This term I`m going to be starting a new topic, on Portraits.
Portraits are photographs of a person or people can be a range of different types such as; Couples, Posed, Formal, Candid, Environmental, Group, Children and Sporting. I feel I`m going to enjoy this topic because I like adding emotion into things especially portraits and photographs.
When looking at and taking portraits, it is important to focus on the emotion and facial expressions within the picture that the person is showing.
Portraits are photographs of a person or people can be a range of different types such as; Couples, Posed, Formal, Candid, Environmental, Group, Children and Sporting. I feel I`m going to enjoy this topic because I like adding emotion into things especially portraits and photographs.
When looking at and taking portraits, it is important to focus on the emotion and facial expressions within the picture that the person is showing.
Candid:
Candid photography is a photograph captured without creating a posed appearance. This is achieved in many ways, for example: when the subject is in motion, by avoiding prior preparation of the subject, by surprising the subject, by not distracting the subject during the process of taking photos. Using candid photography can add an effect of seriousness to the photograph. Candid photography captures moments and how the subject is feeling from their facial expressions. They aren't usually looking at the camera.
Posed:
Posed photography is when the subject or model poses for the camera on purpose knowing that they are getting their photograph taken. Posed photography is making the subject look at the camera to show any emotion that they are feeling to add that emotion into the photograph. Adding emotion into a photograph can add an effect, it can also make the person who is viewing the photograph feel the emotion or message that the photographer is trying to get across with just facial expressions. They are looking directly at the camera.
Formal:
A formal photograph is when the subject does an arranged pose that the photographer has asked them to do. A formal photograph is usually used under special lighting conditions. Formal photography is like a posed photograph with people dressed up and smiling at the camera. Formal photography is usually taken in groups or couples. People get Formal photographs taken because they want to capture the moment that they are experiencing. Formal photographs are usually posed and used in formal events like weddings, proms, parties and other occasions.
Couple:
Couple photography is a type of photography that involves couples that are getting married, going to proms and just wanting to have their photograph taken. Couple photography can express what the subject is doing and feeling in that moment. Couple photography is usually taken behind a picturesque and beautiful background to add that light and romance into the photograph. The couples don't always have to be looking at the camera.
Environmental:
Environmental photography captures the environment and subject at the same time like the photographer is trying to tell the viewer or the person looking at it, a story or what the environment is showing.
Sporting:
Sporting photography refers to the genre of photography that covers all types of sports. In the majority of cases, professional sports photography is a branch of photojournalism. Amateur sports photography, such as photos of children playing football, are usually taken by non professional photographers.
Group:
Group photography is when a group of people stand together and take a picture. One of the most common types of digital photographs is the 'group photo'. They happen everywhere from weddings, to camps, to parties, to sporting teams, to school.
Children:
Children photography is a type of photography that involves children.
My first shoot;
My plan;
I`m going to try using different emotions and capture them.
I think these photographs are alright but I think the emotions could of been expressed better.
My favourite photograph;
This is my favourite Photograph because she she`s showing happiness and that's what I was looking for out of this photograph. This photograph represents a candid photo. I like this photograph because it expresses the emotion perfectly and the hall that we were in had darkness in it which made her face and emotion stand out.
My least favourite photograph;
This is my least favourite photograph because you cant properly see the emotion in her face and you cannot really tell what emotion she is expressing. I think it would of looked a lot better if I captured her whole face.
Some photographs that I like;
I like these photographs because they show a meaning and a story behind them. I would like to do something similar to these photographs and create the black and white feel in my photographs.
A plan for my second shoot;
For my second shoot I`m going to use props. The prop that I`ve been thinking about using is a mask because I think it shows a meaning or emotion behind it and that is what I am looking for in my second shoot.
My second shoot;
This shoot didn't go as well as I planned it to because I think it would of worked better if we were in a two. One of the people in my group weren't allowing me to take a picture of their face to show the emotion that I was trying to capture in my photographs. Next time, im going to stick with my previous partner and take better photographs.
