Portrait+Zimmer

 How do these artists make their portraits become true works of art, not just snapshots?
Imogen Cunningham makes her portraits become true works of art by using lighting and the subject in an interesting or almost abstract pose/position. In Imogen Cunningham’s art she often used women's bodies as it portrayed natural beauty. Lighting was used generally to complement their body shape and size. This could be done generally by using a certain body part and focus on that with directional lighting to give it a hard shadow on the dark areas while still giving a light, peaceful vibe to the lit up areas. Concepts are also very well thought of as the artist will visually speak to you in a sense as the piece just speaks for itself. These are the reasons why its sets itself apart from most snapshots.

A: What lighting and compositional techniques are evident in the photographer's work?
Imogen Cunningham generally had high amounts of contrast in their photos. This was done to give interest to the piece and help the viewer find the focus point of the piece. An example would be that the artist darkens a person's body and highlights the face. Or quite the opposite where the focus point could be a body part and darken the face. Fill the frame is nearly used all the time as it leaves little negative space. Rule of thirds is also another popular compositional technique used.

A: How might their artwork influence your own?
Imogen Cunningham will influence mine as I will try to experiment using black and white & filling the frame.

V: Vocabulary you should know
Silhouette, Portrait

?: Questions you have as you read, something you don't understand.
I don’t understand why almost all artists come up with the most bland, and boring names ever for their works of art. I feel they out so much time and effort into their work and then they use the most generic name ever.

C: Connections to your own work and your own experiences. What does it remind you of?
The work done then and its themes and concepts aren’t all to different from today.