These still life portraits depict the two people I look up to that follow a healthy lifestyle. The first picture is based on bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger. The second could be any famous cook but I specifically based it on Gordon Ramsey as I draw a lot of inspiration from him.
I shot both pictures using my smartphone as I did not plan on editing them, making sure I got the framing and lighting correct during the shoot. I shot it with flat overhead light from a lamp. This is because theses photos have no depth (no foreground or background distinction); so I wanted to light everything evenly so that detail isn’t lost.
Annoyingly in the first photo the bottom left got cut off slightly as I wasn’t able to get high enough from the ground. Due to the location (a hallway) there was not any work around. Both photos are shot from a bird’s eye point of view with a plain background. This was done as I did not want any other objects distracting focus from the objects I had chosen.
Photographer presentation.
Bandeep Singh, a photographer I have had the pleasure of working with, works for the India Today magazine. Both his freelance and professional work have his amazing polish and keen eye for detail. He tends to shoot on location as opposed to shooting in a studio. Even with the challenge of shooting on location he will have planned all the equipment needed before the shoot so that he has full creative control during his shoot. As most of his work is photojournalism he tries to make the audience connect with people in the stories being told. He achieves this through capturing the raw emotion of his subjects; in my favourite way, by having the subject make eye contact with the camera. In my opinion he his on the forefront of Indian photographers and photography, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
He is an American landscape photographer (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984).
Being both an environmentalist and a photographer, Adam’s focuses on capturing the beauty of the American wilderness. Working purely in black and white, he is a photographer I draw a lot of inspiration from in terms of the choice of shooting in black and white. The amount of contrast when shooting in black and white is amazing. Adam’s photos have the darkest blacks and the most brilliant whites, leading to highly dramatic photographs. All his photos have a huge depth of field with everything in frame being in focus; I assume he used a very narrow aperture to capture his landscapes. All the light in his photos are natural, he has a mastery of working with sunlight having a delicate balance of shadow and light.
He was a French humanist photographer who was a pioneer in the street photography genre, successfully capturing candid portraits of everyday people.
Another photographer who uses black and white successfully. Making us focus on the key elements of the photos he takes. His photos have many layers to them, his focus is not just the subject of his photo, but the other people and animals present, are equally as important in his photos narratives. The locations he takes his photos at are dynamic and varied. It seems as if he chooses an interesting location and then waits patiently for an interesting subject to pass by. Something that is rare in today’s fast paced reality. His framing seems similar in all his photos, a telltale sign of a street photographer as they usually use 50mm prime lenses. This is important when photographing the public as you want to be as discrete and inconspicuous as possible. I read that Bresson’s painted his Leica black to make it even more generic. A genius move!
He is a freelance Brazilian social documentary photographer and photojournalist.
It’s interesting that all the photographers that I admire mainly shoot in black and white. I was wondering why that was my default choice when editing my own photographs. Salgado doesn’t shy away from any subject, being equally successful if he’s shooting animals or people. His photographs have a great sense of dynamism; either his subjects or the environment he captures seem to be in motion. I love how he captures and incorporates the rays of sunlight in his photos. It adds so much character and adds another dimension to his photos; something I would like to try and capture in the future as well. Salgado has been all around the world capturing events that interest him and need exposure. His son created a film ‘The Salt of the Earth’. A biopic film covering Salgado’s life and achievements so far – a must watch.
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