Guidelines for completing written analysis of photographers’ work focusing on: * Person or People in the environment * Nudes * Fashion
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This document includes: * Important Information that you must read (page 3) * An index of the different category questions & definitions (page 4) * Different lists of questions for different genres of photographs along with examples of photographs for the different categories (as a guideline) (pages 5 – 10) * Quotes by different photographers (pages 11) * Example of fully completed exemplar analysis (pages 13 – 15) Definitions: Commercial photograph – photographs taken for business, for sales, for money. Commercial photography is often associated with advertisements, sales pitches, brochures, product placements as well as merchandising Editorial photograph – a photograph that appears in a magazine, but is not advertising or selling something (sometimes that are there to accompany a written article) Fine Art photograph – a photograph that hangs in a gallery or is sold directly to a buyer in a gallery or over the internet etc.
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YOU MUST READ THIS PAGE BEFORE YOU START RESEARCHING YOUR ARTIST How to start your initial research If you can’t find out enough information and find enough quotes, then don’t write about that photograph, find another photograph instead. 1. Find a photograph that links to your work in some way and find the name of the photographer 2. Research the photographer to see whether s/he is a professional or an amateur photographer and whether s/he is a fine art or a commercial photographer 3. See if you can find this photograph on his or her website (or anyone else’s website). Is there anything written about this photograph or the series of photographs that features this particular image? 4. Type in ‘Interview with ,,,,,,, (the name of the artist)’ into Google. If there is one, you can use the information to find your quotes When you include a quote in your analysis, place the quote in “quotation marks”, then explain what the quote actually means in your own words, then respond to the quote (write about your own opinion about what has been said in the actual quote)
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Page Index for different sets of questions: • Person or people in an environment Page 5 & 6 • Nudes / Nude Torso Page 7 & 8 • Fashion Page 9 & 10
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Questions for a photograph depicting a person or people in an environment Write out the actual questions (but only the sections in bold black), however, do not write out question 1 at all, just write the answer READ THE INFORMATION ON PAGE 3 BEFORE YOU START ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS 1) What is the name of the photographer? (Date and country of birth if you can find it) Is this photographer a professional photographer? If so, what companies has he or she worked for, what famous magazines have their photographs featured in or what galleries has he or she exhibited their work in? (You will need to use initial research to answer this question). Only write a couple of sentences for this – that’s it! Do not add loads of unrequired background information on the artist, we will only ask you to remove it. 2) What is the photographer’s motivation for being a photographer? What is the photographer’s motivation for taking / creating these types of images? (Only write basic information – no life stories – couple of sentences at the most. Only write this if you have read it – don’t make it up!) Add quotes in here if you can 3) Where is the location in the photograph: Is it outside: Urban (town or city) Rural (village or county side, Coastal (by the sea) or is it inside: a building or in a studio? Explain what it is in the photograph that makes you think this (if it’s obvious, then just simply state the location) 4) 9) Discuss (if you think / know) whether this photograph been taken for a commercial purpose or for an editorial purpose or for a fine art purpose. See the bottom of Page 2 for the definitions of commercial, editorial and fine art. If you know this because you have read it, then back it up with a quote. 5) Does the person in the photograph interact with the environment in any way or are they just standing, sitting or lying in the environment? If they are interacting with the environment in any way, then how are they doing this? 6) When looking at this photograph, do you think that the photographer is telling a story in some way? (Is the photograph suggesting that an event has occurred, is occurring or is about to occur? What is this event? (If you cannot find this out for certain, then offer possible suggestions based on what you can see, but do not go overboard and make up over-the-top stories, stick to what you can see and offer sensible suggestions). Add quotes in here if you can 7) Discuss the ideas that are being explored in this image. Is the image symbolic of an event or an emotion? Consider the following elements and see whether any of them are relevant: relationships isolation everyday life poverty truth & honesty distortion See whether you can find anything written by the photographer and if you can, then add quotes to back up what you are saying
