What is going to be shown:

Hands on exhibition!   Loads and Loads, and bucket loads of hands on experience.

I want stalls where in you can try out new equipment, play with sets, new backdrop design systems, use the lighting see it all in action.  Tips, tricks and ideas from professional photographers, art directors, fashion stylists and the creme de la creme of the industry.

A live shoot to be held, showing the ins and outs of the entire process for a high end fashion label.  Couture gowns and fantastic sets.

This is paris darling! only the best.

To cover all facets of the industry we should also consider street photography, domestic portraiture and also some non fashion based elements such as architectural and commercial.

I forsee, live zones and planned shoots throughout the area, sectioned off and themed within different era's of the past years.

For example -

1920s paris.  daguerrotypes being used, showing where photograpy came from.  Have live sets with long exposures, models sitting within posing frames.  traditional costume and sets to match.  luxurios velvet curtains and a very regal portraiture.

this idea would move through some of the major photographic trends

for example the movement to more portable cheaper cameras where in now families could take their cameras to the beach.  We could theme all the sets and costumes as well as have actors playing roles within the area to really bring the audience in as a part of the event rather than just observers. 

-what will be going on outside

Projections, whilst a good idea are somewhat limited by light and interruptions in the space.  Exit signs and windows can ruin the effect of the image.  What if we use a window transfer on all the external surfaces, transferring the building into a parisian street in 1930's .  There would be architectural elements, streets, people etc.  In a large scale  and perfectly aligned so that you feel like you are actually looking into that street. To enhance this we could replace all the existing street lamps within the convention centre region to old lamps as seen on the streets of paris.   open a market outside with fruit vendors and recreat the street feel.  All concrete will be overlayed with cobblestones and when you park your car you are escorted to the door by a horse and carriage.

The incredibly lifelike scenes are actually huge works of art, painted on the side of perfectly intact buildings. The paintings, which have fooled many, were created by John Pugh, who specialises in trompe l'oeil - or 'trick of the eye' - art.

He uses his skills to delude the viewer into seeing 3D scenes painted on flat surfaces.

The Californian-born artist said: 'It seems almost universal that people take delight in being visually tricked.'

-Who will be exhibiting

Industry reps from all major brands as well as muesuems of photography and collectors of vintage equipment.  I would like to see a stall from Paris Vogue who are quite an influencing force in the fashion industry as a whole.  They can give advice on the their requirements and how they work etc in order for upcoming photographers to better understand the industry.

- Who will the guest be?

Everyone and anyone.  It will be open to industry professionals, not the public.  Memebers of the AIPP, professional photographers, printers, lighting professionals, labs, editors, magazines etc.  it is an industry event that is tailored for these people - not the general public.

- Who will the guest speakers be?

According to some website, the top ten photographers of all time are;

Tricia Gosington

Annie Leibovitz

Ansel Adams

Henri Cartier-Breson

David LaChapelle

Rankin

Robert Maplethorpe

Herb Ritts

Helmut Newton

Bob Gruen

they will all be invited to come, exhibit, talk, demonstrate and be admired in general.. we may need to resurrect a few ppl from the dead

For the love of Infinite Money!

What's to be shown?!

Separate areas of : Iconic 1920's images of fashion and portraits,

: imitation 20's images (modern day replica's) 

: open area with themed cat walk surrounded by interactive photographic   equipment. (studio set ups with 20's themed props, photographic software   on computers information video's in secluded rooms.

There will also be a floating projection of images in the middle of the main room

Outside!

Vintage image of paris wrapping the building (convention center).

Costumed ushers

Food and Catwalk performances

Who's exhibiting?!

Iconic photographers from the 20's along with currently famous photographers.. 

Guests!

Opening night, industry only. 

Special invites to to current photographers and photography groups (e.g. AIPP)

After opening night, open to public. 

Guest speakers

Annie Leibovitz,

Ansel Adams

 

The Change over time

Style of photography!

In comparison of images from now and those taken in the 1920's is (particularly in favour of fashion and portraiture) very posh and glamorous. This is partially due to the fashion at the time as well it was very chic therefore all the  images from this time portray this, with the elegance in poses, posture and femininity. the majority of images from this time were in black and white which adds to the feel of the images of its time.

