Babu+Portrait



The first portrait is named Girl Drinking by artist Irving Penn. This piece uses dramatic lighting, but instead of a spotlight on the woman, it almost makes a silhouette of the subject. This creates a ghost like feeling of the person. The way the photo was taken distors the hand and the glass is not very visible. The black and white photo creates an eerie feeling as well. In terms of composition, the subject is every so slightly shifted to the left, following the rule of thirds. However, by filling the space the artist creates balance within the piece. Since the face is the one of the most lit parts of the subject, this is the focal point, as the mouth his open creating motion that the woman is drinking. The lighting along with the fuzziness of the woman makes this picture more than just a snapshot. I think my main takeaway from this piece for my portrait will be the use of lighting and the effects it can give. Source: []

The second portrait does not have a title, rather it is one of a boy named Vidal Chastanet in the collection "Humans of New York" by Brandon Stanton. At first glance, this piece might just look like a snapshot of the boy. The lack of title makes the photo ambiguous. The photographer uses natural sunlight and the subject is in the middle of the frame. Furthermore, the piece can be divided into three section, both horizontally and vertically. The buildings create a level horizon as do the placement of the eyes. And through this, it is as if the audience is looking straight into the eyes of the boy. It gives intimacy and a sense of emotion to the piece. However, the true strength of this artwork comes with the caption. In response to the question, "Who has influenced you the most in your life?", the boy replies with his principle Ms. Lopez. And in response to why it is this person, the boy says, "When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and told each one of us that we matter." The caption is so powerful and emotional that this simple picture goes beyond it's surface and becomes a true work of art. And this is what I hope to do in my portrait. Take a simple picture, and give it a caption of a lifetime. Source: []

The third portrait is called Frank Stella New York NY 1967 by Arnold Newman. This majority of this piece is not the subject, however the majority of the piece points to the subject. The leading lines and use of color is very prominent and works toward the photographer's strength. The subject is framed through the setting of the picture, making the person feel of importance and of power. The lighting is a bit dramatic and focuses on the meeting point of the lines, which is just above Frank Stella's head. Since the subject is also in the corner of the picture, there is a lot of asymmetrical imbalance within the piece, along with the use of the rule of thirds. However, at times the broad lines do take away from the subject, but maybe there was a reason for this. The main reason why this piece caught my eye was because of how different it was in relation to normal portraits. My main takeaway from this piece is the prominent use of other art elements instead of just design principles. The color and contrast plays such a big role which I might do as well in my portrait. Source: []