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7) Do you think that this photograph is supposed to make you feel happy, anxious, curious or any other emotion? Why do you think this? Explain your reasons. 8) Is there anything controversial within the photograph? (Only discuss this if there is anything controversial enough within the imagery, otherwise leave the question out) 9) Discuss the main technical or formal elements featured in this photograph? Look at the photograph and see whether you can identify any of the following things as being particularly important: unusual composition strong angles shallow or deep depth of field, blurry movement negative space strong colours or monochrome tones & shades Research to see whether the artist (or anyone else) has discussed this and add quotes in here to back up what you are saying. 10) Do you think that the photographer has manipulated this photograph using digital editing (such as Photoshop)? If you think that s/he has, then what impact do you think that this could have had on the way that viewers react and respond to the photograph. (Research to see whether the photographer is known for using digital editing). Research to see whether the artist (or anyone else) has discuss ed this and add quotes in here to back up what you are saying. 11) What is your personal response to this photograph and how does this photograph inspire or relate to your own work? Explain your response in some depth
Examples of a person or people in an environment photographs
Johnny Mobasher
Alban Grosdidier
Jan Von Holleben
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Questions for nudes / nude torso photographs Write out the actual questions (but only the sections in bold black), however, do not write out question 1 at all, just write the answer
READ THE INFORMATION ON PAGE 3 BEFORE YOU START ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS 1) What is the name of the photographer? (Date and country of birth if you can find it) Is this photographer a professional photographer? If so, what companies has he or she worked for, what famous magazines have their photographs featured in or what galleries has he or she exhibited their work in? (You will need to use initial research to answer this question). Only write a couple of sentences for this 2) What is the photographer’s motivation for being a photographer? What is the photographer’s motivation for taking / creating these types of images? (Only write basic information – no life stories – couple of sentences at the most. Only write this if you have read it – don’t make it up!) Add quotes in here if you can 3) Discuss (if you think / know) whether this photograph been taken for a commercial purpose or for an editorial purpose or for a fine art purpose. See the bottom of Page 2 for the definitions of commercial, editorial and fine art. If you know this because you have read it, then back it up with a quote. 4) Explain the visual content of the photograph, (Discuss whether the figure is male or female; then discuss whether the figure appears to be fully nude or partially clothed. Discuss whether you can see the body in its entirety or whether you can just see a section of the torso). 5) If the model is a woman, do you think that the photograph has been taken to appeal to mainly a male or female audience? Do you think that the model has been objectified. To help you answer this question, you may wish to read the following article: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/08/subjectify-me-5-ways-to-tell-if-an-image-is-objectifying/ 6) Is anything controversial within the photograph? (Only discuss this if there is anything controversial enough within the imagery, otherwise leave the question out) 7) Can you see much of the background, and if so is it significant within the photograph? (only answer this question if the background is important or significant, otherwise leave the question out!) 8) Discuss the main technical or formal elements featured in this photograph? Look at the photograph and see whether you can identify any of the following things as being particularly important: unusual composition strong angles shallow or deep depth of field, blurry movement negative space strong colours or monochrome tones & shades Research to see whether the artist (or anyone else) has discussed this and add quotes in here to back up what you are saying.
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9) Do you think that the photographer has manipulated this photograph using digital editing (such as Photoshop)? If you think that s/he has, then what impact do you think that this could have had on the way that viewers react and respond to the photograph. (Research to see whether the photographer is known for using digital editing). Research to see whether the artist (or anyone else) has discuss ed this and add quotes in here to back up what you are saying. 10) What is your personal response to this photograph and how does this photograph inspire or relate to your own work? Explain your response in some depth
Examples of nudes / nude torso photographs
Dennis Hodges
Alfred Georg Weisenegger
Sebastian Forde
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Questions for Fashion Photographs (for clothes and accessories based images) Write out the actual questions (but only the sections in bold black), however, do not write out question 1 & 8 at all, just write the answers READ THE INFORMATION ON PAGE 3 BEFORE YOU START ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS 1) What is the name of the photographer? (Date and country of birth if you can find it) Is this photographer a professional photographer? If so, what companies has he or she worked for, what famous magazines has his / her photographs featured in or what galleries has he or she exhibited their work in? (You will need to use initial research to answer this question). Only write a couple of sentences for this – tha t’s it! do not add loads of unrequired background information on the artist, we will only ask you to remove it. 2) What is the photographer’s motivation for being a photographer? What is the photographer’s motivation for taking fashion photographs? (Only write basic information – no life stories – couple of sentences at the most. Only write this if you have read it – don’t make it up!) Add quotes in here if you can 3) Is this photograph a straightforward ‘commercial based’ fashion photograph? (i.e. the photograph really focuses on the clothes and showing what the clothes look like to the viewer). Or is it a concept based fashion photograph? (i.e. the photograph is more about the photographer’s creative ideas and vision as opposed to showing and promoting the ‘wearablility’ of the clothes). Explain the reasons for your answer. 