Guidelines for completing written analysis of photographers’ work focusing on: * Straightforward Portraits
* Portraits of celebrities * Beauty portraits * Self Portraits * Experimental / surreal portraits
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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 – 14 ) * Quotes by different photographers (pages 15 & 16 )
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 they 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: • Straightforward Portrait Page 5 & 6 • Portrait photograph of a famous model / celebrity Page 7 & 8 • Beauty Portrait Page 9 & 10 • Self-Portrait Page 11 & 12 • Experimental / Surreal Portrait Page 13 & 14
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Questions for a straightforward portrait photograph Write out the actual questions (but only the sections in bold black), however, do not write out questions 1 and 7 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, write down 2 companies that she or he has worked for, or 2 famous magazines have their photographs featured in or 2 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) Who is the person in the photograph? Is there a relationship of any kind (i.e. family, friend) between that person and the photographer? Do you think that this relationship has influenced this photograph? if you cannot find this out, then leave this question out! 4) Discuss (if you think / know) whether this photograph been taken for a commercial purpose or f or an editorial purpose or f or a fine art purpose. See the bottom of Page 2 for the d efinitions of commercial, editorial and fine art. If you know this because you have read it, then back it up with a quote. 5) Discuss the face that you see in the photograph. Consider whether any of the following elements are important in the photograph: age beauty personality flaws or perfection emotions 6) How has the lighting affected how the person is presented to the viewer? Consider aspects such as shadows, colour lighting etc.) 7) Read the quotes by different famous photographers on page 15. 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. 8) 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!)
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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). If he or she has written about this, then please add quotes to back up wha t 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 straightforward portrait photographs
Lee Jeffries
David Graphistolage
Michael Terrazas
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Questions for a portrait photograph of a famous model / celebrity etc. 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, write down 2 companies that she or he has worked for, or 2 famous magazines have their photographs featured in or 2 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) Who is the person in the photograph? What is this person famous for? Is this the type of portrait you would expect to see of this particular person? What is the relationship between that person and the photographer? i.e. Are they long-standing friends etc? (if you cannot find this out, then leave this question out) 4) Discuss (if you think / know) whether this photograph been taken for a commercial purpose or f or an editorial purpose or f or a fine art purpose. See the bottom of Page 2 for the d efinitions of commercial, editorial and fine art. If you know this because you have read it, then back it up with a quote. 5) Discuss the face that you see in the photograph. Consider whether any of the following elements are important in the photograph: age beauty personality flaws perfection emotions the unexpected 6) 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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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) Is there anything controversial within the photograph? (only discuss this if there is anything controversial enough within the imagery, otherwise leave the question out). If there is anything controversial and it has been written about, then please add quotes to back up what you are saying 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). If he or she has written about this, then please add quotes 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 straightforward portrait photograph of a famous model / celebrity etc.
Leonardo DiCaprio by David LaChapelle
Thom York by Rankin
Madonna by Mario Testino
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Questions for a beauty portrait photograph Write out the actual questions (but only the sections in bold black), however, do not write out questions 1 and 8 at all, just write the answers READ THE INFORMATION ON PAGE 3 BEFORE YOU START ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS
(Try to find out who the stylist is. Reme mber t hat in mo st beauty / cosmetics based photographs t he person applying t he make-up / accessories on t he model i s the stylist and not the photographer. Try to show your knowledge of this in your analysis and include the name of the stylist / make-up artists where appropriate.)
