Statement of intent ~ Assgmt 306 ~ Studio Photography

Intentions/purpose

For this project I intend to produce a minimum of 10 studio portraits.  These will form a portfolio which can be used to illustrate my skills as a portrait photogapher and will offer a number of finishes available from high and low key to textured images and selective colouring.   I can use these in printed form to advertise in magazines, newspapers, or on social network sites as well as my own website to help build a customer base.

Reasons for selection of the theme

I have been influenced by contemporary photographers using photo-sharing websites such as Flickr as well as collegues on the Level 4 course.

Flickr contact - Tracy Taylor

My influences also come from cinematic photography, fashion as well as artists using media other than photography such as Degas, Rembrandt and Vermeer.

Degas

Rembrandt

Vermeer

Vermeer

Choosing studio portraiture has allowed me to draw all these influences together to form my own style of work.

Equipment and medium to be used

This will be my first foray into the studio, however, I will be using equipment which is familiar to me, my Canon 5D Mk2.  I have completed some research into lenses and will use a 50mm F1.8 and 85mm F1.8.   . These should allow me to get in close to take head and shoulder shots without having to lose  most of the shot in cropping.  I will also use continuous lighting since these would appear to be safer since they do not heat up with use and will allow a soft even light so I can use a shallow depth of field and focus on the eyes.

Techniques to be used/conveying the visual message

To create a dreamy and romantic feel a shallow depth of field can be used, F2.5, to soften features, with focus directed  at the eyes in head and shoulder shots.  This technique is generally more flattering to the sitter and will produce a more painterly portrait.

The Canon 5D has a portrait menu setting which slightly softens the shot and I can use aperture priority to control depth of field.

Textures will be added in post processing to add to the painterly feeling and give depth and expression to the portraits.

Controlling light quality

Continuous lighting will be used in the studio.  This is as near to ambient light as a studio will allow so that a large aperture can be used for shallow dof for a dreamy portrait as opposed to studio flash which pushes out alot of light, for use with a narrow aperture and large dof.  The light is usually mounted on a boom arm for positioning over the model with a reflector placed below to counteract any shadows and give the face a soft glow.

Risk and health and safety considerations

Since I intend to photography young children as well as adults, the children will not be invited into the studio without a chaperone, preferably a parent or guardian and this adult will be in sight of the child at all times.

On arrival at the studio, I will verbally go through the health and safety policy and point out the necessary fire exits and printed notices with safety procedures, as well as requesting that the children, when not being photographed, stay in the designated area which is free from hazards.  I will advise that food and drink is not allowed in the studio and visitiors should be aware of trip hazards such as cables, lights and booms.  I will be using continuous lighting which does not get hot and will not be using studio flash, but I will advise that these are not touched or interfered with in any way, and plugs should not be touched.

We will take regular breaks so that models are not fatigued, away from the studio.

Fine Art Photography ~ Does this count?

'Parkland'

Taken in the grounds to Chatsworth House Derbyshire, October 2011 with 24-70mm lens, two texture layers added at different blending modes, with some of the texture cleaned away.

I am not sure whether to go with landscape or still life for my fine art assignment, will have to do more research to firm this up.

Fine Art Photography ~ A First Try

A photograph taken in my garden 30th Sept with a 100mm macro lens, cropped slightly and two textures added, blending mode at Overlay, with the texture taken off the wings slightly.

A snip taken showing the layers used, and below the original image opened in photoshop.

I used a shallow depth of field with the intention of blurring the background and even part of the wings.  It is a reasonable image of a butterfly but I wouldn't call it art, since it is just a simple representation of the object.

After adding textures and blending I feel it is getting somewhere near an art work.

Fine Art Photography ~ Research

Fine art photography refers to photographs that are created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer as artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism, which provides a visual account for news events, and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to advertise products or services. source - Wikipedia

I have found several definitions of 'Fine Art Photography', but mainly they seem to refer to photography that expresses the aritists impressions, perceptions and emotions and share them with others.

Pretty broad definition then, I suppose you could call any photograph you take 'fine art' but I have the feeling that it becomes fine art when it is not just a straight forward definition  or representation of the object, but an expression of the artists/photographers emotional response to that object.

We render it into fine art by capturing the scene or object as we see it as an idividual, it may be something that has been captured a thousand times before, but when the artist sees it, he has a unique emotional reaction, and it is this that is being offered for view and shared with others.

Pretty deep and thought provoking then.  Well here are a few images that I personally would think of as fine art, please let me know if you agree!

