Assignment 4 Virtual Essay

Assignment 4 Virtual Essay: 

Photographer Comparisons

The photographer I have decided to compare is Patrick Demarchelier. He was born in France in the year 1943 and moved to New York City in 1975. He started working as a freelance fashion photographer and learning about fashion photography with Henri Cartier-Bresson among others. He eventually started working for Vogue Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar.  Demarchelier has continues to work for Vogue and many other magazines and designers such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Michael Kors, Versace, and many more. 

Today Patrick Demarchelier’s work is has grown to be amazing over the years to say the least. Nearly every fashion magazine and fashion designer has worked with him, and he produces magnificent results each time. His work is always able to show the clothing being advertised in a unique and different way each time. He tells a story with each fashion spread he creates. He’s photos are strong, bold and interesting in all aspects of the photo, the clothing, the setting, the models and the hair and make-up. He is able to capture a feeling, a moment and a lifestyle in every photo he takes, no matter what the setting or the subject matter is. He is a master as capturing beauty in everything and everyone, whether he is taking photos for a spread in a grungy wear house, in a lovely garden, or in paradise he can always capture the beauty.

Here are a few of his photographs he has taken for various Vogues over the years: 

Patrick Demarchelier

Patrick Demarchelier

Patrick Demarchelier

Patrick Demarchelier

Patrick Demarchelier

Patrick Demarchelier

Patrick Demarchelier

There are three photographers I wanted to focus on when it comes to similarities to the work of Patrick Demarchelier, one is Donald McPherson the second is Nigel Barker and the third is Renata Keveh. 

Donald McPherson is a high profile fashion photograph as is Demarchelier. He is known for his fine taste in fashion and is extremely famous in Europe. He has worked with some extrordinary people like Tom Cruise, Keira Knightly, Gwen Stefani and many others. He has also worked with magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Harper’s Bazaar. All of these qualities have resemblance to Patrick Demarchelier, he to has worked with the same magazines and extraordinary people. Their style in photography is similar as well besides from the fact that they are fashion photographers. They both are able to capture the beauty in any scenario, creating bold and strong photographs that are unforgettable. 

Nigel Barker started off as a model which introduced him to the world of fashion and fashion photography. When he finished modeling he pursued fashion photography and is now a world renowned fashion photographer. Nigel started to work out of his own photography studio and his photographs have been used for some of the best designers in the fashion industry. His photography style is similar to that of Patrick Demarchelier and I am sure Patrick is an inspiration to him. Barker’s photographers are always edgy and interesting. He uses props and interesting scenery to create a mood and a story, as does Demarchelier. 

Renata Keveh is a Toronto based photographer who is very well respected. Her style ranges from meticulously stylized to soft and romantic like Patrick Demarchelier. Both these photographers are able to find and create beauty in all kinds of places, whether it is a garbage shoot, or a shoot on a beautiful beach. Her photos are always beautiful, bold and interesting like Demarchelier’s. Keveh is currently working in North America, and internationally. She has worked with magazines like Lush, Unfair, Heaven, and Luxsure Magazine, Demarchelier also had worked with many magazine publications. 

It is important as a fashion photographer to be able to create a story with the photography spreads being created and the single photography being taken as well. The photographer needs to be able to sell the clothing and a lifestyle as well as set a mood and make the photographs interesting and aesthetically pleasing. These are the main goals of being a fashion photographer and without these skills there would be failure. These four photographers have all of these skills and qualities and have been extremely successful in their trade. 

Here are some photographs by Donald McPherson, Nigel Barker, and Renata Kevah I found to be similar to the work of Patrick Damarchelier: 

Donald McPherson

Donald McPherson

Nigel Barker

Nigel Barker

Renata Keveh

Renata Keveh

Renata Keveh

Topic 3: Alterations in journalistic photography

As I have said before I feel like photojournalism is a way to communicate news to the world. The news whether it is spoken, written, or photographed is supposed to be an honest portrayal of the world, when photojournalistic photographs are altered it alters the truth this is not ethical or acceptable when it comes to the press. No matter the subject of the photography there should be no glorified or sugar coded alterations to the photographs. Journalism is about real life subject matter and the public wants to see real life being portrayed in the press, and the public deserve to have that right. If a photojournalist alters their photographs they loose their credibility as a photojournalist and I feel they do not deserve the title of a photojournalist. Another argument against photo alteration is that a lot of the time photographs go along with a piece of written press in a news article. Integrity is extremely important when it comes to the press and serious issues, when a piece of work and a photograph are put together the message is even stronger then when they are separate. If the message is portrayed incorrectly it can have a huge impact on the public. Photojournalism has a big impact on the viewers mental image and opinion of what happened in whatever the subject matter may be. When a journalistic photograph is altered it could become a completely different message then what it was intended to be in the first place.

