Still life photography Irving Penn
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This is one of Irving Penn's photos from his collection of still life photos. This particular photo is called the empty plate and was taken on October 14 th, 1949. the empty plate photograph was taken from an above perspective at a portrait view. The props used in this display were a tablecloth, a plate, a knife and fork and a napkin. The composition of the photo shows the dirty plate in the centre with the knife and fork on top, this is the foreground. The napkin is in the middle ground and does not draw much attention to itself. The tablecloth is in the background and almost goes unnoticed. The crumbs around the plate and on the table clothe draw the viewers eyes around the photo because of the composition and perspective of Penn. The perspective is taken from above which is very effective as It gives the whole picture of the plate, cutlery and clothe. This helps give the full impact of what is being shown. Irving Penn employs a range of visual elements in his work. The most striking elements are the shapes and lines used with the circular plate, the straight line on the table and the obscure shape of the scrupled napkin. The monotone colours also set the tone and mood for this picture as being quite dark and mysterious. The space of above and below the plate also have an effect on the viewer possibly one of being bare and lonely. This image was taken from a short distance but still at enough distance to leave space around it to emphasise the message of loneliness and space. This is so the main focal point of the image is still the plate in the centre. The cutlery has been placed in the foreground. By doing this the viewers eyes are led to the plate which is also in the foreground and so creating two different focal points. Irving Penn has taken the photo inside on a table using possibly the lighting from a window or artificial lighting. Whichever lighting he chose, it is placed at the bottom left of the objects, creating highlighted areas on the plate and cutlery, and dark, shadowed areas to the right of all the objects especially to the right of the napkin. This creates a gloomy, sombre effect which is dramatic yet calm. To emulate this photograph myself, I would add subtle colours to bring life to it and make it more intriguing. I would also use equipment similar to the ones he has used, like everyday objects and I would take it from the perspective of above.
Shoot plan
For my shoot I will be using everyday items as props like Irving Penn used. I will have dark lighting and put the light source to the left of my props to give a dark and shadowed effect like in the photo the empty plate. I will use a plain background and take the photo from an above perspective to fully emulate Irving Penn’s work. The photo will be taken indoors too.
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The message Irving Penn is conveying is a message of loneliness and isolation with a calm, sombre mood. It does this by being monochrome which gives no distractions of colour that takes away the meaning of the photo. The shadows and space around the main focal point gives an eerie effect which then again reinforces the feeling of isolation. Penn’s work is relevant to this project of still life because he has created a motionless image that conveys a sad, stationary message. In my opinion, this image gives a strong message and uses good lighting and props. However, it does not use any colours so my suggestions to adapt it would be to add some colour and give life to it.
Evaluation
Some strengths of my shoot were that the lighting was at the right angle and that i used similar backgrounds to what Irving Penn used. I also edited one of the pictures to make it black and white like in the picture “empty plate”. However some weaknesses of my shoot were that I should have darkened the pictures lighting more as they were too bright compared to “the empty plate”.
Reflection photography Shoot plan For my plan I’m going to use a mirror to use the symmetry effect to reflect the models face. I’m going to line up her face so that its not distorted. I’m also going to use indoor lighting and place it directly In front of her face. The background will be white so as not to distract from the focal point.
Mosaics The mosaics technique involves smashing a mirror into shards and then attaching the individual shards onto strings. After attaching the glass on string, hang the strings up onto a pole with the pieces of mirror hanging down. Then have a model stand in front of them, find the right angle and take the picture. This will create a disjointed, unorganised look that is very effective.
Symmetry For this technique you use a mirror as a symmetry axis. This means putting the mirror on its side against the models face and putting the camera on the other end of the mirror. Find the right angle and take the shot. When finding the angle you could distort the models face or line it up so that it matches.
Evaluation The strengths of my final images is that they were clear and had lots of detail. The weaknesses were that the mirror was too small and the border around the mirror was too thick to give the effect I wanted. I think I used mirror photography well as I reflected the models eyes and hand clearly.
Macro Photography Shoot plan For my shoot for the macro photography project, I am planning on taking pictures of different textures up close. I will do all this outside to try and emulate some of Lucy Shires work.
The photographer of this image is called Lucy Shires and the name of this photo is “Moondance” it was created in 2014. The genre of this photograph is macro and the picture is of an abandoned power plant window in Belgium. The composition of the photo shows a window with splatters of paint and dirt on it. The glass has been tainted by the paint so you can no longer see through it as its not transparent. The viewers eyes are lead around the photo because of the straight vertical lines of paint and because of Shires perspective of the window which is facing straight on at eye level. The perspective is effective because the window is shown at a level we would see it as if we were to look at it in person. So it gives the effect we are seeing it ourselves and not just through a photo. The photographer employs a range of visual elements in her work . The most striking elements are line, texture, pattern, colour and space. The paint splats give off a rugged texture and give different colours to the photo. Shire also considered space when taking the photo as she got close up to the window as it is the only object in the picture. The photo has been taken from a short distance so the window frame and wall around have been cropped out. This is so the glass is the main focal point of the image. The dirt and paint are in the foreground of the picture. By doing this the viewers eyes are lead around the picture to where the window is most transparent and lets the most light through. The photo has been taken using indoor lighting with the daylight slightly shining through. The light source is in the centre of the image fighting through the dirt to shine through. This creates an eerie effect. To emulate this photograph myself I would find a window with similar markings on it. Additionally I would also need to research abandoned buildings to try to fully emulate this photo. I feel the photo conveys a message of abandonment and disregard . It does this by the dark monotone colours and the limited amount of lighting. It also does this by the space used as it is close up and intense. This work is relevant to this project as it captures detail in the texture of the paint. The strengths of this photo is that it uses lots of elements however the weaknesses are that it doesn’t have much life and it is very dark. To adapt it I would add different colours to it.
Evaluation The strengths of my shoot were that I was able to get some clear close up shots like Lucy shires did with her work. However I didn’t take any photos outside so if I was to do this shoot again to fully emulate shires work I would go outside.