4) What is the distinctive style of the clothes on show? 5) What are the main visual ideas explored in this piece? Consider whether any of the following are strong visual ideas within the photograph: colour movement rebellious attitude beauty distortion glamour poverty reflection power sexuality concealment Discuss how the photographer has actually shown these visual ideas in the photograph. Add quotes in here if you can 6) Is there anything controversial about the photograph? (only discuss this if there is anything controversial enough to discuss, otherwise leave the question out) 7) What could be the inspiration for this photograph? 8) Read the quotes by different famous photographers on page 11. Choose only 1 of these quotes, then: Research the photographer to see whether she or he is a contemporary or historic photographer Include the full quote out your analysis Explain what has been said in the quote in your own words Respond to this quote (perhaps discuss whether you agree or disagree with what has been said by the photographer in this quote etc.) See whether you can relate this quote in any way to the photograph / photographer you are analysing
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9) Is it a studio based or an ‘on-location’ photograph? 10) Can you see much of the background, and if so is it significant within the photograph and does it complement the clothing? 11) Discuss the main technical or formal elements featured in this photograph? Look at the photograph and see whether you can identify any of the following things as being particularly important: unusual composition strong angles shallow or deep depth of field, blurry movement negative space strong colours or monochrome tones & shades Research to see whether the artist (or anyone else) has discussed this and add quotes in here to back up what you are saying. 12) Do you think that the photographer has manipulated this photograph using digital editing (such as Photoshop)? If you think that s/he has, then what impact do you think that this could have had on the way that viewers react and respond to the photograph. (Research to see whether the photographer is known for using digital editing). Research to see whether the artist (or anyone else) has discuss ed this and add quotes in here to back up what you are saying. 13) What is your personal response to this photograph and how does this photograph inspire or relate to your own work? Explain your response in some depth
Examples of Fashion Photographs
Matteo Bertolio
Joseph Alexander
Steven Meisel
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Quotes for fashion photographs (Quote 1) “Most photographers go and photograph something that they see, that exists, and that
somebody else has created - they document it. But fashion photographers have to create what they're going to photograph”. – Mario Testino (Quote 2) “The way men are seen in photography, in fashion, and the way that men look at pictures of
themselves has changed in recent years. It is a subject that has come into focus: The masculine image, a man’s personal style, changing attitudes to the male face and body” – Mario Testino I was always good at the requirement of the job, which was to make the girl look good. Making the clothes look good was never really what it was about; make the girl look good and the clothes will look good. But I found that quite soul destroying. For someone like me who loved cinema, stories and art, to be producing these pictures of just... well they were very beautiful girls, but it was without any substance or content – Miles Aldridge (Quote 3)
(Quote 4) “Fashion photography only works when it’s mysterious and enigmatic.” – Miles Aldridge (Quote 5) “I got this idea in my head that magazines were like a gallery and if you got your magazine
page ripped out and someone stuck it on their refrigerator, then that was a museum – someone’s private museum” - David LaChapelle
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Example of a completed written analysis on a fashion photograph
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Example of a fashion based written analysis
Photograph by Baldovino Barani Baldovino Barani is a professional photographer whose fashion photography has featured in magazines such as ‘ODDA’, ‘Vogue’ and ‘Le Monde’. Explain whether this photograph is a straightforward ‘commercial based’ fashion photograph or whether it is a concept based fashion photograph? I believe that this fashion photograph is quite a straight forward and commercia l based image because it is possible to see the featured clothing quite clearly and to understand how this clothing would look being worn in the everyday context of walking down a street (alb eit by two extremely tall, slim women). Although I have no definite information regarding the fashion label featured in this photograph, it appears to me that it is the entire outfit that is being featured and not just a garment and I believe this because of the distinctive style of the clothes. Is this photograph a straightforward‘commercial based’ fashion photograph? Or is it a concept based fashion photograph? There are many commercia l elements in this photograph, for example the tailored suits which we can imagine being worn in some everyday situations. The models are clearly showing the structured silhouetted shape of these garments and it is easy to imagine what they will look like in real life. It has to be acknowledged that there is a ‘concept’ element within it with the fabric blowing up in front of Model’s faces, obscuring them; however I believe that there is enough actual commercial information in this photograph.