 

Rough as guts 3 day seminar research/plan

Shown:

• Computers to play with photoshop on
• Mist projections
• Old school cameras to have a look at/play with
• New equipment
• Company brand outlets
• Photoshop classes

 

Outside:

• Sections, start off cobblestone area, and work closer to door new age stuff appears (eg. Start with cobblestone and lanterns end with red carpet and big glamourous shinging lights)
• Pictures of eifel tower being built
• Models/actors acting a scene
• Music
• Drinks
• FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

 

Exhibiting:

• All, from famous to up and coming
• Competition

 

Guest:

• Any and Every1

 

Speaker:

• Annie levobitch
• Dave hill
• Yann arthus Bertrand (earth from above)
• Blair Bunting

 

History of models:

Fashion Modeling is considered to have originated in the mid-nineteen century in Paris. The first ever fashion model is believed to be Marie Vernet Worth in 1892 who was married to fashion designer Charles Worth.

The trend towards fashion modeling did not seem to increase immensely considering the success of the Worths. This was mainly due to the fact that models in the early 20th century were not seen as respected individuals and were not considered to have an acceptable profession.

However, this view in society began to change in 1924 when Jean Patou selected only American white woman to model his clothes. This use of selectiveness allowed Patou's clients to identify more with his designs but more importantly allowed the model profession to become more socially acceptable in those less politically correct times.

The openings of the first modeling agencies in London and the US shortly after further emphasized the acceptance of modeling as an appropriate job within society. At this time model types were also evolving and it was not just the typical tall and slender models that were being employed.

Fashion designers such as Cristobal Balenciaga were using models that were deemed to be short and stocky. Also, during World War II ordinary looking and cheerful models were used because designers wanted their smiles to enlighten the mood that was present at the time.

Therefore, with all these various types of models being used the modeling industry grew in stature once again.

Models started to develop into super models where they received incredible amounts of money. For example, Lisa Fossagrives, who some people claim as the first ever supermodel, appeared in numerous high fashion magazines throughout the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

Janice Dickinson in the 1960s who is more widely respected as the first ever supermodel became the highest paid model, earning $2,000 per day. She was on the cover of several European magazines including Vogue and Cosmopolitan that were also well established fashion magazines.

During the 1960s and the 1970s more and more supermodels became apparent due to their growing popularity with society. Namely – Twiggy (London – born) and Cheryl Tiegs (Minnesota).

The prominence of the supermodel era continued to grow well into the 1980s and 1990s with models such as Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. All of these models became the elite in the modeling industry and to some extent still are.

However, at the turn of the 21st century there seems to be a slight decline in the number of high fashion models mainly due to the increased number of pop singers, actresses and other celebrities. Thus, becoming far more popular with the general public and appearing in numerous fashion magazines and advertising campaigns.

In moving into the 21st century it has also become apparent that there are greater opportunities in the modeling industry. For example, there has been a notable increase in the number of hip-hop artists throughout the world. This trend has resulted in many artists requiring hip-hop models to appear in their videos and in their merchandise.

As well as female models, male models are also becoming in demand with models such as the Swedish born – Marcus Schenkenberg. Some writers believe that he was the first ever male supermodel in the world and also the highest paid.

It is also interesting that to be model in the 21st century you do not need to have the ultra slim and slender look that is personified. For instance, if you have an exceptional body part it is possible to only model that one distinguishing feature.

Thus, the future of modeling looks promising for all different types of individuals

 

 

Photographer life:

photographer is one who captures light. Today this translates to a person who takes photographs using a camera. A professional photographer uses photography to earn money whilst amateur photographers take photographs for pleasure and to record an event, emotion, place or person.

A professional photographer may be an employee, for example of a newspaper, or may contract to cover a particular event such as a wedding or graduation, or to illustrate an advertisement. Others, including paparazzi and fine art photographers, are freelancers, first making a picture and then offering it for sale or display. Some workers, such as policemen, estate agents, journalists and scientists, make photographs as part of other work. Photographers who produce moving rather than still pictures are often called cinematographers, videographers or camera operators, depending on the commercial context.

