To conclude the series of photographs looking into who the photographer is, I decided to take the advise from Thom Atkinson to look into portraits that do not have the use of a camera a prop within the photograph. This idea is powerful in understanding who the photographer is behind and without the camera at hand. As a result of a successful print close to conveying the sense of scraping away the barrier to who a person is, I decided to use a photographer I previously photographed in One with a Camera. I also used another photographer to contrast the appearance and feeling within the photographs.
Own Photographs
Own Photographs
It has become clear that there is a preference towards the headshot style photograph which allows the face and eyes to become the vessel for the true character of the photographer to become clear as many quote “The eyes are the window to your soul” Unknown. In the contact sheet featuring the female photographer, a distance has been taken while a natural response towards being in front of the camera has influenced her positioning which has become a natural response even though it is a distortion of the natural stance before acknowledging the large camera in front of them. These images do not portray the same sense of understanding the photographer in a portrait into the soul.
The contact sheet at which my final print has been taken from, has been a development from a previous shoot of this peer photographer as the expressions are more relaxed and raw which questions the portrait being photographed while several incarnations of this print, both close and distant have been captured while the distance from the subject is more disturbing while cropping off the feet which may have been a mistake in terms of contrasting the composition while the distance is needed to capture the full body length which in turn, creates a distance to relating to the subject as they are further away, portraying a sense of intimidation.
Own Photograph
Own Photograph
The Photographer II is to be used as the final print, drawing ideas of portraiture from Bettina von Zwehl, Martin Schoeller and Thomas Ruff. This photograph of a deadpan photographer is simple and sharp with a shallow depth of field. It is not a beautiful portrait but something raw and undefined allowing a focus to interpret who the photographer is by focusing upon the eyes and distant expression which is also expressing an attentiveness that is required by a photographer to get that perfectly timed photograph, even when slightly distant from reality.
Representation 