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These are. my FINAL selection. I selected these photos as my final set because they visually look balanced and clean. The close-up made the audience focus on my dad’s face and his expression. These photos are connected as you can see, it’s taken with a similar background, and the same sofa. In my intention statement, I stated that I wanted to use a black and white color scheme to do my project. However, after trying two rounds, I think the colored ones look better than the monochrome ones. The warm colors of the sofa and the light can elicit a cozy and warm tone, highlighting the theme of “family.” Connecting to the inspiration photographer I picked, Irving Penn, I used similar techniques as him. For example, the close-ups, the low angle, and the simple background. Although it’s not completely his style, the use of colors, inspired me to take very close-up shots and do different facial expressions. Moreover, I picked these five photos because they show different emotions and characters of my dad. He’s doing different facial expressions in each photo, and I like how the sofa emphasizes the idea of family and warmth.

My favorite photo among these is the first one, it was kind of an accident shot because I forgot to take away the blanket on the sofa. After taking it, I realized it was actually pretty good, and it turned out to be my best photo. The texture of the blanket is kind of furry, which adds to the idea of creating a warm and comfy feeling. Additionally, fathers were often portrayed as distant and less caring. However, the close-up shots of my dad challenge these stereotypes and emphasize the nurturing and caring side of fatherhood. The smiling and dramatic facial expressions of my dad further evoke a caring character. In conclusion, I think these photos do reflect the societal theme I want to explore: FAMILY.

These are some of my most successful photos taken with my dad. After comparing, I think the first round’s photos look better than the second. The feeling of the first set is calmer, while the second set is brighter and more festival-like. Although the techniques (shutter speed, aperture, iso) on the second try were more precise, the red hoodie made me hesitate. The red popped out so much, distracting the audience’s attention. In contrast, the first set has a dimmer light, but the composition and coloring were more balanced. Also, I think my dad’s poses and facial expressions in the first round were more natural, and the background was cleaner. The composition for the first set was all close-ups, which made it simple and focused. Therefore, after trying the second round, I decided to use the first set of photos as my final set because they look more balanced, natural, and clean.

I tried to turn it to black and white, but I think the colored ones look better. The black and white is cleaners, but it does not have the warmth feeling. The colored ones with the yellow- tone sofa creates a family and cozy feeling.

These are photos from the second try with my dad. After the reflection from last time, I tried more close-up shots, emphasizing the facial expressions. I tried to let my dad pose with different objects, like a book and a phone. Something with the object that’s successful is the last few photos. When my dad was using a combing-thing to massage, I took some photos of him; the facial expression and the pose he made were really funny, which connects to my intention of taking warm photos of a father. The close-ups with the cat were also successful, the furry cat made the image more warm and soft. Moreover, after the first try, I improved the lighting sources. I opened the lights above and beside the sofa to make it brighter; and for the camera, I changed to a bigger aperture and lower iso, so the image won’t be pixilated.

After two rounds, I learned that a simple background is very important, with simple backgrounds, the image can direct the audience’s attention to the main subject rather than being distracted by other elements. Also, the light source is very important. My intention is to take warm and happy feelings of photos, so the light source should be bright, and the furniture should be relatively warm colors. I picked the sofa as the background because I think it represents “home” and “family,” and it elicits a warm and cozy feeling. Furthermore, I noticed that being specific about positioning is very important. I have to direct my dad to different posses and tell him what expressions should he make. When I told my dad to smile, I was also smiling to him, because helps to make his smile more natural. For the photos with the cat, I took consecutive shots because the cat was constantly moving, which made the image blur.

After taking the photos, I realized that I did not plan out my dad’s clothing correctly. He was wearing a red hoodie, which was very bright and saturated. Although it created a bright and happy mood, the hoodie was too colorful. It was kind of distracting when I was looking through the photos, it led the viewer’s eyes to the hoodie, not my dad’s face. As a reflection, I think I should let my dad wear darker color clothing, so it would not pop-out that much.

These are my practice rounds with my dad at home. I don’t have studio lights so I took them beside windows and normal light. I like the close-up shots and the warm tone of the sofa. Another thing that worked out was the blanket beside my dad’s head; it created a soft and warm feeling, like the photo of the theme of “family.” I tried to turn all these pictures to black-and-white to meet my intention statement. However, I think keeping them with colors can elicit the warm and caring tone of a father. Moreover, in the second-row second photo, I tried different angles and used my dad’s feet as the foreground; but after trying, I think close-ups worked better than the low angles.