My favourite photograph;
This is my favourite photograph because I feel like the emotion is being showed through the eyes. I decided to have her put the mask below her eyes to look like she`s taking it off. I would like a chance to do something different with the props.
My least favourite photograph;
This is my least favourite because i should of asked her to move the mask a bit more off her face so i could capture more emotion from her face. Next time if i use these props again, i would move the mask more downward to capture the emotion like i wanted to do in the first place.
My third shoot;
From last week I`m going to improve my shoot by using props and using them in the correct way. I`m going to use one prop this time but mainly focus on the face. For this shoot I`m going to use a holographic piece of paper with holes in to add a magical effect to the picture.
I really liked these photographs because the way the holographic piece of paper is on top of the camera lens. I also like the fact that the holographic paper blurred out some of the photographs and added an edited effect.
My favourite photograph:
This is my favourite photograph because the holographic reflected onto the camera lens so it looks edited already. I like the way the emotion is showing through at the same time.
This is my least favourite because I didn't put the holographic paper on my camera lens and it doesn't look as effective as I wanted it to look. This was a testing photograph because the holographic paper wouldn`t let the camera focus on her face.
Research on Erin Case
Erin case is an award winning visual artist based in Midland, Michigan. Erin mainly does portraits and then edits a landscape to cover their faces.
Here are some portraits Erin has created;
Here are some portraits Erin has created;
Personally, I really like this type of photography because I like the way she doesn't just use landscapes to replace the face, she also uses people to fill in the face. Erin hasn't got a normal style, its quite different. I have tried to create my own version of her work, I think its good considering its my first try at editing. Erin case uses pictures out of scrap magazines and newspapers and edits them onto somebodies body to make it look like their face is that piece of paper/landscape which, in my opinion, is very creative. Erin is currently in an art college pursuing a hobby out of photography.
My edit:
I decided to use a golden/sunset landscape image because I wanted to link it to the picture that I took. My edit needs more smoothing on the outer edges so it doesn't look as fake. I am going to try a few more times to try and perfect my editing skills on Erin cases` work. On my next edit I`m going to use a different portrait and a different landscape to change the theme.
Research on Erkin Demir
Erkin Demir, a talented Turkish photographer, creates beautiful photo series of surreal and dreamlike portraits. He explores the creative manipulation of double exposures, fusing various elements into a single image. Erkin morphs landscapes or certain types of architecture above, below or on a subjects.
I like erkins work because he doesn't cover or crop the face Personally, I don't like to cover the face in my photographs because I feel like the face shows emotion or creates a vibe so the photograph has a meaning behind it.
Erkin Demir started of taking photographs of fashion for vogue, but recently started to do his own thing involving architecture and even a little bit of fashion.
Erkin Demir started of taking photographs of fashion for vogue, but recently started to do his own thing involving architecture and even a little bit of fashion.
My first shoot using professional equipment;
For my first shoot I think they turned out well but I don't think we used the reflective disc properly because we had to hold our own whilst getting our photograph taken. Personally, I preferred the golden disc because it added a highlighted effect to Georgia's face and made her look more healthier. On the last two photographs I used the black disc to block out the light to add a sad vibe towards the photographs to show the difference that the separate discs show. When I used the silver disc I didn't realise that it would make her face look really bright and light. Overall, my favourite disc was the golden one because it added a glowing look which I really like whilst taking photographs.
My favourite photograph;
This is my favourite photograph because I used the golden disc which added a glow onto her face. I like the fact we did our photographs on a sunny day because the sun helped me get the outcome I was looking for.
My least favourite photograph;
This is my least favourite photograph because the golden disc was too close to the face which caused her to look more yellow than gold. I would like the photograph if the colour was more of a golden colour or lighter than it is now. To prevent this happening again, i`m going to get our other group member to hold the reflective disc so it doesn't look as bright.