Images from http://www.veriteneue.com/ , Flicker contact and artist Carla Ciuffo

These images have been heavily textured to give the look of art work produced from scratch rather than a pure photographic image.  Since I have been heavily influenced by viewing painted art work in galleries at home and more recently abroad, this is the type of finished work I prefer.  It is almost a cross between photography and painting but is obviously more immediate in that with the technology we have available, it is more quickly produced.

Most of this artisists work has a figure in the landscape, adding scale and intimacy.

Images from blog, Slabjorg Rita Jonsdottir, Flickr contact Dalla

This artist is an expert at using light and movement in her images which delights the eye and keeps you looking around the frame to discover every nuance of the image.  She also uses blur created with a Lensbaby lens, this adds texture almost as in brushstrokes, althought in a different way than the added texture on the landscapes.

Research ~ Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Nutzhorn (Lange) born 26 May 1895, in New Jersey, the family was deserted by her father early on and from that time she used her mother's maiden name of Lange. She began training as a teacher, however, after deciding this would not suit, moved into photography, working in a studio before studying under Clarence White at Colombia University, setting up her own studio in San Francisco in 1918 and joining the California Camera Club, where she was influenced by the work of other photogaphers including Consuelo Kanaga a radical photojournalist with the San Francisco Cronicle.


Images from Consuelo Kanaga

The business was a success, until the great depression which followed the Wall Street crash of 1929.  At this time she turned to social realism and her work was featured in Camera Craft magazine.

She was invited to join the federally sponsored Farm Security Administration  in 1935 which was a group of photographers employed to publicize the condition of the rural poor of America.  During this period some of her more notable pictures were published including the famous Migrant Mother.

Later she documented the internment of Japanese Americans during the second world war.  She also worked for Time Magazine and with Ansel Adams.

A major retrospective of her work was planned in the mid 1960's at the Museum of Modern Art in New York but unfortunately she died of cancer 11 October 1965 just before this was staged.

Her work has a gritty realism with no frills or fancy lighting, she worked with what was available and made many memorable images.

I would ideally like to get this realism in my work, showing the character behind the outer surface of my sitters, rather than a plastic type of surface realism which is generic to every portrait I produce.

Mother ~ A Portrait

Sensitive people faced with the prospect of a camera portrait put on a face they think is one they would like to show the world. ...Very often what lies behind the facade is rare and more wonderful than the subject knows or dares to believe- Irving Penn

Another try using slightly different post processing techniques, the first image has blown out highlights, which I don't dislike, but on the Macs in college are even more extreme and Mr Steve seemed a bit shocked!  I thought I would try a darker look this time.  I have used a square crop and shallow depth of field to keep her face in focus but blur the background.  This finish is still to harsh, I will have to try again.

Finding my Style

I have recently begun to work more in black and white, trying out different tones and finishes and find it a challenge to resist packing too much visual information into my shots.  Taking away the colour seems to concentrate the eye by taking away some of the visual information.

After reviewing my recent images Steve pointed out that alot were cropped in a square format, perhaps subcontiously on my part, again, trying to simplyfy the image, and I think this would be an interesting format to follow for my assignment.

'Daydreaming'

The image above was converted to black and white and then overlaid with a texture to give it a slightly aged appearance.

'The Ballet Class'

Converted to b&w and tone added with 'colour balance', slightly grainy since this is a crop of a larger image, however I like the grainy finish.

'Fiesta Girls'

Converted in photoshop and cropped from a larger image, however, I had to use a high ISO since this is a night shot with no lighting.  I was trying to capture the movement and excitement of this annual Fiesta in Andalucia.

'Big Brother'

Converted in photoshop to give a high key image.  The biggest part of the frame is given to 'big brother' as the main subject, to show his role in the family, with little sister trying to get in on the shot  in the background.

I used a shallow depth of field to emphasise the main subject and throw the rest of the shot into soft focus.

Contemporary Local Photographers ~ Research

Jackie Stubbs is a successful local photographer who operates from a studio close to the town and also has her own website, Jstubbsimages@aol.com.

She specialises in weddings and portraits and also undertakes some photographic tuition.  Her images are usually high key with some duotone, (selective colouration) and low key on request.  She has available white or black backgrounds for portraiture, but most clients prefer white for high key images.  I can see why these are popular since they fit into today's minimal, neutral, interiors and the lighting is very flattering to the subject.  She generally uses and apperture that keeps the whole of her subject in focus, using full face shots for babies and sometimes selective colouring after converting to black and white.