Photographers are also categorized based on the subjects they photograph. Some photographers explore subjects typical of paintings such as landscape, still life, and portraiture. Other photographers specialize in subjects unique to photography, including street photography, documentary photography, fashion photography, wedding photography, war photography, photojournalism and commercial photography.

•  

 

Styles:

• Wildlife photography
• Landscape photography
• Sports events
• Photo-journalism
• Fashion photography
• Black & White treatment
• Shooting Celebrities

 

 

What print on:

• Walls
• Human billboard photos

Mist projection We’re the company that changed projection technology forever – no more fixed screens. Instead, our breakthrough product, the FogScreen® projection screen, produces a thin curtain of “dry” fog that serves as a translucent projection screen, displaying images that literally float in the air. The result: stunning, attention-demanding displays - which is why FogScreen projection screen is used so often at product launches, trade shows, restaurants, nightclubs, museums, casinos and other venues.

It’s as simple as it is stunning. With the use of ordinary tap water and digital technology, FogScreen projection screen enables projected images to literally float in the air, creating a brand new medium to captivate and fascinate audiences. You can walk right through a FogScreen projection screen without getting wet. The microscopic fog droplets actually feel dry to the touch, just like air.

The highly innovative yet simple-to-use product has been utilized to enhance product launches, trade shows, live entertainment, nightclubs, museums, theme parks and even private parties. FogScreen has won numerous honors, including the Business 2.0 Bottom Line Design Award and Best Special Effect by the Club World Awards.

 

 

• Food???
• Ground
• Roof
• Cameras
• Canvas
• Paper
• Shirts
• People??? – face mask/temporary tattoo

 

Lighting up Sydney

Lighting up Sydney

Sydney Morning Herald 28 May

Nick Galvin talks to the technical wizards who are shining a light on the contribution made by the Macquaries to the history of Australia.

In a windowless upstairs room of a unit in a light-industrial estate in Lane Cove, a small group of designers is staring intently at the screens of their Apple computers. The atmosphere of deep concentration is broken only by mouse clicks as they painstakingly "paint" vivid colours and designs on to some of Sydney's most significant buildings.

Their task is to give historic Macquarie Street a very 21st-century makeover, temporarily turning seven landmark buildings, including Parliament House, St Mary's Cathedral and The Mint, into living canvases telling part of the story of Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie and early life in the colony. 

After many dedicated hours, the designs on those screens will be projected on to building facades using massive industrial projectors.

Some 300,000 people are expected to walk the route down Macquarie Street over the course of the four-week event, stopping at each of the buildings for up to 10 minutes. Families in particular are being encouraged to take a look.

The event follows on from last year's Smart Light Sydney Light Walk, which featured 25 light sculptures in the city. Its success took organisers by surprise.

This year's event, part of Vivid Sydney, is called Macquarie Visions and its director, Anthony Bastic, says it will push the boundaries of architectural projection further than has been seen in Australia.

"The events we have had to date in Australia have just been light projections, which is great but what I wanted to do was take the concept to a different level and actually tell stories," he says. "I thought it would be a more interesting way of telling the story of two very visionary people so we're not just having a boring old history lesson but see these two come to life.

"I've always liked Macquarie Street as the ceremonial street of Sydney. It's a great space that a lot of people don't use."

The concept of large-scale projections on to historic buildings originated in France in the early 1950s, where the process was christened "son et lumiere" (sound and light). The shows remained popular in Europe and further afield, using chateaux, churches, castles – even the pyramids at Giza in Egypt.

Peter Milne, the director of Electric Canvas, which is producing Macquarie Visions, says the Sydney show will extend the concept. "The son et lumiere technique that has been so popular in Europe for many years usually uses one building to tell a particular story," he says.

"It is less usual to have a streetscape involved. We have a wonderful opportunity with Macquarie Street being the ceremonial axis of the city."

Bastic researched the lives of the Macquaries in minute detail before coming up with the concept of the hour-long walk down Macquarie Street. The more he learnt about the contribution of the fifth governor of NSW and his wife to the critical early days of the colony, the more impressed he became.

"I thought these two people needed to be celebrated and more people need to know about them. We tend to just skim our history – we know a little bit about things but not enough in depth. I thought it would be great to tell that story in a way that is fun and engaging but is also technologically savvy.

