Black and White photographers
Cory Smith
Cory Smith uses contrasting colours in his monochrome photography, and shows how doing so can create diverse images which are interesting to look at. For example, the photograph on the left, named "Quirk" is an example of how black and white compliment one another, as the background is black, her face pale white, then interesting black paint on her face. In some senses this combination creates an optical illusion, which many of his other photographs also do. The composition of the shot is very well thought out, as it is symmetrical due to the shapes on her face, even to the extent of the ribbon in her hair is somewhat matching in position.
The expression she is pulling shows a glimpse of personality; perhaps the photographer wanted to show her slightly mad and bubbly side, therefore would have asked her to pull this expression where she has wide eyes and pouted lips. This compliments the prop used in the hair; again this adds to the feeling of craziness and makes the photograph interesting as there is more going on in the frame. The lighting used is rather consistent; as there are no shadows underneath the nose which is usually a give away to the type of lighting used. Also, the light catches both sides of the models hair and face, which means the light is either front on (which could be an on camera flash) or there are various lights positioned around her, making her face entirely lit. Again, this adds to the element of personality captured in the shot as she seems very open and quirky, which makes more sense rather then half of her face being more shadowy as this would suggest she is shy/mysterious.
Again, the middle photo is a very artistic way of composing a photograph, as the subjects almost blend into one another and their features fit together perfectly. If the photographer had shot the photograph like this, and had the woman actually in front of the man, the shot may not have been as precise and work so well. However, it appears that this was achieved through post-shoot editing and she was placed over the image in a second layer. The give away signs of this are the fact that the light is so consistent apart from underneath his eyes and the side of her face; this suggests that a light from the left hand side was used to separately photograph both subjects, before going on to adding her on top of his face. This allowed the photographer to create a more precise and detailed shot, as the two faces almost look flat as they are so close together.
Again, this photograph would have been achieved through editing, as the two subjects are perfectly positioned together which would have been hard to do physically as the same precision would not have been accomplished. The composition of this shows a true artistic approach to photography, Cory Smith has intentionally placed them like this to create the Yin Yang shape.
The expression she is pulling shows a glimpse of personality; perhaps the photographer wanted to show her slightly mad and bubbly side, therefore would have asked her to pull this expression where she has wide eyes and pouted lips. This compliments the prop used in the hair; again this adds to the feeling of craziness and makes the photograph interesting as there is more going on in the frame. The lighting used is rather consistent; as there are no shadows underneath the nose which is usually a give away to the type of lighting used. Also, the light catches both sides of the models hair and face, which means the light is either front on (which could be an on camera flash) or there are various lights positioned around her, making her face entirely lit. Again, this adds to the element of personality captured in the shot as she seems very open and quirky, which makes more sense rather then half of her face being more shadowy as this would suggest she is shy/mysterious.
Again, the middle photo is a very artistic way of composing a photograph, as the subjects almost blend into one another and their features fit together perfectly. If the photographer had shot the photograph like this, and had the woman actually in front of the man, the shot may not have been as precise and work so well. However, it appears that this was achieved through post-shoot editing and she was placed over the image in a second layer. The give away signs of this are the fact that the light is so consistent apart from underneath his eyes and the side of her face; this suggests that a light from the left hand side was used to separately photograph both subjects, before going on to adding her on top of his face. This allowed the photographer to create a more precise and detailed shot, as the two faces almost look flat as they are so close together.
Again, this photograph would have been achieved through editing, as the two subjects are perfectly positioned together which would have been hard to do physically as the same precision would not have been accomplished. The composition of this shows a true artistic approach to photography, Cory Smith has intentionally placed them like this to create the Yin Yang shape.
Cole Thompson "with eyes shut" project
"It is said that a person's eyes are the windows to their soul. So why photograph people with their eyes shut and what do the images reveal? For three days I approached over 150 Ukrainians, and using sign language, asked if I could photograph them...with their eyes shut. Their reaction was one of great surprise and curiosity. Most people have a "camera face." It's the look we put on when our picture is being taken, the face we want others to see. A mask. So what do we reveal when we shut our eyes and take off the mask? If the eyes are a window to the soul then perhaps the face is a mirror, and it reveals a glimpse of the inner self."
Cole Thompson explores black and white photography in this series of images in a way which challenges notions that the eyes mean everything in a portrait shot. Although people usually suggest that the eyes are the windows into the personality- he opposes this and proves people wrong by photographing people with their eyes shut, yet still capturing mood and true personality.
The colour and tone are seemingly natural looking, as there are no obvious shadows on the buildings or pavements. However, small indications such as behind the mans hand, and on the door behind the womans head, suggest that Cole Thompson may have used a small source of artificial light such as a Soft Box to highlight the features like underneath the chin and nose.
The composition of each photograph show how candid these moments were, for example the woman and girl are not pulling complex poses trying to show off their personalities, they are simply relaxed.Tthe way her arms are folded across her torso suggests that she is not a very open person; and the photographer intentionally did this to show her personality as closed, perhaps quite strong, and almost clueless in front of the camera.
The colour and tone are seemingly natural looking, as there are no obvious shadows on the buildings or pavements. However, small indications such as behind the mans hand, and on the door behind the womans head, suggest that Cole Thompson may have used a small source of artificial light such as a Soft Box to highlight the features like underneath the chin and nose.
The composition of each photograph show how candid these moments were, for example the woman and girl are not pulling complex poses trying to show off their personalities, they are simply relaxed.Tthe way her arms are folded across her torso suggests that she is not a very open person; and the photographer intentionally did this to show her personality as closed, perhaps quite strong, and almost clueless in front of the camera.
Andy Farrington "One Hat Wonder" project
This photograph shows how props can be used in black and white photography to capture personality. Helena Bonham Carter exhibits the crazy side of her personality through a direct bright lighting; this shows she is open and confident as her whole face is very thoroughly lit. Her expression also depicts a wild, open character as her eyes are wide open, and she is looking directly into the camera, confronting the viewer in a more personal way.
It is clear to see in this photo how Andy Farrington has focused on the contrast between light, he also used a focused light in the background of the shot to somewhat frame and bring our attention to the centre of the shot where the subjects face is.
It is clear to see in this photo how Andy Farrington has focused on the contrast between light, he also used a focused light in the background of the shot to somewhat frame and bring our attention to the centre of the shot where the subjects face is.