A New Background

A little project I did for work:

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Virtual Essay

A photographer I have been a huge fan of for quite some time now is Terry Richardson. I have a huge passion for fashion which is why I love his work. He has done a bunch of work for a well known brand named Supreme. That is where I was first introduced to his work. His style of photography is more so portrait shots. But these portraits are not ordinary portraits one would see done by a regular photographer. His portraits showcase the subject in candid moments. A lot of his work is also unaltered which is one key aspect I like. Here are several pieces done by him that are my top favourite.

This photograph was taken for Supreme's Kermit the frog collaboration. Richardson's technique of shooting photographs is as follows. He usually allows the subjects to act normal and do whatever they please and he takes the photographs. This allows a more realistic/unique photograph. The images are unedited since they are very simple.

Here is another photograph Richardson took for Lil Wayne's photoshoot. Lil Wayne was able to do whatever he wanted during the photoshoot. During the shoot he would drink, smoke and fool around while Richardson took the photographs.

This image was taken while Kanye West was still dating Amber Rose. Terry allowed them to strike any pose they pleased to. He allowed Kanye to incorporate his artistic view into the shoot by allowing him to provide any input.

Another image by Terry is this one featuring Pauly D from Jersey Shore. Terry allowed Pauly D to portray his Jersey Shore character within this photo. He is depicted as the "guido/gino"with his spiked up hair, buffed up body and the blow dryer to style his hair.

Last of all this is his photoshoot with a new upcoming rap group called "Odd Future". A video was released of this photoshoot as a behind the scenes to see how everything was done. Terry allowed the group to joke around, skate, and act like reckless teenagers, which is what they did exactly. 

The similarities behind all his photographs are that they are all very simple. He typically uses a plain  white background to allow the subject of the photographs to become the centre of attention. When a background is added it draws attention away from the subject which is why he chooses to keep his photographs very simple. Also one key reason why celebrities tend to hire him for photoshoots is because he allows them to act as they would normally. He lets the subjects do whatever they please while he shoots them. This allows the photographs to be more "candid" or more realistic. Also he tends to leave his images raw/unaltered. This allows the viewer to see the image without any effects or changes and allows them to see the true image. By doing these techniques the viewer of the photograph gets to see who the subject is by their actions being portrayed in the photographs. 

Sources:

www.hypebeast.com

www.hypetrak.com

http://www.terrysdiary.com/

Assignment 3 - Photo Journal 2

What is Press Photography:

Press photography is also known as photojournalism since they are both somewhat connected. Press photographs are usually used to enhance news articles in newpapers, magazines, as well as on the internet. Usually these images are raw images. This means they are unedited when published. One of the main reasons I believe that these images are not fully edited is because they are used to help the reader visualize the story instead of taking away from the story.

A photograph of the September 11 attacks from a newspaper in the UK.

A picture from a New York news site that shows a fatal car accident

What is Art Photography:

Art photography is somewhat different from press photography because the photographer has a little more freedom to shoot what he/she desires. This type of photography is mainly used in the commercial and advertising industry. Also compared to press photography, the photographer usually has the freedom to edit the images.

A edited photograph of Toronto's skyline at night

An image of New York's Time Square.

·      Similarities

               

• The artists in both styles both have the same objective, which is to capture the best images to supply to the public 
• Both styles are used to capture and tell stories in their photographs

       Differences:

• Art photography can be edited compared to press photography, which usually is not
• Art photography is used to express the photographer’s emotions and interests
•  Press photography is used to capture news

Is it ethical and acceptable to alter art photographs?

Yes I do believe it is ethical and acceptable to alter art photographs. The reason for this is because it allows the photographer to express anything he/she wants the photograph to become. By editing the images the photographs become unique since everyone can take a photograph of the same subject. The edited images allow the photograph to be different from others.

Is it ethical and acceptable to press photographs?

I do not believe it is acceptable to edit press photographs. The reason being, others may misinterpret the images. By editing new images you may create a false picture of what is truly happening. This causes the viewer to lose trust in today’s press if they find out what they see is all just a lie.

Sources:

http://sites.google.com/site/shootingthetruth/Home/modules/week-10

Nice day for a photoshoot.

Decided to take a couple shots since today's weather was amazing.

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Assignment 2 - Photo Manipulation Assignment

 

 

Looking out.

