Portraiture

Definition & Theory
Portraiture is used to present a representation or impression of someone.  A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person.
Portraiture can be used in simple forms, such as just presenting a person and their appearance, or in more complex forms, say to represent a message of identity or anything really if edited in a certain style.
These are a few of my favourite portrait photographers:

Billy Kidd

David Bailey

Diane Arbus

Edward Honaker

Research

This portrait of Winston Churchill was captured by the photographer Yousuf Karsh. To capture this essence on Churchill, Karsh was relatively impolite to Churchill to have him present a powerful mood. This photo was captured mid-war when the country needed to present their dominance and strength. Churchill appears very stern and dominant in this photo, his hand and body positioning conveys a comfort in himself, like a confidence within the current situation he was; this can appear intimidating to his enemies.

This portrait of Amanda Lepore was captured by the photographer David Lachapelle. Within this photo, Lepore appears very soft and feminine, this is due to her head positioning and the fact she isn't making eye contact with the viewer; this also gives her a power though. The even lighting creates an angelic atmosphere also. Even though she appears gentle in appearance, her facial features are so strong, it empowers her as a person.

Thomas Ruff

Ruff is a German photographer well known for his intriguing deadpan portraiture.

Ruff's work presents a similar aesthetic to Passport photos. His work originated as black and white portraiture, he eventually switched to fully saturated photos and then began to add colourful backgrounds to add a more alternative contrast. Ruff's portraiture composition allows the viewer to create their own connotations since they only reveal denotations; the style is formal and creates a slightly unnerving appearance for some viewers since there are no casualties. The physical print of these photos creates an intimidating atmosphere since they are so large, making every detail prominent.

Image Bank

These photos represent the style of portraiture work I find admirable. Thomas Ruff and David Bailey have a different composition style, but they both own a powerful simplicity. Ruff allows the viewer to interpret his passport-like portraits themselves, with a formal and bland appearance; the saturation makes sure there's a small aspect of life still in the photo. Bailey brings more character into is portraits, having the subjects convey more personality and life, giving the viewer an easier time to make connotations; his work on the other hand, is black and white, but still present better life than Ruff's work. I plan to mainly recreate Bailey style photos with one subject, also having the photos black and white to test if I can still create lively portraits with zero saturation.

Contact Sheet

These are my raw photos for portraiture, captured on a DSLR Nikon camera.

Best Photos
These are my best-captured photos, untouched.

Photos that require improvement

I believe these photos do not present my portraiture the way I intended. For the first photo, the shutter speed is at 1/125, aperture F8, and exposure at ISO 200 since I was shooting in a mid-key photo setting. The main issue with this photo is the fact that the composition is unflattering to the subject; I was attempting to off guard capture in most of these portraits, this one seemed to be timed poorly, and the angle the camera is placed in an unflattering place. Furthermore, the backdrop is distracting, the subject was very tall causing unwanted background details; this removes some of the focus of the subject, which is not what I intended. If I were to retake this photo, I'd get at a higher angle, so the backdrop details aren't in the shot, I'd also time the photo better so the subject's expression appeared more natural and relaxed.

For the second photo, the shutter speed is at 1/125, aperture F8, and exposure at ISO 200 since I was shooting in a mid-key photo setting. The main issue with this photo is that it is out of focus; the camera was on autofocus but it appears that the camera decided to focus on something in the foreground. If I were to retake this photo, I'd make sure the camera was picking up the subject in full focus.

AO3: Record ideas, observations, and insights relevant to intentions reflecting critically on work and progress.

My Ideas

My intentions for portraiture was based on my favourite portrait photographers and their intriguing styles of capturing a subject. My main inspiration for this topic was David Bailey since his subjects always owned a lively atmosphere, and that's what I wanted with my photos since all my past portraiture has been bland in character. I believe my photos have come out as I intended; the exposure and shoot lightings were successful, I was able to capture the subject with an even exposure due to this. Majority of the photos were off guard captured, I did this because I wanted the photos to own a better authenticity in character.

Reference to my best photos

The first photo of a closeup of the subject I believe presents a similar style to David Bailey. Most of his work is up close and personal with the subject, but the expression on the subject's face creates a comfort for the viewer; I feel this photo does this.

The third photo of a worm eye level of the subject I feel presents more a Billy Kidd portraiture style. His work tends to involve more of the body and likes to present a stylish aesthetic with the subject's poses and demeanour; I feel this photo does this.

