Here are five photographs I like best among those I have taken. I chose these images as the best ones because I like the use of the mask and pieces of the mirror, and show fragility in beauty, which is my theme. I took many pictures and changed the colours of the lights a lot to find a suitable theme. After changing the colours of the light multiple times, I decided that red was the only one that fit the theme quite well, including my model’s outfit, the props we used for the shoot, and pieces of a mirror. There is also reflection shown in the eyes and the pieces of the mirror, supported by the lighting in the studio, which I think is quite interesting. For my final photographs, I did not do black and white pictures because I thought if I did black and white photos, then I would not show much detail and the shades of red in the reflections of the mirror. However, my photographs still relate to my chosen photographer, Horst P. Horst, because my images include lighting on different angles of my model, showing different shades of red on both my model’s face and in the mirror’s reflection. The facial expression on my model’s face is neutral to show delicateness and fragility.

Amongst these five photographs, my favourite photo is the second photo because I think this picture clearly shows reflection in the pieces of the mirror on their face, and the fact that their eyes looks straight gives the audience a feeling of depression and a neutral feeling. At first, the picture was taken of the whole face of my model, but I cropped it to make the audience focus on the reflections of the mirror.

These two photographs are taken from a mirror reflection. I like the lighting presented in the pictures. There is shade on one side of the face, and light is projected on the other side. To make the photographs better, I can use a broken mirror or glass and reflect my model’s face with the mirror to show fragility. I can also take close-up pictures of the model’s face in the mirror and focus more on the cracks of the mirror.

These photographs show sadness or depression, which also relates to the topic of Fragility in Beauty. I can improve these images by changing the brightness of the lights and slightly changing the colour of the light to a blueish colour. I can also take more close-up pictures to show reflections in the eyes that create beauty.

Photographer: Horst P. Horst

Photographer: Jovana Rikalo

Photographer: Mert Alas

Photographer: Manny Librodo

My chosen photographer is Horst P Horst. Horst P Horst was a pioneer of classic fashion photography. He was one of the most influential photographers of the mid-20th century. He produced many elegant works and became well-known (Holden Luntz Gallery).

The pictures above are some photographs taken by Horst P Horst. All of the pictures are black and white, causing abstraction. The artist also plays with light, and directions, causing shades and shadows in the images. In the second picture, a person is sitting in a chair and looking out, this might mean that the person feels lonely. There are five hands aligned in the third picture and there is light on the left and shade on the right. This might mean that the hands separate the light and dark, creating creativity in the picture. I chose these pictures because I think these images best represent what I want to photograph. I also think that these pictures best fit my theme and are easy to follow when doing my own project.

The first image is my favourite photo taken by Horst because it clearly shows the lighting presented in the image and causes various shades of shadows. However, the third picture is my least favourite photo because there is not much context in the picture and not very much detail.

Content:

In this photograph, a woman is making a pose and being photographed. The photo was taken in a studio because the background is not messy, and the picture is neat. Her facial expression is serious, and she also closes her eyes to make the image look more advanced.

Photographic Attributes:

When I looked at the picture, my eye was drawn to the woman’s face initially. I think the way that she brings her head up and closes her eyes is outstanding as there is light projected onto her face. All the lines of the shadows draw attention to her face because the decoration that is hanging above her comes down towards her face. There is focus almost everywhere in the picture. But since the picture is black and white and not many objects around her, it is not obvious that there is focus on the background. I think the most outstanding thing in the photograph is the woman’s face because there is light projected onto her face directly and causes shadows on one side of her face.

Style & Genre:

Abstract. I think this picture is abstract because the idea of a black-and-white picture shows a contrast between light and shade.

Meaning/Intent:

This picture makes me feel confident because the way that the woman puts her head up and closes her eyes shows confidence and elegance. The intention from the photographer might be fragility in beauty because the fact that the picture is black and white might have a negative meaning. This is my opinion because I compared this image to other works from Horst, and most of them are also black and white. I think I can achieve this in my own photograph because I will use the same lighting technique and other equipments to make my photograph look artistic.

Yellow selection

Green selection

Red Selection

Evaluation of the Red selection images:

These are my chosen three photographs because I like the colour tone in the pictures. I also chose the pictures according to the theme of Tang Hu Lu that I saw in the hutongs. Firstly, in the first picture, the colour tone of the Tang Hu Lu is very bright and it has an effect that the seller is blurred and the Tang Hu Lu is being focused on by the camera. The sesame and the hardened candy on the Tang Hu Lu are shown clearly with detail and tone. The focus in the picture is mostly on the Tang Hu Lu, making the seller look blurred. Moving on, the second picture also shows the seller and his Tang Hu Lu. However, the framing of the second picture is different from the first picture. In the second picture, the obvious angle is shown from the bottom of the picture. This makes the seller of the Tang Hu Lu seem tall and heroic. Lastly, the third picture shows a kid eating a Tang Hu Lu. The colour of the Tang Hu Lu is very bright and the details in the picture and the reflection of the hardened candy are shown with clear focus. These photographs relate to my artist because all my photographs are taken of people on the sidewalk of the Hutongs while my artist is also taking people on the sidewalk.

These are some street photography practices that I took in school. I like the technique of focusing on different layers and making the objects that are not in the same balance seem blurred. I will also show the technique of lines of perspective using the angle of the buildings in the hutongs. I will also make my pictures black and white which connects to my chosen artist, Helen Levitt. Just like Levitt, I will also take what I see on the street, including people.