"Then I thought it would be interesting to take different facets of [Lachlan] Macquarie's life and achievements and explain the story on the different buildings we have."

The walk begins at St Mary's Cathedral. Macquarie laid the foundation stone for the cathedral in 1821 and the presentation there, Designing the Nation, will highlight his role in urban design and hundreds of public buildings.

"It's a great starting point for people because they are able to get a quick overview of the Macquaries' role in building the foundation stones of what has become Australia," Bastic says. "I think he was an incredible leader and a great visionary. When the Macquaries arrived the colony was not in good shape. People were starving."

As well as bringing order to the nascent settlement, Macquarie was also a firm believer in giving convicts a second chance. This is celebrated in the presentation at the Hyde Park Barracks called Fair Go.

At the entrance to the Botanic Gardens there will be a tribute to Elizabeth Macquarie's passion for botany; the Macquaries' political, social and economic contributions are celebrated elsewhere.

Nick Tory from The Electric Canvas is one of the artists charged with bringing Bastic's visions to life. It takes between three and four weeks to produce a nine-minute presentation. "We have to trace out every single shape and part of the building," Tory says.

"That takes about a week and a half and then our artworkers have to render and colour and add content to all of those shapes. It is a really fiddly process. You really need to love detail and be obsessive about getting it right."

A small error made by a designer in tracing the building's outline will become glaringly obvious when projected on to the facade, sometimes from hundreds of metres, so starting with a totally accurate image of the building is critical.

"We take a photographic survey of the building, which is accurate from the perspective of the projector," Tory says. "In theory, once we project it back on the building all those elements that we trace out fall in the right place."

The image will match the building exactly only if the projector is placed in the right spot. The projectors used will be a mixture of older French-made PIGI film-strip projectors and more modern digital devices. The margin for error in placement of the massive projectors can be as little as the diameter of a 10¢ coin. "If you don't get the right angle and the right position it simply doesn't fit and there is no optical or electronic adjustment that can be done," Milne says. "It has to be right first time."

It's also vital the projectors don't move during the performances. "We have to be very specific about how rigid the scaffolding towers are," he says. "The tiniest bit of movement is a lot – especially on longer throws."

On top of the technical intricacies of lining up the massive images, designing with light brings its own artistic challenges. "You can't be subtle in your use of colour," Tory says. "You have to be relatively bold. You've got to be mindful of a lot of different factors. "

There is also a balance to be found between the startling "eye candy" moments that viewers used to firework presentations expect and the subtler demands of telling a serious story through images.

Then there is the challenge of making all the images tie in with the intricate architecture of the facades.

"We are using the architecture to inform the story," Milne says. "The challenge though is how to tell the story on an ornate building. Take St Mary's . . . there is very little flat, uninterrupted surface so we have to use certain techniques to make sure the message is not distorted."

Everything always comes back to the architecture for Milne, who adds that they are “absolutely not” using the facades merely as screens.

“I'm of the belief if you look after the architecture first then tell the story, you will be awakening people to the beauties of the building at the same time,” he says.

“In our experience, even when we are just doing decorative architectural projects with no particular theme, people who walk past these buildings every day rediscover them.”

Emily's IDEAs

So first up: this projection of images on walls idea!!….I think something like the video below would be amazing – minus the tetras style projection but we could project movies such as the second video.






What going to be going on inside??I think we should do a kinesthetic “time line” throughout the inside of the convention centre – focusing on the photography “heros” from that era.
Each era will show:
Photographs, magazines, fashion, "styles of photography", modelling styles (actors, performing mock photo shoots), equipment, prints/books/magazines from that time for people to purchase - AND much more.


Who will the guest be:Anyone who purchases a ticket – but specific photographers will be invited to ensure they can attend.

Who will the guest speakers be? Perhaps there could be a panel of industry folk who organise the event and decided on a couple of famous photographers, but also have a competition amoungst the public who can vote for an “unknown” photographer who they believe has the skills and talent to be a High End photographer.

