What is the Human Condition?
This assignment “people” is all about the human condition, I have been researching what the human condition and I’m going to photograph the human condition in the style of the following genres:
This assignment “people” is all about the human condition, I have been researching what the human condition and I’m going to photograph the human condition in the style of the following genres:
1 The Environmental Portrait
2 Candid Photography
3 Fine Art Portrait
4 Corporate Portrait
From my finding I have learnt that the human condition is something that we all have to go through in our lives no matter what age, sex, race or class we are. This could include:
Birth
Death
Love
Sadness
Fear
Aging
So my thought for this assignment is to try and photograph the aging process which is related to the human condition. With my eight I want to show the evolution of the aging process from birth to death.
From my research I found numerous websites relating to the human condition.
What the human condition is
Images relating to the human condition which I have found helpful.
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Candid Photography Research
I have been researching what candid photography actually is. From my finding I have learn't that candid photography is an unplanned and unposed image. In other words the subject being photographed doesnt know this. There are no lighting set up and no staged poses. Candid images are becoming more of an art form because its capturing real life.
Candid Images by famous photographers
Paul Strand
Richard Avedon
Robert Capa
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Alfred Stieglitz
The Images above have inspired me throughout my work on people. I have produced some of my own candid images.
Candid Test Shots
I thought this would be a good place to take some candid images because there were people from all walks of life and they could possibily fit into the human condtion.
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Environmental Portrait Research
1/125, ISO 100 F8
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Fine Art
Helen Van Meene
Child
Middle Aged
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These images were taken at a photography exhibition in Birmingham.
I thought this would be a good place to take some candid images because there were people from all walks of life and they could possibily fit into the human condtion.
Contact Sheet of some of the best Images of the day.
The following images are just random shots I took.
F8, 1/50, ISO 100
This is a screen shot of post production.
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Environmental Portrait Research
An environmental portrait is a portrait of the subjects in their familiar environment. For example photographing a man in a garden could show that he is a gardener or a person in the kitchen would show they work in the catering business.
By photographing the subject in their natural surrounding will shows an insight into their personality and life style. A positive point to this style of photography the subject being photographed will feel at ease in their own surrounding and will not feel too shy in front of the camera.
The location has to suitable and has to show some idea of what the subject’s lifestyle is. It also makes the image more interesting. Adding props into the set is also another way to bring more interest in to the photo.
I have been looking into different photographers that photograph this style of genre.
Jody Ake
The use of props and style of clothes indicates that the man is an artist.
Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen
The surronding indicate the job.
Arnold Newman
Mary Ellen Mark
This image indicates that the man in the iamge is an animal trainer.
Other photographers I have looked into are:
Albert Watson
Jane Bown
Robert Bergman
Gerard Malanga
Dan Winters
Bill Owens
Paul Fusco
Platon
Enviromental Test Shots
I have taken some tests shots for enviromental portraits.
I took these images in Portugal of a tree cutter in his work enviroment.
I am using the aging process for the human condition and thought they could fit the brief.
F3.5, 1/40sec, ISO 400
F3.5, 1/40sec, ISO 400
F3.5, 1/40sec, ISO 400
I had to use these camera setting because the area was quite dark.
Screen shot of post production.
I used the same production on the tree cutter, I increased the clarity for a sharper appearance and slightly increased the blacks.
Contact Sheet
The use of enviroment clearly shows that the subject works in a restaurant.
F3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO 100
I cropped the image so the image is minimal and clean cut.
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I cropped the image so the image is minimal and clean cut.
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Corporate Portraits
I have been looking into corporate portraits. I found the following images interesting and I like how are they all appear in black and white.
I have been looking into corporate portraits. I found the following images interesting and I like how are they all appear in black and white.
Jody Ake
Jody Ake uses a wet collodion process,
an historic photographic technique which involves using
a large format camera and glass plates.
an historic photographic technique which involves using
a large format camera and glass plates.
Yosuf Karsh
Arnold Newman
These are two different style of corporate images by Arnold Newman. The first is an up close portrait and could be see as a corporate or an environmental portrait.
Rodchenko
This is a corporate image with a difference.
Test Shots for Corporate
We were separated into group to photograph the research team in a corporate style portrait. We set the studio up as following:
Front 45 degree flash head with grid/honeycomb modifier attached on a tripod well above head height angled down and 45 degrees was agreed as main light source.
A second flash head was placed directly behind subject with the background modifier on a stand.
The black side of the poly board slightly angled toward the subject.
Meter and take some test shots.
Change camera setting to Monochrome, JPEG & RAW, 1/125, ISO 100 F8
1/125, ISO 100 F8
1/125, ISO 100 F8
1/125, ISO 100 F8
I found the system image of the above subject I wanted to compare the difference.
The first obvious difference it that the studio image and is in black and white and they have taken with two different cameras which really show a difference.
I took the following images at an exhibition the use clothing and surroundings would indicate that this is an corporate image.
ISO 400, F8, 1/50 Sec
ISO 400, F8, 1/50 Sec
I added a black and white preset but i colour as it looks more professinal.
ISO 400, F8, 1/50 Sec
We had to instruct the subject were to move their head’s by doing this we could achieve the image we wanted and no unwanted shadows would occur. Using a step ladder the photographer could position themselves to.
Fine Art
Fine art is photographed for the beauty of the image rather than the point of it. So therefore the image will have a concept.
I have decided to use fine art for my eight images as I fined this subject to be intresting. I needed to look at photographers that photographed the in the style of fine art and get some inspiration from them.
Sally Mann
Imogen Cunningham
Helen Van Meene
Lisa Visser
Loretta Lux
Loretta Lux photographs surreal portraits of childhood.
Loretta Lux photographs surreal portraits of childhood.
Irina Werning
I have looking through Irina Werning work I found it to be the biggest inspiration throughout the people breif.
She has photographed child and then photographed them years later in the same places and clothing.
I am using Irina Werning style of photography in my own work. My plan is photograph the evolution of the aging process from birth onwards. I am going to make each print into black and white high contrast.
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Fine Art
I am using the aging process for my eight images. I am using a black and white high contrast for all of images. I am still in the process of taking more but these five images I am happy with.
Baby
This image was taken inside a darkroom. I had to use flash, a high ISO and a low f number.
Child
Example of Before and After
I took this image in portugal using natural daylight.
Teen
I took the iamge in the university studio using the black side of the poly board and a beauty dish.
20's
30's
20's
30's
Middle Aged
I took this image in day light outside in portugal.
OAP
I took this image in day light outside in portugal.
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Final Fine Art Images
I have decided to restart my fine art section as I am not happy with my final images. The use of different locations are not fitting well with the other images in the fine art section. So I have decided to use studio using the same lighting techniques, back ground and camera setting this will make the images look more of a set.
I am going to use a black back ground, one soft box and the camera settings on ISO 100, 1/250sec, F2.0 using a 50mm Lense. I have decided these setting to create a shallow depth of field and this will add intrest in to the image.
I have alot of inspiration from Irina Werning by the way she shows how time as changed in her images and no matter how much we try to fight the aging process we cant.
The following images show the aging process
The reason I have concluded my self in the image is I thought it would be more of a challenge to photograph myself in the studio using a clicker.
I am much happier with the final images as this images really show the graduation of the aging process.
Post Production and Contact Sheets
A contact sheet of the aging process
Contact Sheet of the final eight Images.
These are the before and afters of the final eight images.
