Ex 8: Varying Pose

I spent some time collecting images of people in a variety of poses and it struck me how gender specific many appeared. Body language was also very apparent. In editorial features this gave some incling as to the subject's personality or impression they wished to convey to suit the article. In fashion shots varying poses and styling sells clothes and implies an attitude to match.

So, I had lots of inspiration but nobody willing to pose for me! Luckily I met Claire who is the nicest, most outgoing person. She had never done a studio shoot before and was really keen to help me out. We set up a very basic, evenly lit studio and I showed her the images I had cut from magazines.

STANDING
We began with the standing shots as I felt they would be easiest and help us both relax into the shoot. I suggested she used a hat as a prop, which helped her to vary the poses.

SITTING
I would have liked a variety of seating options, especially to try relaxed sofa shots,  but was unfortunately limited to a wooden chair. The chair had the effect of calming Claire down slightly - but she still insisted on doing a headstand on it!

The pose above is interesting because in my reference shot the actress was leaning forward on a sofa, hands clasped, looking to camera and smiling. It looked very natural and open. Claire is looking away with her hands holding the chair which just makes her look awkward.

I like the top shot as her arms and legs are following the shape of the chair. It gives a passing nod to Lewis Morley's shot of Christine Keeler, albeit clothed!

FLOOR
Finally we tried some shots on the floor. I like these the best as Claire has relaxed and not so extrovert. Her real personality is beginning to shine through.

All in all I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this exercise, which was entirely due to Claire's bubbly personality and enthusiasm. On reflection I wish I had taken more care over the lighting and asked Claire to dress in more colourful clothing. Perhaps though her neutral outfit allows us to consider the poses without any distractions.

Artists Rooms: Diane Arbus

I have been extremely busy at college recently so regretably neglecting my OCA coursework but I did manage to visit the Diane Arbus exhibition at the Dean Gallery, Edinburgh.

Arbus was born in 1923 and became a significant documentary photographer, producing work from the 1940s until her untimely death in 1971. Although her career began as a fashion photographer for magazines such as Harper's Bazzar and Vogue, she is most remembered for her direct photographs of people, often those on the edge of society, challenging our notions of convention and the 'norm'.

Working my way through the People Unaware exercises and struggling with how to capture compelling images of strangers, I am amazed at the intimacy and rapport Arbus undoubtably had with her subjects. Her early New York street photography would be almost impossible in today's climate and I so admire her ability to befriend and connect with people, resulting in honest, revealing portraits.

She developed a fascination for documenting sub-cultures, self-contained groups and mini-societies, such as ethnic minorities, nudists, socialites, fairground workers and circus performers. Often she is described as photographing 'freaks' but also of producing images that are 'an uncritical celebration of things as they are'. She is quoted as saying 'Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats.'

Walking round the exhibition I found myself drawn to these images but felt almost voyeuristic, akin to the people who paid their penny to see the freak shows Arbus photographed. 

In the 60s she began working with a square format, twin-lens Rolleiflex camera. The photographer looks into this camera from above, allowing for eye contact and a greater rapport with the subject than can be achieved by holding a SLR to the eye. This format really appealed to me and although I can't use the same camera, it would be an interesting exercise to shoot and crop with a square image in mind. She placed the subject centre frame, usually looking direct to camera, creating an intimacy and curiosity. The sitter looks you in the eye and you are compelled to look back, trying to gleam something of that person, but as she said,  'A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know'.

Ex 6: Best of a sequence

I enlisted the help of my friend, Fiona, for the sequence exercise, as we were spending Easter on the Isle of Harris with her and her husband. They are long standing hill walking and cycling chums, so I thought it appropriate to photograph her in an outdoor environment, firstly because I felt it would put both of us at ease and secondly because it would give a meaningful association to the resulting images.

During a costal walk to Rhenigidale Youth Hostel we stopped at some ruined sheilings for lunch. To begin the sequence I sat opposite Fiona. Sitting helped us both relax and compensated for me not using a tripod. Weather conditions were overcast and quite dull so I set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO accordingly. I kept my focal length between 40 and 70mm, a good range for a natural, flattering portrait.

Remembering my husband’s complaint that I don’t direct him enough, I chatted away to her, suggesting poses and talking about what/why I was doing. I also decided to take lots of pictures to increase my chances of capturing some pleasing shots. I expected the first few pictures of Fiona to look somewhat stilted and ‘forced’ but in fact the early shots are quite natural looking, suggesting our friendship helped us settle into the shoot quickly.

After about 10 minutes I decided to try fill-in flash, as I was concerned about the dull conditions and didn’t have a reflector. The on-camera flash had the desired effect of adding light in her eyes but was a bit too harsh for portraiture. I think a flashgun would be a sound investment.

After around 20 minutes we were both getting cold and a bit distracted, which is apparent in the later shots. On reflection, I think it really helped that Fiona is a naturally cheery person who was happy to sit for me. Her thoughts were that she found it a novel experience, which could have been quite un-nerving had she not been in a familiar environment, with a photographer who was also a good friend. It would be interesting to repeat the exercise with a stranger. Gillanders says ‘portraiture is a collaboration between photographer and sitter’ so the rapport between the two must influence the resulting images.

I took 55 images in total, about 15 were immediately deleted — eyes closed, not looking at camera, bad pose etc. I used Bridge to review and sort the rest. 18 were rejected, 10 acceptable and 11 were rated good. Of the 11, only 2 or 3 are worth considering. The interesting thing when viewing the pictures together is how even a subtle change of expression or tilt of the head can make or break the shot.

My biggest mistake was not using fill-in flash earlier, as Fiona’s eyes are too dark in otherwise 'best' shots, no 22 and 48 are good examples. My final choice is no 41. Settings: ISO 400, F10, 1/200, 70mm, built-in flash with red-eye reduction. To me this picture captures Fiona – happy outdoors, wearing her favourite red jacket and woolly hat.