Here are some passages I felt were helpful during my research. 

Part of the digital camera’s popularity can be explained by an increased command over the outcome of pictures now that electronic processes allow for greater manipulability, and yet the flipside is that pictures can also be easily manipulated by anyone who has access to the appropriate toolbox. A similar paradox can be noticed in regard to the distribution of personal pictures. While the internet allows for quick and easy sharing of private snapshots, that same tool also renders them vulnerable to unauthorized distribution.

Photography always also served as an instrument of communication and as a means of sharing experience. As Susan Sontag argued in 1973, the tourist’s compulsion to take snapshots of foreign places reveals how taking pictures can become paramount to experiencing an event; at the same time, communicating experiences with the help of photographs is an integral part of tourist photography.

Source: 

Digital photography: communication, identity, memory by Jose Van Dijck

Here are some examples of altered press photography.

It was August 1989, TV Guide published the above image of Oprah Winfrey featured as queen of daytime TV talk shows on its cover. The doctored photo composites an image of Oprah's head with Ann Margret's body.

MacDailyNews argued that evidence suggested TIME Magazine purposefully distorted the aspect ratio of a Getty image. The intent was to create the physical appearance of Job's illness to match the copy.

The TIME Magazine article, "Why is Steve Jobs skipping MacWorld?" stated, "Jobs has battled pancreatic cancer and has been looking exceptionally thin since the summer." MacDailyNews said that the Getty photo TIME Magazine selected to depict was purposefully squeezed in the XY axis in order to make him appear thinner (and sicker), than in reality.

"An image of Katie Couric, originally released in May by CBS, was slimmed down for reuse..."

Source: 

http://www.stinkyjournalism.org/editorials_picks.php?all=showall&tid=14

DB 11

What are the main differences and similarities? 

Eugene Smith’s and Sebastio Salgado’s collection of photographs seemed to capture that of trouble, suffering and despair. They were not afraid to capture the gruesome aspects of lives. They both expressed strong opinions on human nature and the state of some human living. Salgado was lucky enough to travel to Africa and document the working conditions and lives of the people living there. While Smith actually attended the war and chose to document the tragities that occurred while he was there. In contrast, Andre Kertesz’s and Henri Cartier Bresson’s photography is more focused on aesthetics than human lives and the conditions of which they live. Their photography is simple in subject matter compared to that of Smith and Salgado. This isn’t to say that their work is any less impressive or important, only that they are not considered photojournalists. 

What is the better Journalistic approach?

I think that to be a good photojournalist you should refrain from editing you photographs. Photojournalism is a form of news and the news written, spoken, or photographed should not be altered. The message should be clear and unedited, if photographs are edited the message can come across differently than it should. It could become worse or better than what it actually is. I also feel that if a photojournalist goes unnoticed while they are taking photographs it is more organic way of capturing photographs. If the subject (people or animal) see the photographer while they are taking photographs the subject may change their actions, changing the authenticity of the photograph. With this opinion in mind I  believe that Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgado have the better journalistic approaches. 

Press Photography Verses Art Photography

The main difference between art photography and press photography is that the moment is created in art photography instead of captured like that of press photography. When it comes to art photography, at least in the photos I have chosen to share with you, taken by Patrick Demarchelier they have been set up to create beautiful, captivating, and powerful images. They are a work of art because they have been created by a mind. 

Woman and Child - Patrick Demarchelier

Head Dress - Patrick Demarchelier

In contrast to art photography, press photography have been captured in a moment, the photographer has to go out looking for something to photograph as apposed to creating something to photograph. The press photographs I have chosen to share with you are some of the Toronto Star’s collection of Toronto’s G20 Summit. These photos are extremely strong, powerful and captivating. They fill you will emotions and take you to a place where you can imagine being there. 

Police/Public Stand Off (G20 Summit) - Toronto Star Staff 

Police Car on Fire (G20 Summit) - Toronto Star Staff

Some similarities between the art and press photography I have chosen is that they both create a mood, whatever that mood may be.  Both press and art photography can be beautiful, powerful, captivating or vulgar. In this case all the images are powerful, unique and send a message, like all photography should. Another similarity between the types of photographs is that they both involve the subject matter of humanity, using people to capture a mood, or moment, or situation. 

To contrast some differences in the art photography of Patrick Demarchelier and the press photography of the Toronto Star’s G20 Summit are that Demarchelier’s photos are simple, clean, black and white, contained and focused. While the Toronto Star’s photos of the G20 Summit are crowed, complicated, coloured, violent and make the viewer aware of the space. The viewer can feel the crowd and anger in the photo.  

