Multiple Imagery - Straight Images

Research Log

1. Annie Leibovitz (portrait)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz was born on October 2nd 1949 and she took a job at Rolling Stone in 1970 before moving on to Vanity Fair in 1983. Leibovitz has become famous for her portraits and over her career has developed her trademark use of bold colours and poses, she used her time at Rolling Stone to do this. During her time at Vanity Fair she photographed teen heart-throbs and literary icons.

2. Angus McBean (portrait)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_McBean

Angus Mcbean began his career as a mask-maker and a scenery designer for the theatre before he found theatre photography and realised his true calling. He is most well known for his theatrical and inventive photography during the 1930's and 1940's. After World War Two, Mcbean opened a large new studio in Covent Garden and spent the 40's and 50's inundated with theatre commissions. In the 60's Angus Mcbean photographed the Beatles for their first album. 

3. Richard Avedon (portrait)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Avedon

Richard Avedon's career focused on American fashion shoots and portraiture. Avedon was born and raised in New York City to a Jewish family. In the mid-forties Avedon began working as a photographer for a department store however soon, he was recognised and endorsed by people from Harpers Bazaar. By 1946 Richard Avedon had set up his own studio and had started providing photographs for both Vogue and Life magazines. His projects are deciphered by the minimalist style in which the subject looks directly towards the camera against a sheer white background. Some of his famed subjects include Marilyn Monroe and The Beatles. 

4. Philippe Halsman (portrait)
http://philippehalsman.com

Philippe Halsman was an American portrait photographer, he was born in the part of the Russian empire which became Latvia and died in New York City. In 1941 Halsman began to collaborate with Salvador Dali - the surrealist artist - and this is where the 1948 work Dali Atomicus was born, this explores the idea of suspension as it depicts three cats flying amid a bucket of water and Dali himself in mid air. Among other famous faces he has photographed Richard Nixon, Marilyn Monroe and The Duke and Duchess of Windsor. 

5. Herb Ritts (portrait)
http://www.herbritts.com

Herb Ritts is an American photographer who concentrates on black and white photography, mainly portraits. Ritts likes to base his portraits on Greek sculptures. He was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish family and began his career working in the family furniture business. His mother was an interior designer and his father a businessman. Ritts first became interested in photography when he and his friend Richard Gere decided to shoot some photos in front of an old car. He photographed Brooke Shields for Elle magazine in the 80's and Olivia Newton John for her Physical album cover. Since his rise to fame he has worked for GQ, Glamour and Vanity Fair magazines amongst others and worked for Georgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Victorias Secret and Lancome as some of his most famous work.

6. Jamie Nelson (beauty)
http://www.jamienelson.com

Jamie Nelson, the recognised Fashion and Beauty photographer was born in Texas and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. An early bloomer, Nelson knew what she aspired to be at just age 17 when she moved to California to attend Brooks Institute of Photography. Post graduating she moved to New York to begin her career and her work can be witnessed on dozens of international projects such as Vogue, Allure, Elle, Harpers Bazaare, Vanity Fair and more.

7. Claire Harrison (beauty)
http://www.claireharrisonphotography.com

Claire Harrison is a fashion, beauty and hair photographer however her beauty photographs are outstanding which is why I chose her for this section of my project. Harrison is known for bringing out the best angles in all models she works with and is extremely well known within the beauty photography industry. Claire is constantly pushing all aspects of photography, trying out new lighting techniques, new models and individual concepts.

8. Jack Eames (beauty)
http://www.jackeames.com

The renowned beauty and fashion photographer Jack Eames who creates photographs full of integrity that carry a powerful intensity and purity. He is based in London and aims to build a strong relationship with each client and at every stage of a shoot Eames aims to generate a creative energy that inspires a persuasive emotional connection between the image and the viewer. 

9. Michael David Adams (beauty)
http://michaeldavidadams.com/portfolio/beauty-clean/

Michael David Adams is a New York City fine art photographer whom excels in all areas of photography such as fashion, beauty, experimental body photography and underwater shoots. Michael David Adams creates his own special projects where he creates books and films centring around photography. 

10. Iain Crawford (beauty)
http://www.iaincrawford.com

Iain grew up in Africa and Malaysia which helped photography become his passion at an early age. After his big move to London, Crawford worked at Saatchi & Saatchi but left to start his photography career and build his name within the industry. After spending many years in New York and various places Crawford finally settled in London again however he continues to work internationally. Iain's photographs are extreme and use sharp colour blasts against bland backgrounds to show personality and creativity.

11. Tim Flach (animal)
http://timflach.com

Tim Flach is a photographer who over the recent decades has focused his time on animal photography. Flach photographs both wild animals and domestic animals, his shot of the lion above is absolutely amazing and will have been done by merging the image to a black background. Tim Flach's images aim to encourage discussion end promote in-depth debates about animals and the general subject of wildlife and care.