She offers a professional, personal service which is reasonably priced, starting at £15.50 for an 8" x 6" print, £25 for a studio session or £35 for a home visit.  Various wall portraiture and canvases plus multi mounts and contemporary stretch pictures are available.  She can also arrange professional hair styling and makeup for your session, at a cost of £100.

With a comprehensive service and sympathetic eye for portraiture, it is easy to see why she is so successful.

Portrait Photography ~ A definition

Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people (a group portrait), in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is the person's face, although the entire body and the background may be included. A portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the camera.
Unlike many other photography styles, the subjects of portrait photography are often non-professional models. Family portraits commemorating special occasions, such as graduations or weddings, may be professionally produced or may be vernacular and are most often intended for private viewing rather than for public exhibition.
However, many portraits are created for public display ranging from fine art portraiture, to commercial portraiture such as might be used to illustrate a company's annual report, to promotional portraiture such a might be found on a book jacket showing the author of the book. (source - Wikipedia)



Photographic portraiture quickly replaced portrait painting in popularity, although the very rich and aristocracy would still use an artist to paint their likeness as a means of proving status and wealth, for ordinary people at least, a studio portrait was accessible and affordable, and studios were opened in almost every town and city in the western world, often dealing with hundreds of photographic plates a day.  Ordinary citizens could have their likeness taken at reasonable cost, although this was usually in front of a standard background and the sitter placed, looking rather stiff and dour, in a fixed position.

As camera equipment evolved and pictures could be captured with shorter exposure times, photographers became more creative and adventurous, taking their cameras out into the field capturing scenes from all over the world, as well as people in everyday life, going about their usual business and leisure pursuits.


Roger Fenton, an early pioneer of photography 'in the field' and the founder and first secretary in 1853 of the Photographic Society, becoming Royal Photographic Society under the patronage of Prince Albert.

The 'photographic van' used by Roger Fenton on his travels. 

HIGH KEY IMAGES ~ Research

Thinking about my chosen theme of studio portraiture, I have been looking at some contemporary work and find that high key seems to be very popular.

I decided to convert an image I already had to high key to see if this is how I would like my final images to look.

The following shot has been converted to high key in photoshop CS5.

This shot was taken in a beach cafe in Spain this September as a raw file and converted using b&w adjustment tool in CS5.

On opening the raw file I used the 'fill light' slider to brighten their faces since it was shot into the sun, cutting out some light, they also had quite a dark suntan.  

This screen shot above shows the raw file opened in CS5 for further processing.  I first cloned out grains of sand from his face then decided where to crop, keeping the main subject's eyes as near to the top third as possible to balance the image.

After cropping I used b&w adjustment tool to convert the image and tried out the presets to see if any gave the look I was after.

I wanted to lighten their faces a little more so I used the Curves tool then inverted the mask by using ctrl and i taking a soft brush to paint with white and brighten their faces, smoothing out the brush strokes by going into 'masks' panel to increase the feather.

I used colour balance adjustment to add a little warmth since I seemed to have a blue tint. I then decided to add a vignette to concentrate the gaze on their faces rather than around the edge and used  the layers pallete, changing the blending mode to 'divide' giving a light vignette rather than dark.

After adding a border using 'canvas size' and changing the colour to grey I added a drop shadow to get the picture to stand our from the page.

Lastly, I ran my watermark action which I created some time ago for use on Flickr.

I think it turned out pretty well but I am still not convinced that this is the type of finish I am looking for.

Work from this year

As you can see, my first love is landscape and seascape, it will be difficult to rein this in to concentrate on portraits. 

I have textured these shots in photoshop CS5 using pre-made textures which are available free or to purchase on the internet.  I find that adding different textures adds another dimension to my photography, helping to transform images into something nearer art work.

Different textures have varied effects from simply enhancing colour and light to adding a painterly feel with brush strokes or canvas.

Here is a short video demonstrating the use of textures.

Research Portraits

A selection of portraits found on the internet, all with excellent lighting and showing  character through the eyes.

All the images concentrate mainly on the childs face and expression with close cropping.  A medium depth of field has been used to keep the whole of the subject in focus, probably F5.6 or above.  The rule of thirds has been used with eyes, the main focal point, placed in or very near the top third, this guides the viewer from top to bottom of the shot.

Lighting has been kept simple to suit young children, with the whole of the face fully lit.