[Leica] Making portraits of people

[scott at adrenaline.com (Scott McLoughlin)]

Nice post and interesting thoughts. Great shots. I really prefer the
natural light pic of Amanda. No, not because it's natural light per se.
But she looks like a person. A person with blue hair and piercings.
Maybe it's the eyes.

In a nice documentary on Avedon, one commentator remarks
that what he sees in Avedon's work, the "lesson" as it were,
is that we're all skulls in the end. A commentary on Avedon's
obsession with the face and his often conventionally unflattering,
if at once beautiful, rendering.

People portraits (vs. say, modeling shots), IMHO, is hard. It's
posture, or eyes, or the mouth or jaw line. Sometimes lighting.
I can make my father sit for 100 shots or so (yup, Leica D70 is
good for that) and get one I think might be worth printing.

http://www.adrenaline.com/snaps/Family/Family_1/slides/DSC_0148-lvl-crop8x10-rszprn.jpg

Other times, a single grab shot can do the trick.

http://www.adrenaline.com/snaps/Family/Family_1/slides/D1-IMG_024-8x10-lvl-spot-usm.jpg

or even

http://www.adrenaline.com/snaps/Family/Family_1/slides/A_A2_IMG_017-5x7-spot-usm.jpg

Sorry for the long URLs. I've been studying a book of Cecil Beaton
portraits. Lovely stuff. Trying to copy some of the lighting and poses.
Educational for me.

BTW, I like the 2nd band portrait. Full 'tude evident in all the band 
members'
faces.

Scott




Kyle Cassidy wrote:

>Taking photos of people presents a series of specific challenges which I
>find personally entertaining and rewarding. One is to present someone in a
>way that, if not unique, is conventional in a way that uses the rules of
>photography to best exhibit that person. I realize I haven't been as gabby
>on the LUG lately, I apologise. It's because I've been taking more photos
>and have had less free time (digital was supposed to give us more free time
>by keeping us out of the darkroom for so long, wasn't it?). In any event,
>I'd like to share with you a few images from the last seven days of my life.
>
>First two of Amanda from this past friday:
>
>http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/pix/paw/2005/29/7.jpg
>http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/pix/paw/2005/29/1.jpg
>
>Amanda just happened into my life when she walked through the door with a
>friend of mine Friday after work. After we'd sat around and thrown toys for
>the cats to chase, got caught up on who was divorcing whom and figured out
>what art openings we were or weren't going to later that evening, I
>suggested we retire to the studio for a few photographs. (This happens to
>virtually everybody who comes over to my house.)
>
>I chose polar techniques to try and show her off, first cross processing to
>try and present her as a denizin of an alien world where things are just a
>little off kilter, and secondly with more traditional lighting techniques in
>a more clinical way. This, to me, attempts to really remove that "outsider"
>feeling and present her in the way that any photographer might represent any
>subject. (Certianly something Irving Penn did better and with more
>dedication than I).
>
>One of Darenzia from last Saturday:
>
>http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/pix/paw/2005/28/1.jpg
>
>Which uses natural light and an 80 2.8 wide open at 1600 asa in a pretty
>traditional setup. Darenzia came down from New York to work with
>photographer Jerry Bennett, afterwards she crashed in my guest bedroom and
>went back to NYC the following morning. I've known her for years. Trivia:
>for five years she was the photo editor at Penthouse magazine.
>
>And finaly a band photo from this Sunday afternoon:
>
>http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/pix/paw/2005/29/dead.jpg
>
>Which presented particular difficulties -- as do all band portraits.
>Firstly, you want to give everybody an individual character, and allow their
>personality to show through, you want to do it in an uncluttered manner, one
>that conveys the sound of the band visually (this is, after all, primarily
>an advertising photo) but at the same time, I want an image that reflects my
>personal artistic sensibilities, ultimately I want it to be an art photo
>that happens to feature models who work together in some other capacity.
>This photo uses a studio umbrella, and selective dodging ,of faces, as well
>as some good old fashioned levitation (everybody think hard: "light as a
>feather, stiff as a board")
>
>Aw heck, while we're here, let's do two band shots. Here's the other one:
>
>http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/pix/paw/2005/29/dead2.jpg
>
>Same setup basically. All photos taken with a Leica d100.
>
>Now back to whatever you were bickering about.
>
>Keep pushing that shutter button, eventually it'll come unstuck.
>
>Kc
>
>
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