PORTRAIT EMULATION
Photographer Bio
Born in New York on May 15, 1923, Richard Avedon was an incredible American photographer. He was born into a Jewish family that was very supportive of his love for the arts. He joined the Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA) Camera Club at a young age, which set off his love for photography. After graduating high school in 1941, Avedon attended Columbia University for only a year. He dropped out to pursue his photography career. He set up his own studio and shortly after began photographing for Vogue and Life magazines. Avedon was extremely successful early on. On October 1, 2004, Avedon died of a brain hemorrhage in San Antonio, Texas. His art legacy lives on.
Photo Analysis
The photo i chose to emulate is this portrait of Ingrid Bergman taken in NYC in 1961. The studio lighting is coming from the left, illuminating her arm and left half of her face. This also creates shadows on the right. Her simple dress, hair and makeup force the viewer to focus on her facial expression.. I interpret her hand on her head as worried, but her smirk as hopeful. Maybe she's in a tough situation, but is looking for the silver lining. Another interesting element is the contrast of black and white. Her dark shirt makes her light skin pop. I find this portrait very visually appealing/interesting.
Comparison
Although I tried my best to recreate this photo, there are differences. The most obvious difference is the difference of ages in the two. Avedon's photo is of a woman while mine is of my little sister. The other difference is the difference in lighting. Because I did not take my photo in a professional studio, it was difficult to manipulate the lighting in the same way Avedon did. But, I did successfully use similar body position, facial expression, hairstyle, clothing, and background.
Born in New York on May 15, 1923, Richard Avedon was an incredible American photographer. He was born into a Jewish family that was very supportive of his love for the arts. He joined the Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA) Camera Club at a young age, which set off his love for photography. After graduating high school in 1941, Avedon attended Columbia University for only a year. He dropped out to pursue his photography career. He set up his own studio and shortly after began photographing for Vogue and Life magazines. Avedon was extremely successful early on. On October 1, 2004, Avedon died of a brain hemorrhage in San Antonio, Texas. His art legacy lives on.
Photo Analysis
The photo i chose to emulate is this portrait of Ingrid Bergman taken in NYC in 1961. The studio lighting is coming from the left, illuminating her arm and left half of her face. This also creates shadows on the right. Her simple dress, hair and makeup force the viewer to focus on her facial expression.. I interpret her hand on her head as worried, but her smirk as hopeful. Maybe she's in a tough situation, but is looking for the silver lining. Another interesting element is the contrast of black and white. Her dark shirt makes her light skin pop. I find this portrait very visually appealing/interesting.
Comparison
Although I tried my best to recreate this photo, there are differences. The most obvious difference is the difference of ages in the two. Avedon's photo is of a woman while mine is of my little sister. The other difference is the difference in lighting. Because I did not take my photo in a professional studio, it was difficult to manipulate the lighting in the same way Avedon did. But, I did successfully use similar body position, facial expression, hairstyle, clothing, and background.