Bergelin+Portrait

PICTURE #1 Artist: Paul S. Taylor Lighting: natural outside sunlight Compositional Techniques: http://www.vintag.es/2012/03/interesting-photos-of-famous.html
 * focal point - Having the woman centered on the photo shows how the artist wanted the woman the be the main focus of the piece.
 * level horizon - Having the horizon be level makes the photo feel calm and serene, rather than slanted, making the photo seem scary and unnatural.

PICTURE #2 Artist: Willy Ruge Lighting: natural or artificial Compositional Techniques: http://www.vintag.es/2012/03/interesting-photos-of-famous.html
 * Leading Lines - The man's legs lead the eye up to the camera and his face to focus more on the subject.
 * Framing - The man's legs act as a frame to the photo, framing the camera and his face.
 * Point of View - The viewer seems as though they are looking at a giant person. They are in the point of view of an ant or small bug.

PICTURE #3 Artist: Oscar Graubner Lighting: natural outside sunlight Compositional Techniques: feeling to an intense situation http://www.vintag.es/2012/03/interesting-photos-of-famous.html
 * Rule of Thirds - The woman is not completely centered in the photo, leading the eye to the thirds of the photo.
 * Interesting Point of View - You wouldn't normally see a woman climbing up this high to take a picture, so it is an interesting and unusual view.
 * Level Horizon - Having the horizon level makes the photo feel calm, even though the woman is dangerously 100s of feet up in the air. So it sets a calm

ANALYSIS QUESTIONS: **How do these artists make their portraits become true works of art, not just snapshots?** When taking the picture, the artists think about how the person feels; they try to show emotion in their work to influence the viewer. They do want the viewer to be interested in the subject's life, emotions, and what is happening in the photo. The artist also pays attention to the background to tell a story about the subject. They also think about techniques like lighting and framing to make the photograph pleasing to the eye.

**What lighting and compositional techniques are evident in the photographer's work?** Many of the photos I saw were black and white, used natural lighting, and had the subject show emotion somehow. Also, I noticed not all of the portraits had the subject looking straight at the camera. In the first photo, it seems as though the woman has a glowing rim around her body from the sun. In the second, it is difficult to tell the type of lighting used because of the lack of background images. It could be studio lighting in from a set or it could be a plain sky from outside. The leading lines of the man's legs in the second photo lead the eye to the subject's face. In the third photo, the artist used natural lighting of the sun to portray the subject.

**How might their artwork influence your own?** Their artwork can influence mine by having me think more about how I want the viewer to think of the subject. I can use the person's emotions to tell a story or set a scene. The background images also play a big part in the mood and message the artist is trying to portray. I will also try to use some of their techniques like black and white, framing, and leading lines to make my pieces more compositionally interesting and pleasing to the viewer.