So my main idea is that people can be involved in the history and beauty of photography by physically walking through the convention and seeing the transformation from the beginning to now and how a simple photograph can impact on people in so many different ways! And will continue to do so for many years to come.

Hi. I’m a professional photographer. What’s an Aperture?

With photography becoming more and more popular within todays culture, every Joe blow and his dog is getting a DSLR and calling themselves a professional photographer because they can afford a fancy camera in which cases they barely know how to use.As this creates a frustrating strain within the photographic community as people who dont know how to create an effective image are taking newcoming photographers jobs, it brings the question to the table "what is considered a professional photograph". Is it an image which is taken by a fancy camera with average or fluke lighting? is it how well prepared you are set up? or is it simply nothing to do with cameras and how well you can photoshop your image.*Note following are my views and opinions, feel free to comment on your thoughts of the images and my opinions*

Taken with an expensive 5D, the so called professional photographer believes this to be proof of his professionalism. Although a nice photo none the less, it is far from professionalism with elements such as the background and the white line in the foreground.

Taken by Blair Bunting, famous for his use of lighting. This image has been very strongly controlled in all elements and taken by a very well known PROFESSIONAL photographer.

Taken by another claiming professional photographer with a flash camera with what would seem to be a simple point and shoot image. It has blatantly been heavily photoshoped to improve its attractibility, but the question is, has it worked? Has it turned this average everyday image into a professional image? Most importantly, has it turned the image into a professional quality standard image. I believe not, although its cool features may appeal to the average person as a ‘cool’ photo, I believe it is far from professional standards.

Taken by Dave Hill, this is a very fine example of a nice mixture of good lighting and heavily doses photoshop. Although I am sure Hill would’ve made sure his lighting was superb, this image still shows how much photoshop is relied upon within the industry used to heavily edit to create a “professional” image.

Saying doing photoshop will fix all image problems is very wrong with often the image ending up looking worse than its original self

Saying professionals using photoshop makes a brilliant image is also very far from the truth with many established professional photographers taking their post production to far. Using Dave Hills image as an example, I believe the extent of editing on this image is far to heavy giving it a feeling of tackiness and cheapness. Although it is very possible that his client asked for an image with that style it is still very Dave Hill style which suggests he decided to go as far with the editing.

So in conclusion, what makes a professional photographer? The answer is YOU, you must find a balance between controlling your image in production and editing your image in post production and obviously attempt to stray from taking bad images. You must be creative as there is no set equation for creating an effective image only effective factors. You must also watch the editing as far to many people edit their images far to heavily. Ill be watching you all (another fine Blair Bunting image).

Friday 's class!

Details:

3 Day seminar

NO BUDGET
For the creative industry - photographers

LOCATION: Convention Centre
-old feel
-paris
-photo projections on walls
-wall paper - of "chosen" photographers work
-floating images??


Things we need to cover:

-whats going to be shown
-what will be going on outside
-Who will be exhibiting

- Who will the guest be?

- Who will the guest speakers be?

Topics to discuss:
The history of models

life as a photographer,

styles of photography over time

(this history will be themed throughout the convention)

HOW DO WE WANT TO DO THIS???


-what will we print on


NOW WE EACH NEED TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS WITH WHAT WE THINK SHOULD BE DONE. AND THEN WE WILL CHOOSE THE BEST OPTIONS ON FRIDAY AND CREATE A LIST ETC

hope this makes sense, as long as you just give an opinion on how to make the convention AMAZING! yay 

cya friday

But wait! More on what makes a great portrait...

Conscientious have published a follow up to their article 'What makes a great portrait?' (see http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/extended/archives/what_makes_a_great_portraits_conted/).

I can't say that there's much in the way of new content, but it has helped me to appreciate that once a photographer learns to master the technical side of photography (that is, when they can create the look they want at will without being too distracted from their creative vision), then all that's pretty well much left is their relationship with the sitter. Take, for example, this shot by Richard Avedon of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor:



The Windsors were quite used to having their photo taken, but Avedon did not want another generic smiling portrait. So, knowing they were dog lovers, he told the couple that his taxi had struck and killed a dog on the way to the shoot. By manipulating his subjects, Avedon was able to evoke a fleeting emotional reaction whose sincerity he captured for all time.