12. Robert Ashton (animal)
http://www.robertashton.co.uk

Robert Ashton is a professional photographer from Huddersfield who has loved art, design and photography from an early age. Ashton studied for years before moving to London where he lived and worked for 15 years. In this time he worked with some of the best photographers in the world whilst immersing himself in the new cultural and creative opportunities that were on offer.

13. Brad Wilson (animal)
http://www.bradwilson.com

As a youth artist Brad Wilson studied at the University of North Carolina and he studied art history and studio art. After this he decided to take on photographic workshops based in Santa Fe and Maine to focus exclusively on photography. He eventually chose to settle in New York City where he worked with a number of notable photographers and began his own career in the commercial and fine art genre. I chose to focus on Brad Wilson as I adore his work about animals, his first book Wild Life was released in October 2014.

14. Ed Hetherington (animal)
http://www.edhetherington.com

Ed Hetherington is a relatively unknown photographer who has been focusing on photography since 2005. He usually concentrates on family photography but also has a wide range of wild life and travel photography. On his Facebook page for his work there is a feature called "A Lion Borrowed My Camera"  in which he sets up a camera and a lion steals it. On the page Ed tells the story of the shoot and it has really intrigued me to take a further look into animal photography.

15. Andrew Collier (animal)
http://www.andrewcollierphotography.co.uk

Andrew Collier is another low key photographer who focuses on portraiture and specialises in weddings and animal portraiture. He believes that the bond between a pet and owner is one of the strongest bonds there is meaning this should always be captured. That special photograph of the family pet is what spurs andrew collier on in his adventure into the career of photography. He showcases his pet portraits on his website and they really are englightening.

16. Horst Diekgerdes (fashion)
http://www.horstdiekgerdes.com

A far cry from some of the low key photographers I have previously featured, Horst Diekgerdes is a professional fashion photographer who began his career in Paris before moving to London. The german born photographer currently lives in both Paris and Zurich alternatively and works internationally photographing on a regular basis for fashion publication giant Vogue.Aside from Vogue Diekgerdes has worked for almost every reputed fashion publication and agency out there. His work is highly celebrated across America and Europe featuring in multiple exhibitions.

17. Ben Dunbar-Brunton (fashion)
http://showstudio.com/contributor/ben_dunbar_brunton

Ben Dunbar-Brunton is a fashion photographer based in London, England. Dunbar-Brunton focuses on modernism and graphic simplicity, his focuses hang around beauty and fashion which explains the dramatic air to his photographs. Born in Oxford and raised in Stratford-upon-avon and Norwich, Dunbar-Brunton attended the University of Westminster and graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film, Video and Photographic Arts. For a while he became the assistant to Nick Knights assistant and since leaving Knight he has worked for publications such as GQ and acquired clients such as Stella McCartney and French Connection. 

18. Emma Summerton (fashion)
http://www.emmasummerton.com

Emma Summerton is an Australian born photographer who now lives and works in London. She studied fine arts at the National Art School in sydney before working as a photographic assistant for 5 years. She moved to london in 1998 and became an assistant to Turner Prize nominated artist Fiona Banner. In her work Summerton aims to inspire women to be their greatest imagination of themselves and she has currently world for American, German, British and Australian Vogue. Some of her other clients include Agent Provocateur, YSL, Miu Miu and Topshop.

19. Giampaolo Sgura (fashion)
http://www.giampaolosgura.com

Giampaolo Sgura is "one of todays most sought after fashion photographers" his main focus in the photography field is on industry trends, celebrity portraiture, cultural references and capturing society's prevailing winds. He hates having his photography confused with art. Sgura does not focus on one target audience he believes that all photographs should capture a seventeen year old girl scrolling through instagram the same way they capture a woman flicking through vogue. He is influenced by Steven Meisel a lot as he adores his chameleon qualities and ability to adapt.

20. Greg Kadel (fashion)
http://gregkadelstudios.com

Greg Kadel is a US Born fashion photographer and film maker based in New York City. Kadel originally studied marine biology and fine art however when his studies were completed he discovered an underlying passion for photography  and film making and for nearly a decade Kadel has been working with publications such as Allure, Chinese and Japanese Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and has worked with clients such as Diane Von Furstenburg, Hermes, H&M, Lancome, Victorias Secret and Valentino. 

Image Bank for Personal Project

These are five images I have found on the internet to represent one quarter of my project which is animal photography, I am planning on focusing on both wild animals and domesticated animals. I really love these photographs of wild animals with the black backgrounds I think it adds drama to the photographs and increases their beauty. I also love the way some of the photographers have incorporated water in their shoots to add elements to the photograph for example the elephants photograph uses the reflection and the sunlight and it looks incredible.

These five photographs are representations of beauty within portraiture. The beauty industry is massive and ranges from designer brands to highstreet brands. Beauty and makeup have progressed over the last few decades and due to styles such as avant grade makeup beauty has actually turned into its own art form, practiced by millions. However the industry itself is reliant on photography, without the award winning photographers who showcase not only the beauty products but the techniques these makeup artists use the industry would struggle to see the light of day. Beauty photography has progressed tremendously over the decades becoming more dramatic and sometimes even scary, I love the images above because they show case the bright colours used and exaggerate the seriousness of the photographs.