Something I can improve on is the lighting. My dad’s face is a bit dark, and the ones that only show the outline of the face also had a low exposure. Also, zooming in the photos is a bit pixelated, affecting the whole image’s quality. Next, I can open the lights in the room and change to a lower ISO. Plus, my dad preferred the photos with glasses, so next time we will try more pictures with glasses.

We tried different techniques and lighting in the studio. We set up a three-point lighting source to create the bright outlines of the person’s hair and clothes. I like the close-up of Carol’s face, emphasizing the eyes, and the colors of the lights created a cold tone.

The title of this project will be “Family.” The societal theme I want to explore will be about family. My model will be my dad, and I’ll take photos outside the studio. The photographs will highlight the evolving role of fathers in society. Traditionally, fathers were often portrayed as distant and less caring. However, a close-up of a dad could challenge these stereotypes and emphasize the nurturing and caring side of fatherhood, signaling a shift in societal expectations. Moreover, the image could express a dad who appears stressed, exhausted, or overwhelmed. This could reflect the challenges many fathers face, where they have to balance their work responsibilities with their family life. Through my photos, I also want to show different characters of my dad.  I will reveal these goals by letting my model show different dramatic expressions, close-ups, and use a black-and-white color scheme. I want my audience to see the characters inside a father, and using monochrome, I want my audience to feel a sense of timeless atmosphere. I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking for photographs that contain close-ups, black-and-white, and unique compositions. Irving Penn is one of my inspirational photographers, his artworks are simple and sophisticated and evoke strong emotions. He clearly captures the character or the style of different people, with a simple background color.

Photographs:

Photographers:

-Irving Penn

-Annie Leibovitz

-Philippe Halsman

Penn was among the earliest photographers to pose subjects against a grey or white backdrop and he effectively used its simplicity (Wikipedia). According to Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, a magazine for which Penn worked for more than 60 years, he ‘changed the way people saw the world and our perception of what is beautiful’ (Christie’s). His artworks are simple, and sophisticated, and evoke a strong emotion. He clearly captures the character or the style of different people. Irving Penn was one of the most important editorial photographers of the mid-twentieth century, breaking all the rules and going beyond fashion.

Elements in her photos:

• close-up
• black and white
• different expressions
• different angles
• tone
• shadow
• simple background

I picked Irving Penn as my inspiration photographer because he took photos that contained elements I wanted to capture. I like how he presents close-up shots of different people in his photos, and his unique composition makes his photos interesting. The black and white in his photos helps the audience to focus on the people’s faces. For the ones that captured older people, the black and white color scheme can emphasize the wrinkles and emotions on their faces. He uses mostly simple black or white backgrounds, allowing the audience to focus on the people’s faces. He made the models do different dramatic facial expressions, evoking strong emotions in the audience.

A famous quote from Irving Penn: “A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart, and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective.” This quote has a straight connection to his photography style, because it shows how he likes to communicate effectively.  For example, he uses a simple background to contrast with the people in front and uses close-up shots to create strong emotions. These are all straightforward techniques that can effectively emphasize the characters of models. Another quote from Irving Penn is: “I always thought we were selling dreams, not clothes.” This is the main thing that led to his success in fashion photography and portrait photography. He is very passionate about fashioned clothing and photography. Working at Vogue is not only his work, it’s his dream to become a passionate photographer and explore beyond fashion.

Irving Penn was inspired by many factors. From his early student years, Penn wanted to become an artist. Art was something highly valued in the Penn household; Penn’s father, though a watchmaker by trade, loved to paint. While attending the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Arts, Irving met Alexey Brodovitch at Harper’s Bazaar. The renowned teacher, photographer, and art director later became his mentor (The Collector). In, 1938, he began experimenting with fashion photography. Inspired by Surrealism, modern dance, and film noir, his images register as provocative visual statements, not just commercial photographs. “With a firm grasp on the geometry of the body, the psychology of consumerism, and an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of art, Penn lifted fashion photography into the realm of high art” (The Art Story).

This is one of my favorite photos of Irving Penn. It is a portrait of Pablo Picasso taken for Vogue Artists. In this photo, Penn used the technique of close-up, black-and-white, and large aperture. I like how the person fits the whole image, making the composition balanced and full. Picasso in this image is staring at the camera, making the audience feel he is staring right at them. The audience’s eyes are directly drawn to Picasso’s face and eyes.  I also like how the hat is tilted, adding more shapes and dimensions to this image.

MEANING /INTENT

•Mood: How does this picture make you feel? What elements (lighting, colors, shapes, texture, the subject) make you feel that way?

•Intention: What are the intended effects of the photographer’s choices?

•How do you want the photograph to make us feel?

•Why artistic choices did you make to enable this?

• Do you think you have achieved this?