BellT-+Portrait



1. [|http://www.richardavedon.com/#s=10&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&p=4&a=0&at=0] The first image was photographed by Richard Avedon, and was taken of Marilyn Monroe. This photo was taken using studio fill, and the main compositional technique was leading lines. The straps on her halter dress make a V, so the lines of those straps sort of lead up to her face, ultimately using leading lines. I thought that this photo was very well shot, and the black and white makes it seem like she's in a movie, which is perfect because she was a very famous actress. Another thing that I liked was the texture used, because the sequences on her dress stands out, and is really the only texture portrayed in the photo. The emotions shown is that she is sort of alone, and almost doesn't like the place that she is in her life, even though she has everything that she could ever want.

2. [] The second photograph was shot of Shania Twain, and was taken by Timothy White, who mostly does celebrity pictures. This photo was shot using dramatic lighting because it is sort of foggy, and she seems to fade in with the cool colors used within the piece. The compositional technique that was used is rule of thirds because she is sort of off center, directing your eyes to the left side of the picture. I liked the photo because of how her eyes are closed, because most portraits have eyes open, so it was unique in that way. But also the colors of the background keep the photo calm, and really portray the emotions that are coming off the woman in the picture. she seems peaceful, and calm, almost like she is relieving stress. Also pattern seems to kind of be used, because the blues fad from light to dark, then back to light, then back to dark again, which also caught my eye.

3. [] The last picture was taken by Cindy Sherman, and is named Untitled Film Still #58. The lighting that was used within this picture is just the natural outside light, because the photo was taken outside, in the city somewhere, hence the buildings in the background. The compositional technique that Cindy used was framing, because it almost seems as if the person is being framed by the building behind her. Another technique would be leading lines because her scarf leads you up to her face, and then down to her jacket. The scarf also shows movement within the piece, because it is blowing in the wind. That is one of the reasons that I like this photo, because it shows movement, but I also like the contrasting colors, and the balance between the black and the whites in the picture. The emotions portrayed in this photo is that she is looking up into the buildings possibly, enjoying the city life, sort of confused at where she is at, but also confident with who she is.