These five images represent the fashion side of my portraiture topic. Fashion photography has created whole careers for models such as Cara Delevigne and Suki Waterhouse (pictured above) as they become world famous models. The beauty of the models combined with the clothing created by renowned fashion designers elicit for incredible photographs which grace the covers of the worlds most famous fashion publications. Thus, this proves that without beauty, fashion and photography you could not have some of the most famous fashion editors. I chose these photographs above as I believe they really represent fashion photography for what it is. The last photo is something different and an avant grade piece while the others are normal fashion images.

 I have chosen this set of photographs for my research on traditional portraiture due to the fact most portraits are done of famous people so I chose well mown people in general or well known people within the industry. For example for Johnny Depp and George Clooney it is normal to see them acting on screen however when they are photographed for portraits they are stripped back similarly with Kate moss usually she is dressed up and covered in makeup however this photograph is stripped bare emphasising her beauty. Many critics claim that the point of traditional portraiture is to emphasise beauty so it is fitting that the themes have stayed true for all these years.

Definition Post for Personal Project

W H A T    D O E S   P O R T R A I T U R E   M E A N?

Portraiture - is the art of taking or painting portraits.

Portrait - means to paint, draw, engrave or photograph a person, especially one that depicts only the face or head and shoulders.

Mindmap for Personal Project

Personal Project Proposal

Proposal:

To investigate and explore different types of portraiture ranging from beauty, fashion and people portraiture to animal portraiture.

Evaluation:

Over the years while I have been interested in the creative medium that is photography portraiture and its values have always stood out to me. In my first year of photography I focused heavily on makeup and beauty and how this changes people and why we change ourselves the way we do whether it is to fit into societies norms or to individualise ourselves and show our rebellious side against everyone else. Thus this has lead me to focus on portraiture for my second year personal project. the types of portraiture I am hoping to explore are as follows…

B E A U T Y 

I have chosen to focus on beauty within this project to show continuity from my studies last year, I love the way with beauty products and cosmetics you can transform yourself and other people into completely opposite beings from themselves. Mediums such as SFX makeup have brought the beauty industry and media makeup profession to such a forefront and now photographers are able to create dramatic un realistic fantasy shoots using makeup. However beauty can be shown in anyway, whether it is completely natural or incredibly fake. Here are some images which have inspired me to focus on beauty within this project…

These images both show beauty being exhibited in different ways, one uses SFX beauty products and makeup to create a forced horrific scene and the other is known as body beauty, the models tattoos create art within another artistic medium.

Some photographers I have planned to research in the beauty photography field are Jamie Nelson, Claire Harrison, Jack Eames, Michael David Adams and Iain Crawford.

T R A D I T I O N A L   P O R T R A I T U R E

As portraiture is my main theme it is important to focus on straight up traditional portraiture and the effects its pure simplicity it still has and why it is important. Some of the best photography I have ever seen is simply a model staring down a lens, sometimes you can tell 1000 emotions from one glance down a camera lens and sometimes the intricate ideas and huge sets sometimes used in modern photography overshadow the beauty of the classic portraiture style, however within this project I am to remember its importance and prove how special it really is. Here are some images which inspired me to focus on traditional portraiture within this project…

These images are both examples of traditional photographic portraiture, one of Marilyn Monroe and one of Carman Duncan. Traditional portraiture has helped to preserve the memories of these beauties over times. 

Some photographers I have planned to research in the traditional portraiture field are Annie Leibovitz, Angus Mcbean, Richard Avedon, Phillipe Halsman and Herb Ritts.

F A S H I O N

The theme of portraiture allows me to focus on multiple areas therefore the third area of photography I am planning to study for this shoot is fashion photography. Many people consider fashion itself a form of art as it allows people to express their identities in a visual way. Fashion photography and the media has been a way to project these feelings on to the world and show how important it is to be yourself. The expression of clothing through photography is something incredible which is over looked by many people and this is why I am fascinated by it and excited with the chance to study it. 

Both of these images are an example of the freedom that fashion can make one feel, they are artist photographs that show the models being free.
Some photographers that I have planned to research in-depth about fashion portraiture are Horst Diekgerdes, Ben Dunbar-Brunton, Emma Summerton, Giampaolo Sgura and Greg Kadel.

A N I M A L

The final type of portraiture I am planning to study within this unit is animal portraiture, from pet portraiture to studies on wild animals I am fascinated by the way photographers attempt to connect with a completely different species. The dedication to work with animals must come from deep within as the impossibility to control what the animals do remains and has been since the dawn of time. However, this does not mean that photographs of animals are always chaotic, many photographers manage to capture naturally beautiful shots of wild animals which have stunned audiences and won awards over time. 

Both of these  images show two very different types of animals however both shots are beautiful, this inquisitive kitten may listen when told to come indoors but it won't pose for a photo.
Some photographers I am planning to study for this section of my unit 3 are Andrew Collier, Ed Hetherington, Brad Wilson, Robert Ashton and Tim Flach.