 

 

 

 

These are a couple pictures I have chosen to edit from my archive. The photographs were all taken my using my Nikon D40. The lenses used for these pictures are my standard kit lens (Nikon 18-55mm) and my Vivitar 35mm f1.9. The editing program I have used for these pictures is Adobe Photoshop CS5.1. These shots have been taken across the world during my journeys to the U.S., Australia and around Canada. To enhance these pictures the main editing tool I used is the "Brightness/Contrast" setting. I basically just put the picture into photoshop and from there used that tool to enhance the colours in the pictures. I mainly shot in auto mode because I rarely had a chance to adjust my manual settings. As a result the colours in most of my photos were dull, hence the need to edit them. By increasing the contrast in the pictures, the colours became more bold and vibrant. My preference in the photos I take and edit is bright colours. I like to exaggerate all the blacks and colours within all my photos to allow the viewer to be drawn directly to the photo.

By adding darker and deeper colours my photos are best viewed on a high-resolution monitor. This allows the viewer to see all the colours clearly. I also use this main editing tool to draw the attention of the view to the whole photo instead of one main object. By editing the photo as a whole instead of just certain parts of it, the viewer can see the picture as a whole instead of one object just standing out. Also by increasing the contrast in certain photos it also darkened shadows which allowed certain objects to stand out slightly without drawing too much attention to them.

Assignment 1

1. What are the main differences and similarities between portraits in the early days of photography and portraits today? 

This is an example of how the physionotace was used.

Portraits in the early days are somewhat different from portraits done today. The key differences between the two are the ways they are produced and the styles of portraits. A lot of portraits in the earlier days were created by hand. One example is the miniature portrait. This portrait took up to several weeks to create. The artist would carefully reproduce a face. By doing this, the artist can choose what characteristics to emphasize. After this era, the physionotrace was created. This device basically reflected an image of the subject and the artist would trace it. The major flaw in this style was that the images would have a frozen expression to them. Nowadays photographers create portraits with the use of digital cameras. The portraits are created instantly. Another main difference between portraits today and in earlier days is that usually the rich could only afford them. Lawyers, doctors, and celebrities were mainly the only groups of people who could afford to have their portraits done. In today’s society anyone can have a portrait done as long as a camera is available. The main similarity between portraits in the earlier days and in today’s society is that portraits still have the same purpose. Portraits are meant to capture and portray a person’s image. Enhancing the image allows certain features and expressions to stand out in the image.

2. Who was the photographer and who was the subject of photographs in the past and today?

This is a picture of President Abraham 

Lincoln taken at Matthew Brady's Studio

The photographers in the past were mainly artists who knew how to process or create images. The photographer would be in charge of taking pictures of the subject and then processing it. They had to do this in a timely manor in order to meet the demands of their clientele. Photographers were also inventors. They would try to create ways to make the portrait making process easier. For example the use of dry glazed paper over glass since it was lighter and less fragile. Nowadays the photographer is anyone who has a camera. They are able to create portraits at the click of a button. In the past the subject of portraits were mainly the rich. These people were able to afford the fees needed to create a portrait. One example is Matthew Brady’s studio. This studio was a luxurious studio catering to doctors, lawyers, politicians and anyone who could afford it. Nowadays the subjects of photographs are anyone and anything. People and nature are today’s current subjects for portraits since it can be done by anyone as long as they have access to a camera.

3. What was the impact of technology on the portraits in the past and today?

An example of how silhouette
portraits were made.

The impact of technology on portraits in the past and today has greatly affected the whole process. Portraits used to take days and even weeks to create. The artist needed time to perfect the portrait. Nowadays with the invention of the camera and photo editing tools, editing can be done in a matter of minutes. The artist can take any shot and once they apply editing techniques on Photoshop the errors cannot even be seen. The advance in technology also saves artists’ time. If errors were done in the past, the artist would have to restart the whole process. Nowadays if an error is made, the artist can just delete the photo and retake it. Also technology has impacted portraits as they have evolved from silhouettes to life like photos. In the past a popular and easy way to create a portrait was to create a silhouette of the subject. Nowadays a portrait can be done instantly and the image is an exact copy of the subject unlike the silhouette that was basically an outline of the subject’s face.

A walk through the park.

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Taken in Sydney Australia