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, write down 2 companies that she or he has worked for, or 2 famous magazines have their photographs featured in or 2 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 f or an editorial purpose or f or a fine art purpose. See the bottom of Page 2 for the d efinitions of commercial, editorial and fine art. If you know this because you have read it, then back it up with a quote. 4) Does this photograph advertise any particular cosmetic or fashion brand? (if you can’t find this out, then do not answer these questions) What type of imagery does this cosmetic or fashion brand usually use in its advertising? And is the styling in this photo similar of different to those? classic safe and expected Exciting pushing the boundaries of taste etc. You will need to research other advertising photographs used by this brand and make comparisons) 5) Discuss the cosmetic styling of the face that you see in the photograph. Consider whether any of the following concepts are important: natural beauty strong colours or one dominant colour blended & smooth reliant on props focusing strongly on features such as eyes or lips embellishing the skin split imagery disheveled, smudged, distressed look or ‘Heroin Chic’ 6) If the photographer and stylist are different, then: Who is the stylist? (name and some basic details) Which photographers has this stylist worked with before? Which cosmetics or fashion brands has this stylist worked with before? Who do you consider to be the most important person in the creation of this image – the stylist or the photographer? Give reasons for your answers
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7) Can you see much of the background, and if so is it significant within the photograph and does it complement the cosmetics and styling of the model? Only answer this question if the background is important or significant, otherwise leave the question out!) 8) Read the quotes by different famous photographers and / or make-up artists on page 16. 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. 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). If the photographer has said something about this, then add a relevant quote 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 Beauty Portrait photographs
Alix Malka
Richard Burbridge
Camilla Akrans
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Questions for a self-portrait photograph 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? (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) Why did this photographer / artist want to photograph him / herself? Use information from any found interviews here if possible and add quotes here if you can. If you cannot find out this information, then offer your bes t guess based on what you have read about the photographer in general. 4) Discuss how the photographer has chosen to portray him or herself in this photograph and in your opinion what is the photographer trying to communicate to the viewer? Consider whether any of the following elements are important in the photograph: fame age personality truth & honesty distortion of truth flaws or perfection emotions Try to find out whether the photographer (or anyone else) has said anything at all about this image and add quotes here if you can. 5) 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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6) Is there anything controversial in this photograph? (Only discuss this if there is something controversial enough within the imagery, otherwise leave the question out). Add quotes here if you can. 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) 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). If the photographer has said something about this, then add a relevant quote 9) 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 straightforward self-Portrait photographs
Julia Hember
Rankin
Peggy Jarrell Kaplan
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Questions for a experimental / Surreal portrait photograph 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 s tories) a 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) If you consider that this is a ‘Surreal’ photograph as opposed to an experimental photograph, then, answer the following questions: What do you understand ‘Surreal’ to mean in art & photography (basically explain what Surrealism means in your own words) What are the visual elements in this portrait that make it Surreal? Describ e and explain thes e visual elements. Consider whether any of the following elements are relevant (if not then identify your own visual element): missing facial features distortion of facial features metamorphism of human faces into other things such as animals or machines (research the meaning of metamorphosis) Try to find out whether the photographer (or anyone else) has said anything at all about this image and add quotes into your answer. 4) If it has been mentioned that a particular stylist was used to manipulate the face of the model during the shoot, then answer these questions: Who is the stylist? (name and some basic details) Which photographers has this stylist worked with before? Who do you consider to be the most important person in the creation of this image – the stylist or the photographer? Give reasons for your answers 5) Is there anything controversial in this photograph? (Only discuss this if there is something controversial enough within the imagery, otherwis e leave the question out). Add quotes here if you can. 6) What important ideas are being explored in this photograph? Is the imagery symbolic of an event or of an emotion)? Do your very best to find out facts about this and add quotes in here if you can.
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7) 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. 8) Do you consider this image to be a photograph or more of a piece of Fine Art? Explain your reasons for thinking this 9) 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 surreal / experimental portrait photographs
Mari  Mahr
Oleg Dou
Sonja Hesslow
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Quotes for portrait based photographs (Quote 1) “In a portrait, you have room to have a point of view. The image may not be literally what’s going on, but it’s representative” – Annie Leibovitz (Quote 2) “Sensitive people faced with the prospect of a camera portrait, put on a face they think is the
one they would like to show the world …. Every so often what lies behind the façade is rare and more wonderful than the subject knows or dares believe” – Irving Penn
(Quote 3) “A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he is being photographed, and
what he does with this knowledge is as much a part of the photograph as what he’s wearing or how he looks” – Richard Avedon (Quote 4) “It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.”— Paul Caponigro (Quote 5) “I think if you don’t love people and aren’t fascinated by them, you’ll never succeed as a portrait photographer, because your pictures will look cold” – Rankin (Quote 6) “A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” Edward Steichen (Quote 7) “My job as a portrait photographer is to seduce, amuse and entertain.” Helmut Newton
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Quotes for beauty portrait based photographs (Quote 1)” I don’t see that what I’m doing now is any less creative than something you’d hang in a
gallery – I approach my work in exactly the same way, the only difference is that it’s art on demand” – Andrew Gallimore (make-up artist)
(Quote 2) “Models are casted carefully and I gladly take in the crew’s opinions as well. For beauty
especially, it is important to have the makeup artist be inspired by the model’s features as well” – Jamie Nelson (photographer)
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