Black and White Portraiture

It is always nice to see when photographers reference other photographers who have influenced them. This homage to the great Irving Penn is wonderfully staged and full of clues. The surrealist style bowler hat, the highly styled pose and in both cases, great technique. This is a beautifully crafted and controlled portrait within the surrealist genre of photography which Penn was involved with. The lighting is incredible especially on the head and tones and detail in the coat bring this image alive. A stunning capture that the great man would have approved of. Well done.

This image works because it is so complete. It tells us of the emotion, noise and joy that not only is the subject feeling but all the people around her that we dont get to see. The quality of light on her face with that joyous expression, the swirls from the dress and details in the feathers and headgear are wonderful. The fact that the photographer has chsoen to place her slightly to the right in the image means we get to see her stare into the space she is looking at. Maybe on a stage or float in a carnival. This image conjours up all the atmosphere and intensity without showing us. This is difficult to do and we can nearly smell and feel the emotion in the audience. A wonderful capture. Great technique and formal composition really do elevate this image into something quite special. very well done.

This is a stunning photograph that is a joy to look at and marvel at the wonderful composition and lighting. The use of black and white really places this picture within the hard hitting story telling of documentary photography. It is also a photograph for the ages and tells of the potentail plight that people can find themselves in. It maybe that these two are fine and just keeping dry but the photograph speaks about a wider social issue which is a problem worldwide. It is a hard image and can be difficult to look at. The expressions on the faces remind me of Lange's 'Migrant Mother'. We should keep looking whilst also reminding ourselves of the power of photography and how to use it for good. Powerful image.