The last photo of the subject sat on the floor staring into the camera also I feel presents a Billy Kidd style. The stare and expression on the subject asserts confidence and a power over the viewer, while appearing more urban in positioning; this creates a stylish aesthetic, like Kidd's work.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques, and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

Use of Camera

I used a Nikon D300S DSLR camera for every photo taken. I decided to not use a tripod since I wanted to be able to move around and get a larger variety of angles when capturing the subject. The camera was set to manual mode, with the settings for the mid-key photos: Shutter speed, 1/125. Aperture at F8. Exposure was at ISO 200. For the low-key photos: Shutter speed, 1/125. Aperture at F4. Exposure was at ISO 200. I used a light meter to determine these settings in the different key settings.

Final Pieces

Since all my photographer inspirations produced monochrome portraits, I needed to do the same.
Firstly, I pressed CTRL+SHIFT+U to desaturate the whole photo.

Then using the 'Spot Healing Tool' to remove any blemishes on the skin of the subject to create a smoother and more gentle appearance.

Finally, I pressed CTRL+L to open up 'Levels' to then darken the shadow tones only slightly or it would appear too heavy in contrast, also slightly lowering the mid-tones for a better depth, and bringing the light tones up to create a stronger depth and contrast.

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

My portraiture inspiration was based on a few of my favourite portrait photographers, all of which owned a distortion in typical portraiture standards, displaying an alternative style each. They taught me that portraiture can be very fluid in variety and even the most subtle of changes can create a completely different atmosphere. This topic has helped me to develop my concepts in portraiture.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 


I believe my final pieces meet my intentions for portraiture, the subject displays a comfort and authenticity within himself, making the photos appear less formal than typical portraiture. These are my final pieces for portraiture.

Landscape

Definition & Theory
Landscape photography shows spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. Landscape photographs typically capture the presence of nature but can also focus on man-made features or disturbances of landscapes.
Depth of field for landscape photography is an important aspect; it is created using the aperture of a camera. This determines the level/area of focus in a photo on the foreground and background. Say if a shallow depth of field was used, what is in the foreground would instinctively from the camera be put into full focus, whereas the background would end up blurred; it would also leave the photo with a light exposure. Whereas, a deep depth of field puts everything into focus and allows less light into the photo. 
The depth of field is created using camera aperture, which is measured in F stops. Standard landscape photography recommends an aperture range from F8 to F11, topping out around F16 which would be a deep depth of field; this is cause it captures the whole scene in focus.
Typically additional equipment to help capture a strong landscape photo would be a tripod because to hold a still focus on everything in the shot, you need to keep the camera steady.

Research
Rut Blees Luxemburg
Luxemburg is a German urban street/landscape photographer, her well-known technique in her work is to take photos at night.

This photo of a metal crate in an empty car park presents a harsh but appropriate exposure and I personally enjoy the most out of all of Luxemburg's work. No people are involved in her work so all the focus is on the exterior world and its objects. The crate in the car park appears pointless and random; this adds a mystery to the photo that will catch the viewers attention better than if the photo was simply a car park. Furthermore, a chair and a desk are within the crate, this creates instinct confusion and fascination when viewing the photo since it's not a common thing to be set in a car park at night. The composition of the photo uses the rule of thirds, where the main focus is not actually in the centre of the photo grid, this allows the viewer to appreciate the background of the photo better; if you were to remove the crate from this photo, the photo would still own an interesting street night appearance, but the crate adds better character to the photo. Luxemburg's photos are usually slightly overexposed since its difficult to capture what she captures with such a dark setting with only harsh lights to help; she makes this work and improves the photo though, the slight over-exposure adds more depth into her street work.

Image Bank

These photos represent a style in landscape photography I enjoy besides night street work. Simon Roberts's work represents Britain culture with the use of very stereotypical British appearances of people and architecture. The composition of Roberts's work always has a higher view over everything when it comes to levels, this gives more access to the area being captured and changes the power roles when viewing the photo. Since the area is always being looked slightly down upon and captures more background, it suggests the viewer is at a higher level power wise when viewing the landscapes. I enjoy this style of landscape work since it owns a personal humour for me which I admire in any photography work when it's not typical in composition. I do not plan to recreate Roberts's work but wanted to get a perspective in the different forms of landscape photography.

Contact Sheet

These are my raw photos for landscape, captured on my DSLR camera.

