Final image layout

I went into the studio on Thursday to shoot some more images towards my studio module. Here I have got some images that I liked. This is what I am aiming for my final images to look like. I want to present them like Richard Avedon's images I researched a few weeks previous. I really like the contrast between the two images. In the first one I asked my subject to pull a neutral face, and in the second image I took pictures continuously whilst talking to them and making them laugh. I really like the idea behind this because to me a portrait image is where you can look at the subject and get an idea of who the subject is. 

I edited these images very quickly in lightroom so they aren't exactly the same as each other. When it comes to editing my final images I will edit them in capture one, the same program the images were taken on and try and get them to look as similar to each other as possible. Also in these images, because the subject was wearing glasses, I have the reflection of the light I was using in the corner which I would like to avoid if the subject in my final images also wears glasses. 

I like the look of the thick black boarder, another trait of Avedon's images that I find appealing. I'm happy with the layout of my images however I just need to get the editing right in post-production in my final images.

Yana Zastolskaya

Yana Zastolskaya is a portrait and fashion photographer. I found their images on this website talking about photographers who were putting a fresh spin on portraiture. I think photographing someone from a side profile is really interesting idea as it gives you a different perspective of the person. 

As I am planning on doing two images next to each other I think it would be an interesting contrast between having the person face on in the image and a side profile of them. 

I also really like the way this image is in black and white because the contrast of the hair and dark makeup draws your eyes into the image. I will be doing my images in colour but i still want strong makeup which is why I'm choosing a white background.

Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon's images are something I look to for inspiration for my own portraits on the studio as he is photographing his subjects simply and plainly which is what I think looks best for studio portraiture. He describes his work on portraits by stating that he "was fascinated by photography's capacity for suggesting the personality and evoking the life of his subjects." and that he "registered poses, attitudes, hairstyles, clothing, and accessories as vital, revelatory elements of an image." which is what I think a portrait image is all about. Its about trying to get the viewer to understand the subject when they haven't even met the person. He was also quoted saying "My photographs don't go below the surface. I have great faith in surfaces. A good one is full of clues." relating again to how if you take a good portrait of someone, it gives you clues as to who they are as a person. 

As I was looking through Avedon's website I four the image above which really stood out to me. I really like the layout of thins image as it is showing two images of the same person however his expression and stance are slightly different. I think this is a really interesting way to present portraits of the same person as you can make comparisons between the two and I think it can possibly make the viewer think of the subject in a different way. 

Christian Witkin

Christian Witkin's editorial work is something I take inspiration from because his views on photography are similar to mine. On his website he writes that he 'strips things down of all artifice until what is before you is the pure essence of the subject.' You can clearly see this in his images. 

The images above are some that I think really stand out on his "Editorial" section on his website because they embody everything he has said in his "About" page. Here the images are simple and show the subject for exactly who they are. He may have directed them in what to do or how to pose for the image but everything else is them and that transfers through the image to the viewer. 

These are some more images from the "Editorial" section on his website that I think also stand out as portrait images. The images above are what I'm taking my inspiration from for my studio module. I plan to take pictures of people quite close to their face with a white background, however my images won't be in black and white.