Category: photography

Identity Portrait, photography

what is a portrait?

Chelsea |

1. What makes a particular photograph a portrait?

When there’s an intended story or message about the person you are photographing or creating with the camera.

Shooting Great Portraits with One Light | Photzy

2. Are Selfies Portraits?

In my opinion, selfies could also be defined as portraits because they try to tell a story with a person(who’s yourself, basically).

My current favorite selfie : r/selfie

3. What should or shouldn’t be included within a portrait?

In a portrait, capturing the identity, personality, facial expression, soul, emotions, essence, and the overall inherent character of a subject must be included to deliver the message directly. However, a portrait doesn’t require incomplete themes and features and a fake expression of a model

4. What makes a “good portrait?”

the identity, personality, facial expression, soul, emotions, essence, and the overall inherent character of a subject.

5. Can a portrait only consist of a small detail, such as a close-up of a hand?

I think it is allowed. A portrait doesn’t always require including the full physical body or face, and even a small part of the body can still express the theme and message at the same time.

6. When does a more abstract representation cease to become a portrait – for example, a blurred figure, or a photograph of a person that has been torn, ripped or faded?

An abstract representation ceases to be a portrait when it no longer aims to depict a specific subject, shifting towards focusing on elements like form, color, and composition instead.

7. Is it possible to represent a person photographically without them being present in the image – for example, through a Still-life, an arrangement of inanimate objects? And if so, can this continue to be called a portrait?

I don’t think it is possible to express a person without being in the photo directly. The portrait shows a person physically involving the full body or some parts no physical appearance doesn’t fit the term.

8. Does a portrait have to be a single photograph? How about a sequence of images?

It doesn’t always have to be a single; two or more people can be included too. At least, if there’s a specific subject, then the number or model doesn’t matter. The sequence of images can support a central theme or concept and can be read in various orders, enhancing the narrative.

20 Fun Group Photo Ideas for Small & Large Teams

photography, street photography, WORKING THE SCENE - HUTONGS

Evaluation of one of my photos in the red contact sheet

Chelsea |

This photo was taken in the Chinese hand-made jewelry shop in Hutong.

My intention was to take photos of native people working in Hutong. To meet my goal, I used the balance of light and color and focused on the main object. I approached quite far from the shop to capture the full background. My photo demonstrates the woman, who plays the role of the main object, to capture the moment when she was operating a grinding wheel or mortar and pestle to make jewelry. The balance of light and color in the background adds on to the beauty and warmness theme of the overall photo.

Overall, I am satisfied with my photo because I succeeded in taking photos of working people with a nice and clear background. However, one challenge was adjusting the clarity of the image; I was panicking because I didn’t get good photos or was rejected by a lot of people, which made me take photos rushing without any adjustment. Next time, I should be more patient.

02 - SETS - INSPIRATION, photography

Reference artist

Chelsea |

STEP 1

The chosen artist: Diane Arbus

8 photoshoots:

I chose Diane Arbus for her masterful use of dark and somber tones in her portraits, which aligns perfectly with my intention to capture the mysterious and eerie essence of my purposed subjects. Her photographs evoke profound insights into women’s lives at various stages, inspiring me to explore similar themes in my work. I plan to adapt her techniques by photographing women and utilizing a black-and-white format, carefully balancing light to enhance the emotional depth of each portrait.

STEP 2

Drag Queen

I chose this photograph because of its unique and casual style.

This photograph shows a striking portrait of a person with a unique and interesting look. The subject, wearing hair rollers and holding a cigarette, gives off a feeling of both vulnerability and confidence. The black-and-white style enhances the mood, creating strong contrasts of light and shadow that add to the drama.

The expression on the subject’s face mixes thoughtfulness and casualness, making viewers curious about their story and feelings. The composition focuses on the subject’s features, highlighting their skin’s texture and the hair rollers’ details, which challenge traditional ideas of beauty.

The model appears neutral, making it difficult for viewers to discern its gender. This neutrality enhances the photo’s mysterious and enchanting theme, capturing the viewers’ interest even more.

Overall, the photograph captures a moment that feels personal yet relatable, reflecting themes of identity, self-expression, and the complexities of life.

01 - RESEARCH, photography, street photography

Own Definition of Street Photography

Chelsea |

Street photography is taking a photo that shows a moment of life or human nature. Usually, humans and elements are used as content in black and white to convey the message of being interesting and having a unique vision and image. However, that “story” doesn’t have to be fully explained or included. In order to take good street photography, you should be able to approach small moments of life and make a diverse vision.

photography, PRESENTING

Final Evaluation

Chelsea |

For nature, I intended to capture images of common nature elements found in real society, drawing inspiration from the work of artist Eliot Porter, who also captured images of nature with a calm and relaxing theme, utilizing clear colors and sharp focus. My chosen images applied leaves, woods, and rocks, which are all common and easily found. My pictures also show clear focus, a balance between lights and colors, and the repetition of plants and rocks in similar traits, which show the visual language of the beautiful side of nature, which is not only common but also can be forgotten by people these days. My succession is filling the expected element using the appropriate angle. I tried to include all the focus in a picture, and it came out well. However, one challenge was that I also had to take photos of nature that were related to water (e.g., a lake and pond), but I couldn’t find anything similar to them in 798; therefore, I only had to take photos of “green” nature. Next time, I will try to think deeply when I decide on reference photos, considering the place I am going.

For pattern, I planned to take photos that focused on the repetition of certain shapes and lines clearly to contrast my previous theme, nature. My influenced artist, Yann Arthus Bertrand, also used the patterns created by shapes and lines to create a mysterious and wonderous theme. My chosen images also included interesting and simple shapes or lines forming a specific pattern, creating a mysterious and unique theme. My pictures mainly applied the repetition of shapes and the outstanding balance between colors and lights. This shows the visual language that all shapes or lines can form a pattern regarding their size and color, therefore creating a calm and wonderous mood. My success was that I could find diverse structures that showed patterns, which made me take photos of patterns in various versions. Luckily, I didn’t have any challenges in taking the photo of this set—all the structures in 798 showed patterns that I expected to take!

CREATE - PHOTO SETS, photography

Red Highlighted Contact Sheet and Evaluation (Nature)

Chelsea |

Red Highlighted Contact Sheet (Nature)

These pictures show the beautiful side of nature by focusing on a specific object and balancing the relationship between the color and the light, which fits my goal of taking photos that show nature that isn’t artificial but natural. For improvement, I will focus on taking photos that focus on nature that’s not green but show the water because, in 798, I couldn’t find anywhere that showed water, such as a lake or pond, so I couldn’t take any photos of water even though it was one of my purposes. Therefore, I will try to find a place where is full of water which naturally made and take many photos as many as possible to fully achieve my goal.