Museum panel asks - Is photography over?

Evening All!  Just found this interesting article and thought I'd share for your reading pleasure and further debate;
....

Recently the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art brought together 13 experts in the field to grapple with the question "Is Photography Over?"

Despite its taking place in SFMOMA's auditorium, well-equipped to project images in any medium, no symposium participant showed a single picture. Scores of them hang upstairs (through June 27) in "The View From Here," the museum's 75th-anniversary survey of California photography.

The reasonable presumption seemed to be that everyone in the audience has seen and snapped, and perhaps even printed, so many photographs that no precise reference points were needed.



Read more: HERE

Another thing on changing portrait styles...

If you're looking for examples of changing portrait styles, then I highly recommend 'Art Prints' at www.condenaststore.com

Conde Nest have assembled images from their various magazines—including Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Glamour and Mademoiselle—and are offering 'art prints' on photo paper (sized from 12x18" and up) from US$150.

You can search Conde Nast images
by theme (beauty, family, fashion etc),
by magazine
by people (actors, artists/writers, athletes, dancers, models, musicians etc),
and so on

Hang a quality print of your favourite Cecil Beaton on your wall, or simply peruse Conde Nast's digital catalogue for inspiration.

One limitation is there are few examples beyond the 1970s. Nonetheless, this site provides a rare and valuable searchable imagebase for 20th century media portraits.

Rating: 9/10

Changing portraiture

How have notions of good portraiture changed? Well, I can't give you an objective, systematically analyzed or artsy appraisal of changing portrait styles, but I can tell you what I've observed in my not-so-short lifetime.

One big change I've observed is the move away from formality to informality. Back in the early 60s when a professional photographer shot myself and my two older brothers, it was all about having a formal line-up and neatly combed hair (see image below).



Sure, there was a the rule of thirds of sorts, but in this particular case, rather than leading your eye to a focal point, it runs right through our heads. Indeed, I'd say this was possibly the first image to inspire me to try photography, though only because I was so appalled at the composition.

Formality was an aesthetic tradition that my father continued as we grew up—lining us up in what we called 'The Three Steps' (see below).

To add to the stiffness of the occassion, we would stand for some minutes with smiles fixed on our faces while our father first checked his Weston light meter then attempted to focus his Argus rangefinder camera. In some respects, it was an experience more like sitting for a daguerreotype than say posing in front of a modern auto-everything DSLR. Of course, I was already the anarchic radical, slyly posing informally with hands in pockets.

Today, most domestic portraits tend to be all about the 'casual lifestyle', with people relating (often moving) rather than static posing—like pages lifted from so many popular magazines.

One other big change that I've observed follows on from the first—modern domestic portraits are far more physically intimate. People are placed less shoulder tip to shoulder tip—now they're placed right into each others' faces, leaning, lying on or wrapping around each other (see below).

What's a good portrait?

Over the next few weeks, I want to explore portrait trends. What are they? Who’s commissioning what portraits for what reasons right now? Where might these trends be leading us? And is there any money in it for me...ahh...I mean us?

Phew! It’s some project! Fortunately, I’ve stumbled onto Conscientious—a web site dedicated to contemporary fine-art photography—and, in particular, an article by Joerg Colberg on ‘What makes a great portrait?’ [http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/2008/02/what_makes_a_great_portrait/]

Colberg emailed a large number of photographers (fine art and commercial), as well as photography bloggers, curators, editors and gallerists, to ask them “What makes a good portrait?”

Here’s my edit of what some had to say—under headings that I’ve added to help group their responses. I’m sure we can appreciate most of their explanations for what is a good portrait. So, can anyone add new ones?

In my next post, I hope to compare these with understandings of good portraiture from the past.

PORTRAIT RULES AND THE INTANGIBLE

Timothy Archibald—What makes a great portrait is almost like trying to figure out why it feels good when someone smiles at you or why it is disturbing when someone yells. There are these rules and structures—and then there is this intangible human element. Everyone seems to know how to play by the rules and follow the structures, but as far as the intangible goes, that’s where it all falls apart or comes together—it allows the portrait to sink or swim or really transcend.