 

Sources (Ideas):

Kertesz Cartier - Bresson From Shooting The Truth Gordana Iccevska Pg 6 Paragraph 2

Kertesz Cartier - Bresson From Shooting The Truth Gordana Iccevska Pg 13 Paragraph 1, (Montier, 1996, p.143)

Edit Submission- Assignment 3 Photo Manipulation

Sunset:

This is a photograph I took heading back to my home town Owen Sound from Sauble Beach one day this summer. The original is fairly dull and grey and I wanted to make it warm and bright. I increased the exposure percentage to brighten the photo and lowered the contrast to make it less harsh. I then added more saturation and temperature to warm the photo. The saturation brightened the photograph and the temperature to add the yellow tint. I also added a light film grain to age the photograph, as well as cross process. All of these  features combined gave the effect of a bright, warm, and aged photograph. 

Before

After

Cigarette:

This is a photograph a friend of mine took while she was in France, I love it and wanted to share it with you.  I love it for its simplicity and focus. The original was taken in black and white but I have manipulated it to have to effect of a warm, old, almost cinema look to it. I increased the exposer and the contrast on the photograph to bring out the details in the finger creases and the shadows. I also increased the saturation and the temperature to make it warmer, I then added a cinema filter to give it that old rustic feel. 

Before

After

Alex:

This is a portrait I took of my friend Alex on a road trip to Montreal. The original is beautiful on its own, but I decided once again to make the photograph brighter. I find the when a photograph has warmth (depending on the photo and the context) it comes alive, even more so than in its original  form (depending on the photo). Some photos are perfect in original film and shouldn’t be altered. To create this effect on the portrait of Alex I increased the contrast and the and lowered the exposure. I also increased the saturation and the temperature. I then added a cross process filter to give the photo that yellow and green tinge. With the combination of effects I used on this photo it brightened up and the details like the sun coming trough the back window, the reflection in her sunglasses, and the smoke in front of her face stand out more than they do in the original. 

Before

After

Me:

This is a photograph of myself that a friend took of me. The original is dark and I find there is not enough light. To make the photo look like I did, I lowered the saturation, temperature, and the contrast. But I increased the exposure. Increasing the exposure on a camera opens the lens up to let light in, this brightened up my face so you could see my features. It also gave the photo a grey tint to it. Lowering the contrast also helped with brightening of the photograph because it took away the darkness from around my face. All of these effects make the photograph look bright and grey at the same time. It also looks like an old film photograph. I very much enjoy the look of old weathered film, I find it gives a photograph more depth and character which is why I decided to use this technique on all of my edited photographs. 

Before

After

DB 3

I feel like art is most appreciated, influential, and marvelled over when it is one of a kind. Never the less I do not think that art is any less than art when it is reproduced, take Andy Warhol for example. All of his pieces are iconic and they were all reproduced by Andy Warhol himself. They were reproduced with the idea that it didn’t matter who you were you could have a Warhol. Every copy was the same there was no glorified master copy. Each reproduction was hand silk screened in his factory. Every Warhol print had the same impact and has the same level of merit to it. 

It is important to mechanically reproduce art so it can be shared, so it can reach new audiences, the majority of the population is not going to step into a fine art museum and art is emotional and impacting and if it cannot be found inside the small worlds some people live in those people will be completely oblivious and deprived of that experience. With art reproduction in society it give those people who would not go into a museum a chance to see and judge the art and develope an opinion. 

Photography is an art. It takes skill and experience to take a memorable photo. There are a number of factors that contribute to a photo that is art title worthy. The photographer must understand composition and not anyone off the street understands that it has to be taught and experienced. The photographer must understand how to create mood, balance and contrast in a photo. Photography is not a point and shoot process it takes skill. Black and white photography is a dying art, it is even harder to take a striking photo in black and white, because of the lack of colour it is difficult to create contrast. Developing film is also a difficult process, that needs to be taught and only gets better with experience. Owning paint brushes doesn’t mean your an artist, just like owning a camera doesn’t make you a photographer. It takes a creative person to create a significant perspective. 

Henry Robinson created the combination print “Fading Away” with 5 negatives, putting them together to create one unified photograph. It depicts the death of a young girl and her loved ones around her. He created it to show a deeper and darker side of photography. Back in the 50’s and 60’s, during Robinson’s time is was not common to see this kind of subject matter. Which is why he stood out so much, it made him one of the most famous photographers in England at the time. He took “scenes from everyday life, of ordinary people in work or recreation, depicted in a generally realistic manner.”

Digitalization has helped photography grow, we can now manipulate a photograph to make it look the way we want it to. Digitalization has also revolutionized marketing and graphic design as its known today would not exist without digitalization. Software like Photoshop and Illustrator have had a huge impact on the limits and efficiency of designers work.

