Portrait Photography - The Final, and the End

It is easy to underestimate the importance of viewing other photographers' work when attempting to develop your own style in the medium.  Some might think that this could only lead a person to copy the work of others, but this is far from true.  Inspiration can come from a variety of quarters, and there is a lot to be said for recognizing the wisdom of those who have gone before you.  I have always believed this, but if anything the process of writing this blog has made my feelings on the subject stronger.  I have seen a variety of ideas, many of which I would like to try out and adapt, many of which I might have glossed over entirely if not for the research behind this blog.  In this, my final post for the time being, I will take a look at two more photographs.  They are of course within the portraiture genre, as that is what I have been examining.

Annie Leibovitz

I absolutely love Leibovitz's work.  It has such drama, such story, and yet her work almost always comes out with a somewhat classic look.  Rather, I suppose, I should say timeless.  She has done a lot of famous portraits, all of which seem very distinct from one another.  This grown-up visual interpretation of Alice in Wonderland is very compelling, and draws the viewer in with its texture and tonality.  She also recently did a series of photographs for Disney, all of which are incredibly stylized and pictorially dynamic.  Sure, they are for Disney... but they are wonderful pictures, and are worth a look for anyone interested in photography.

Albert Chong

 

This portrait is one of the best traditional portraits I have looked at during the course of this assignment.  The use of lighting is absolutely exquisite, giving the subject a quite dignity while also making her a most striking character.  The portrait is elegant, and well-arranged.  The subject is slightly off center, which makes her show up even more prominently against the solid black backdrop.  I want to keep this particular look in mind for any straight-forward portraits that I make in the future, because this seems to be a very effective technique.

 

With that, it is time to wrap up this blog for the semester.  Keep on snapping pictures, shutterbugs everywhere.

-Kelly F.