Timothy Briner—I have specific ideas of what a good portrait may consist of, but I am often amazed at the portraits I come across that do not abide by any of these rules. Many of these images are truly spectacular. And it further reminds me that good art is made up of many things, and this question can almost never really be answered, at least not with any certainty.

GOOD PORTRAITS ARE ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER AS MUCH AS THE SITTER

Thomas Broening—I think for a portrait to be great it needs to say more about that maker of the image than the subject.

GOOD PORTRAITS SHARE SECRETS AND EMOTIONS, AND INVOKE EMPATHY

Chris Buck—A great portrait can have beautiful lighting, a curious location and a pleasing composition, but it’s a sense of vulnerability that really makes a picture exciting for me. Vulnerability and awkwardness are access points for the viewer, and a suggestion of real humanity.

David Burnett—In the end, what strikes us is the feel we have for the subject, and not, strictly speaking, how the photographer ‘shot’ it. Do I feel something inside, a reaction which I cannot express? Do I sense a moment of tension, humor, a subtle knowing flutter when I connect with the eyes of the subject. Does he, does she speak to me? Do I want to know more about them?

Joakim Eskildsen—A good portrait for me is something that gives an insight into the portrayed inner universe, reflected via the surroundings and the mood of the light and the person’s mental state. It must somehow also have a secret that you want to take part in or that makes you wonder.

Dylan Vitone—What generally makes a good portrait for me is the subjects gaze in the image. Whether they are looking outwardly at the photographer or turning inward in thought if the person has expression on their face that I can empathize or connect with the emotional state I get sucked in. It does not have to be a overly emotional or intellectual state.

GOOD PORTRAITS CAPTURE TRANSCENDENTAL MOMENTS

Kalpesh Lathigra—For me it is a matter of “what were they thinking the moment the shutter is clicked, both of the subject and the photographer. I want to try to capture at least a moment where my subject transcends the expectation of being photographed and moves from posing to a state of grace. I am not naive enough to think that the subject is not directly interacting with the photographer, but what I say to my subjects “is to focus and concentrate on the most important thing in their life, whether it is a moment of happiness, sadness or indifference to the wider world, just a very personal moment, from there the interpretation of capturing that is down to me.

Amy Stein—The qualities that would make an image stand out to the photographer are the same qualities that would hopefully translate to the viewer. The primary quality being the obvious and cliched quality that makes all good art good; there is a tension in the moment. The tension could be there for any number of reasons: the photographer’s attempt to unsettle the subject with words or actions, the subjects desire to control the situation, a mutual trust that produces a raw and honest exchange, a chilly day, the cold water of a stream, etc. I believe there’s no recipe, no replicable means to these moments. They happen and it’s wonderful.

Bill Sullivan—A good portrait allows the viewer to momentarily step outside his or her own reality giving a glimpse of another. It is an emotional exchange between subject to photographer and ultimately to viewer, momentarily caught somewhere in between, experiencing a moment of visual sensory and curiosity from an immediate feeling of invitation.

GOOD PORTRAITS ARE INSIGHTFUL

Rob Haggart—A great portrait is surprising and insightful for the viewer. The insight comes from learning additional information about the subject beyond what they look like. It can be subtle (expression, body position, bits of context) or it can be dramatic but it should never be obvious. The surprising part can come from making an unlikely context to subject pairing or creating an unexpected situation for the subject to react to.

GOOD PORTRAITS ARE RESPECTFUL AND HAVE GRACE

Bruce Haley—Call me a dinosaur or whatever, but for the most part I like portraits to be engaging, not chilly—and sympathetic, rather than demeaning or cruel. I would say that my preference is for portraiture that imparts dignity as opposed to stripping it away.

GOOD PORTRAITS DON’T HAVE TO CAPTURE THE EYES (OR WINDOW ON THE SOUL)

Bill Hunt—I have collected many hundreds of images of people in which the eyes are obscured. They can be closed or veiled or hidden. The photograph must also have a magical impact on me. With the collection, I have always been fascinated by what happens when the photographer does not attempt to capture some poor soul, literally through their eyes, but by denying that or by offering parts, not the whole. I am engaged when information is withheld. When the artist insists that I collaborate on the meaning or significance or power of a photograph, when I am brought into the work, it behaves much more powerfully. My overall take on portraiture is its overwhelming failure to transcend its basic information gathering, to offer more than the most superficial report, the well lit ID photo. How rare and surprising to find the powerful and transcendent.