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What is the distinctive style of the clothes on show? The clothing is extremely tailored and the models create very strik ing silhouette against the background. The most distinctive section of the clothing is the should ers on the ja cket which are very oversized and an unnatural shape which does not fit to the natural contours of the body What are the main visual ideas explored in this piece? Barani has stated that he gains inspiration from many different sources “…. A lot of times, an idea will come to me in a dream or it will start with one word that someone says.” I think that this photograph definitely has ‘dream-lik e’ qualities because of the surreal look and feel of the models especially because their faces are covered by the bla ck fabric. It is impossible to tell whether the bla ck fabric is part of the outfit (such as a scarf) and whether Barani took advantage of the fact that a sudden gust of wind blew these scarves up into the models’ faces, he took the shot and thought that it worked successfully or whether these are a strange, but deliberate part of the photograph aimed to create an unsettling, intriguing and surreal feel. What could be the inspiration for this photograph? I think that this particular image may have been inspired by a dream. It has a strong Far Eastern influence in regards to the colours and look of the background architecture, which is in direct opposition to the black silhouetted models which look quite small in scale in comparison to the background. I don’t think that this photograph is intended to provid e the viewer with a detailed understanding of small details within the garments, instead it is meant to convey the overall silhouette and to showcase the creative vision of both the designer of the clothes and of Barani himself. Is it a studio based or on-location photograph? This is an ‘on-location’ shot and the background is very much a strong and visually interesting aspect of this photograph. In fact it is so visually prominent that it threatens to overpower the clothes themselves. The most significant visual aspects within the background are the strong use of colour and the presence of the Chinese writing on the build ings. Barani lived and worked in Hong Kong whilst taking this photograph which accounts for the background. I think that there is very little actual rela tionship between the clothing and the location because the clothing does not really contain any strong East Asian influences. Can you see much of the background, and if so is it significant within the photograph and does it complement the clothing? The background is a very dominating feature in this photograph and it sets the scene of being in either in an East Asia n town or even in a ‘Chinatown’ district of a town or city in a western town. Discuss the main technical or formal element featured in this photograph? I think that the strongest formal element in this Do you think that the photographer has manipulated this photograph using digital editing (such as Photoshop)? If you think that s/he has, then what impact do you think that this could have had on the way that viewers react and respond to the photograph. There is no information on whether Barani has used digital editing to edit this photograph, however I believe that the
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What is your personal response to this photograph and how does this photograph inspire or relate to your own work?? I find this photograph to be quite intriguing because of the combination of practicality and surrealism. The clothing itself is represented in a very straight forward way and we can clearly see how this outfit would look on a very tall, slim woman wearing high heels. The clothes are striking against the background due to the strong silhouette of the Jackets’ shoulders and also because all the clothing are in bla ck, which are then pla ced onto a colourful environment. I think that the use of two models wearing the same outfit and the position in which they are pla ced brings a more creative element into the photograph. However it is the way in which the models’ faces are covered which really brings in a Surreal element into this photograph. In a recent interview, Barani was asked about how he selected ‘stories’ i.e. imagery to turn into his visual narratives, he replied: “I like imagining up this girl, thinking about what she does, what her obsessions are, what she hasn’t admitted even to herself. After that, I work with the stylist to visually define/strengthen that character. In other words, we try to think what she would wear, what she would definitely not wear, how she would hold herself, et cetera. I think it’s called character development in movies, only we don’t have a script to jump off of….after all those elements are in place (casting the right model, location, styling), if we’ve done it right, it pretty much takes care of itself. All I have to do then is capture it and press the shutter button …” I find the Barani’s approach really interesting, especially because he starts with the model and not the clothes, and then he build s the visual story around the model. I am inspired by this photograph to combine quitedark coloured clothes in a very colourful environment and concentrate
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