Re: Advice on taking portraits in black and white?
- From: "Nicholas O. Lindan" <see@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:01:24 GMT
"Marion" <mchew02@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote
I have a new project in school with my photography class and it's to
take portraits of self + 3 others (of other ppl of my choice.)
So, the pictures are supposed to exude some sort of 'story' of the
person being portraited. Have meaning to it.
An environmental portrait...
I've been trying to picture that with my family
members and I'm drawing blanks.
Start with what you know: What were your emotional
relationships with members of your family. Try and
display those entanglements in a picture.
Not only that, I've tried and they stare at the
camera (is that ok?)
Did they stare at you with a blank expression in RL?
Books have been published of people with blank stares
- very hard to do.
http://www.artphotogallery.org/artphotogallery/photographers/richard_avedon_01.html
How do you relax the person you're taking a picture
and make a good picture out of her/him/them?
Take a picture of them jumping up in the air?
http://www.magnumphotos.com/LowRes2/TR3/F/P/R/U/PAR33115.jpg
Not only that, the place is a total mess (and I mean M-E-S-S,) I
also live in a studio with my bf and we're like in 2 feet of
messiness. I'm embarrassed to take pictures of the mess as a
background.
Ah, maybe that's the problem - not wanting to face the
reality of it all. No matter how 'bad' reality is, that
reality is as good as it gets. Take a picture of the mess,
what does the mess mean to you? What do you mean to the mess?
You live in a mess then you live in a mess and if the world
doesn't like it then it's the world's problem [assuming
your rats and roaches don't wander into your neighbor's
apartment].
If you are going to take pictures of your nearest and dearest
then your emotions are going to get in the way, so take a
picture of it: picture of your folks when
they have that expression on their faces when the really PYO;
Ditto when they make your heart melt [do it on different
days or you will have very confused parents].
Interact ... snatch their cigars.
http://www.malaspina.com/jpg/churchill.jpg
Sure beats:
http://www.winstonchurchillbc.org/images/churchill%20victory.gif
Maybe I need to go somewhere that has interesting lighting and then
just walk through with someone and take shots that way...like the
local aquarium where there's lots of dark and light places.
Well, that should put the blinkers on reality ... I mean, do
you or your subjects hang out at the aquarium?
If you gotta hide you gotta hide, but at least make the
hiding interesting and revealing:
http://www.uky.edu/ArtMuseum/luce/Top50/50/pages/Meatyard_jpg.htm
http://www.clampart.com/inventory/inventoryimages/imagemeatyard02.htm
--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Darkroom Automation: F-Stop Timers, Enlarging Meters
http://www.darkroomautomation/index.htm
n o lindan at ix dot netcom dot com
.
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