Olivier Laude—I’ll have to admit that I am not a big fan of portraits as a whole. They are over valued as works of art or as general gallery and magazine fodder. Portraits usually feel staged and temporal, because they are, by their nature meant to be illustrative and propagandistic. The myth that the portrait, the good ones, the bad ones and everything in between, are an important and enlightening window into the soul of the sitter is just as much of an insipid cliché as the soul itself.

In a vacuum, what makes a portrait interesting and successful is the subjectivity of the photographer towards his or her subject. The idea that a great portrait can, and should capture the essence of a human being, is as absurd and deifying as to ascribe god like qualities to any human being, photographer or subject alike.

Portraits for the most part describe an edited moment within a window of personal and theatrical opportunity. Nevertheless, there is a style of portraiture which comes close to achieving the portrait’s mythological goals and that would be the vernacular portrait. Those images taken without pretensions and with minimal expectations on the photographer’s and the subject’s part. These kinds of images are very rare and only seen when you see them.

GOOD PORTRAITS NEED SOME S&M

Brian Ulrich—I’ve come to the conclusion that photographic portraits are some of the hardest photographs to make. In many respects the photographer is the lead in a crazed power dynamic; the sitter must lend themselves, their time, patience and likeness to the photographer in a relationship that has to have some degree of trust in how the photographer might represent them. The photographer, in some cases knowing more or less about the subject, has a opportunity to describe them in a number of ways. All this often leads to the eternal portrait question: From the sitter, “What do you want me to do?”.

The Age Old Art of Black and White

Black and white photography has been a rather large photographic trend since the beginning of its time, largely due to the absence of colour photography until 1861. What is most amazing about black and white photography is that whilst technology was “upgraded” and a newer and better version came upon us (colour) the old wasn’t thrown out the window like most, and still today, nearly 150 years later, black white images are still commonly used.
E.g. one of my own

So how do you know when to use Black and White?

Truly? It’s up to you!

Black and white photographs show us lots of things we often miss in a colour image because our eyes are often drawn to all the wonderful bright colours. In black and white we see the highlights (bright areas) and the lowlights (shadows) more easily; however colour does affect our black and white image. For example, if we have a photo of a red flower in a green field it may show up as the same tone of grey meaning a very dull image but there are many photographers out there that have mastered black and white and know before even taking the photo, how it will look in the end.

Black and white photography is also used to express emotion. With the absence of colour we see finer details sometimes tugging at our heart strings or just making us think about the image itself. With this in mind a common field in which we find black and white used often is wedding portraits. Who hasn’t seen at least one wedding photo in black and white? It’s to symbolise the freezing of a moment, it gives that sentimental value to it as well as stripping the distraction of colour to bring out the emotion in couples big day. If you think about it, what do you see first in these two photos?

The first thing I look at is yes ok there are people in it, but my attention is almost immediately drawn to the colours around them. Being in a white gown and black suit when there are all these amazing colours around them, why would I stay focused on them? I see the beautiful colour of the ocean and the green flower boxes. Don’t get me wrong these are still beautiful photos but if you then look at the same photo in black and white....



Your attention is now held by the people in the photo, you see the emotion and it creates the atmosphere your wedding day is meant to have. I don’t suggest you all go out and get your whole wedding album done in black and white but a few are always nice.

Ok so far we have straight black and white covered and although it is, I guess you could say, antique... it has been brought into the 21st century as well.

Can’t decide between colour and black and white, or just think black and white is a bit too boring for you? Why not both??

Yes it’s true; you can have both black and white in one photo! How you ask? Simple! Of course you can’t have something so classic and chic without giving it a bit of modern re-vamp so here we have it. Many photographers have begun playing with the cross of black and white with a hint of colour. To do this they make the whole image black and white and then erase the black and white over a certain object or area to bring back the colour. Don’t quite understand? Let me show you...

Pretty cool isn’t it!? Anyway, that’s all from me for now. Enjoy and happy snapping!

Bree