shoot

I am quite happy with the way that my first shoot went, especially with the time period that I was allowed on the day and the lack of experience I had at the time. In this shoot I tried to create some images in a similar style to Martin Schoeller. I realise that I didn’t take my pictures in a passport style, as he does, but I did try to use low contrast lighting. This is the lighting setup I used.

It’s easy to see that I didn’t really succeed with my attempt at creating a low contrast image because you there is still a lot of definition in the face but however I am happy in the way that they turned out. I like them because they are an honest representation of the model which was a trait of Martin Schoeller and they’re a good first try with a new camera. To make a successful image I needed to add a light to the setup which should have been facing the camera and placed behind the model.

This has been a good learning experience and I feel much better about using the equipment. I will definitely try to use the low contrast lighting again but I think I will try to learn some more techniques.

Martin schoeller

Martin Schoeller internet research: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Schoeller

· He was born in Munich, Germany, but he’s based in new York.

· He treats his models the same way, if they are a celebrity or not

· His work is recognisable because he uses the same back drops and lighting for all of his portraits

· He came to new York as an assistant for Annie Leibovite from 1993 to 1996 but left to start his freelance work

· teNeues published a book of his portraits in 2005 called ‘Close up: portraits 1998-2005 and ‘Female bodybuilders’ which was published by Pond Press in 2008

· Schoeller’s influences include photographers like ‘August Sander, Bernd Becher and Hilla Becher

Pictures from http://pinterest.com/netmvp/photographer-martin-schoeller/

I found Martins work when I was looking at Jill Greenberg’s work. I like it because it’s a change from the typical styles that you think of when you hear the style portraiture. Its bright look and low contrasting light wasn’t something I considered doing when I initially read the brief but it’s probably a good avenue to research.

This is the light setup used by Martin Schoeller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8ZTGXhWjAf4#!

This video shows an example of one of his shoots with a bodybuilder.

It’s hard to say what my favourite image is because they are pretty much all the same however I think I prefer the ones that have a gradient to the background.