Calderon_Portrait

= Portraits ~Sarah Calderon = ==How do these artists make their portraits become true works of art, not just snapshots? What lighting and composition techniques are evident in the photographer's work? How might their artwork influence your own?== Artists use unique scenery, poses, and expressions to make their portraits works of art. What clothes a person are wearing, where their eyes are looking, and how they are positioned can all tell a story about who the person is and how they are feeling. Many of the artists I researched seem to use natural light, however, some use an artificial light source. As far as compositional techniques go, most photographers adhere to the rule of thirds, only breaking it when a special emphasis needs to be put on the figure. Other techniques I found were objects or other people to frame the focal point as well as leading lines in the background. Each of these techniques adds interest to the portrait and makes it different from a selfie or group photo; there is more thought into the way the figures are arranged and presented.

=Examples of successful portraits:= ==Explain what type of compositional technique (leading lines, rule of thirds, framing, fill the frame, level horizon, focal point and point of view) the artist used to create their portraits.Tell who the artist is that shot the photo and the title of the image if available. If you use flickr.com images you may not get the actual name of the person so use their user name. Make sure you site the source where you got the photo (weblink not just google images. Need to list the actual site) ==

Each of these images drew my attention because of the clear story or concept in the people's expressions and poses. The first image intrigued me because immediately I saw it as a loving family of a father and two daughters. While his face is turned, the man almost looks at peace, while his daughters lean against him.The photographer, Juliet Margaret Cameron used the leading lines of the father's fiddle to draw attention to the diagonal lines of faces. The leaves in the background also help to frame the figures. The second images, taken by Richard Avedon, is entitled, //Ronald Fischer,// //Beekeeper//, and intrigued me because of how the image is focused on the figure. Although the subject is covered in bees, his face is calm, almost confident. This could be because he deals with bees every day and is no longer afraid of them; most people would run after seeing one bee. While there is no rule of thirds, leading lines, etc, the clumps of bees add contrast to the beekeeper's skin. The third image, //Dream Walking//, by Imogen Cunningham would be considered a good example of a portrait because of the way she has staged her model. By camouflaging her in with the background and closing her eyes, the images has a very tranquil look to it. The artist used natural light for this image, as well as used framing through the plants covering her. She also sort of used rule of thirds by having the girl and tree take up about a third of the image. Overall, each of ths images usings a range of elements and techiques that make it a true piece of art.