Best Photos
These are my best-captured photos, untouched.

Photos that require improvement

I believe these photos do not represent my landscape work the way I intended, they don't capture much background and in general, the composition is poor. For the first photo, the shutter speed is at 1/25 (this varied between 1/20-1/30 depending on the photo), aperture F8 since I didn't want to over-expose the street lights, and exposure at ISO 1600 since the settings outside were very dark. My main issue with this photo is its composition, this doesn't appear as a landscape photo or even street work to me. I believe this because there isn't really any landscape/background capture, the focus seems to only be the sculpture slightly off centre in the photo grid. If I were to retake this photo, I'd try to get to higher ground and shift my angling so more of the background is captured.

For the second photo, the shutter speed is at 1/25, aperture at F8, and exposure at ISO 1600. Just like with Luxemburg's work, her photos were slightly blurred due to the lighting, which is the same case with mine, so this shouldn't be too much of an issue, but out of preference, I wish this photo was less grainy. The composition of the photo is also bland, not much background is visible or that intriguing of an area. If I were to retake this photo, I'd reposition where I was since it seems anything interesting was blocked off, I'd also attempt to get to higher ground since I feel more could be captured if I was.

AO3: Record ideas, observations, and insights relevant to intentions reflecting critically on work and progress.

My Ideas

My intentions for capturing landscape was conflicting at first, since both Luxemburg's and Roberts's work I enjoy highly, but are both so different in style. I felt I'd excel and enjoy a darker aspect of landscape work by capturing night street appearances, which have felt successful. I believe my photos have met my intentions to recreate Luxemburg's work with my interpretation, my one issue is the struggle of exposure with this work since such dark settings are difficult to capture well, I feel with practice though this can be mastered.

Reference to my best photos

The first photo of the Harlow Bus station was inspired by 'a weekend in the city' by Luxemburg where she captured a car's light stream, created a suggestion of travel, similar to the bus station. I enjoyed the entire composition of this photo, the car park levels and building reaching the top in the background adds more to the area of the photo. The glow of the street lights also adds a more warm effect to the photo, which I intended for.

The fourth photo of the leading lines of the road was inspired by her well-known photo of the motorway and a tennis court next to it. Obviously, the composition of mine is completely different to Luxemburg's, but the idea of capturing roads and the cars was fascinating to me. The street lights and signs create a leading effect in the centre of the photo which creates a natural depth.

The last photo of the pillars was inspired by the tunnel photo by Luxemburg. The street lights and road in the background add to the landscape while the main focus is the tunnel creation leading down the photo. The lighting owns a yellow hue creating a warmer and mosaic appearance.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques, and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

Use of Camera

I used a Nikon D3400 DSLR camera for every photo taken, I should've used a tripod when capturing these photos, but decided against; using it would've definitely improved the detailing of my work. Besides that, the camera was set to manual mode, with the settings: Shutter speed, varying from 1/20 - 1/30 depending on the amount of light in the photo. Aperture, F8 since I didn't want my photos over-exposed, I think I should've probably brought it up so the photos could be more clear in focus though. Exposure was at ISO 1600 since it best suit the dark settings around.

Final Pieces

Since my inspiration is from Rut Blees Luxemburg, and her work owns a warm tone to all her photos, I needed to enhance the saturation and depth of my photos.

Firstly, I added an adjustment layer of 'Hue/Saturation', on the 'Master'setting, slightly increasing the saturation and lowering the lightness for a bit more depth.

Then changing the 'Master' setting to the 'Reds', enhancing the saturation for a warmer photo appearance, I also did this with the 'Yellows'.

 

With the other settings, If I felt it was appropriate, I would either increase or decrease the 'Greens', 'Cyans', 'Blues' and 'Magentas' since they don't necessarily create a warmer atmosphere.

 

After that, I added an adjustment layer of 'Levels' so I could add more depth to the shadowing and lights in the photo. 

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

My landscape inspiration has been mainly focused on Rut Blees Luxemburg's work, her night set street work owns an alternative view on landscape photography and I typically lean more towards alternative photography styles. Landscape work captures the world as how the photographer visualises it; this is called visualisation. This topic has helped me understand better use of my camera for outside work for the future.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

I believe my final pieces for landscape meet my interpretations of Rut Blees Luxemburg's work. They own a warm atmosphere while in a dark street setting. These are my final pieces for landscape.

Remastered