Assignment 1-Topic 1-The Role of Portraits in the Early Days of Photography and Portraits Today

The main differences and similarities of portraits between the early days of photography and now are as follows. Back when photography was new it took hours of work to take one photo. Only the elite, the rich and powerful had the opportunity to have their photo taken. But now anyone who wants to have their portrait taken can do so, and they do not necessarily need to have a professional photographer to do so, and it can be done within a matter of minutes as apposed to hours. Back in the early days of photography the quality of the photos were much poorer then they are today. They were taken with film, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it was a lower grade film then what we use today. Now we have superior digital photography which makes for a better quality photo.  They photos from back in the early days were also black and white because it was all that was available, but now we have the option of colour. We still use black and white but the quality of a black and white has greatly been improved.  Another important difference is emotion. Back when the first portraits were being taken there was no emotion or expression on the faces being captured. It was a serious and important transaction to have your portrait taken. Now portraits can be captured instantly including the emotion being felt. 

The two portraits below show the contrast of portraits in the early days of photography and now.

                  "Julia Margaret Cameron. Tomas Carlyle. 1867. Albumen print. The National Portrait Gallery, London."

"Carlyle, on receiving this portrait, wrote Mrs. Cameron: “It is as if it suddenly began to speak, terrifically ugly and woe-begone.”"

Martin Schoeller photographs Jack Nicholson, 2002.

Link to photo source:

http://3236870077444132513-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/shootingthetruth/Home/modules/week-3/art-photography/ArtPhotographyBeaumontNewhall78.jpg?attachauth=ANoY7coV34ZKa3pVvLSY5tfakGiZ0tZ6Ev9PaVO4cvI16LtdIPTGpJRzQqk7koKskHaF_MzerJGh5Jb6WEDz0r9ozKYVLyKrUlccx2p4nIH0AONfBMN1Y4jqGtBvBch1fZLNPDzf1kVWkA3eGk3KYMijEtxOVrWfc_fKOD4rTJyKvWTXXGxv-tVCsRzGsFBgLOmFRkW435ztKCUq3n2cOo2DR9trXTtfJvX-CqD5oTe1meIpmj19YA6to_MvEOySIS528JgLn4pJjSV0ebpQILlh8EPdf_Lr7zTZjmhXrX8_Bx9snBIr4bE%3D&attredirects=0

The photographer back in the early days of photography would have been commissioned, people with money and in high class society on whatever level when decided that they wanted to have their photo taken. They would hire a photographer who knew how to work a camera and have their photo taken the way they wanted to be depicted. There was little to no creative expression by the photographer, they were only hired to do a job. In contrast, currently photographers have all the creative expression they want and are encouraged to do so.  When people decided they want their portrait taken they find a photographer who’s work they admire to take the portrait. Instead of hiring any photographer to take the photo, it is not common now to hire a photographer and tell them what you want done. Photographers have a portfolio of the work that they create and if you like it you choose that photographer.

The portrait below shows a lack of creativity by the photographer, it is simply a profile of a woman. 

"Julia Margaret Cameron. Mrs. Herbert Duckworth. (later Mrs. Leslie Stephan), Mother of Virginia Woolf. 1867. Albumen print. Collection Beaumont Newhall, Santa Fe." 

Link to photo source:

http://3236870077444132513-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/shootingthetruth/Home/modules/week-3/art-photography/ArtPhotographyBeaumontNewhall79.jpg?attachauth=ANoY7cpI1b54-OLh1QMkHGUmwfYQHu0SbhUZW_vTHd5szQrzU42rOaZ3fRbWamqqXJ8jGkHie9Qjq4T-NA9F6jCEPspMEp9j-6Z4HbJ6DtjDFdkA_HI2btqroDcQWkbQ86NO7FoXi0gfZi2Q7t_5uhXd8mY1JZ2kEH70-AnPsqJXdMgys0N-bUm-b0AYdX8g64JxflbZCqhAm9qwSxKZLlMNdLc3sHG9uNxT5Q7mVMtf_m71s_-ZKFqZ66-8JiPZXCk6Cf7-OdyuEauzDOf45Lmm_8tyvwWg8aPDlk4sfIEoAIyi-hjT82A%3D&attredirects=0

Thanks to the advancements in technology photography has become much more accessible to everyone. You do not necessarily have to be a educated photographer to capture an important moment. A photo can be taken in a second instead of it being a planned and extending event. The quality of the photos themselves have been greatly improved, there is now colour and in immaculate digital conditions. There are still black and white images being taken but even black and white photos have been improved, they are clearer and sharper. Film is still used but improved on all levels, and digital photography is the norm because of it’s simplicity and user friendly system.