Artist Research & Idea Development

Yousuf Karsh
In a nutshell this man could be referred to as a master of portraiture. Throughout his lengthy career, Yousuf Karsh dedicated his time and efforts into producing the most inspirational portraits of the worlds most famous figures of the twentieth century. It's very possible to have come across his work without ever acknowledging the man behind the camera and I will confess that prior to this assignment I was completely unaware of his existence. However, this just go to show that because the essence the  of his photographs are so iconic, they are universally familiar to everyone. At some stage in our lifetime we've all seen these images, it almost impossible for us to of lived and not to of encountered them.  So I suppose the question now is why? What is it about Karsh's portraits that makes them so enduring?   
To me, I think the answer lies in the way Karsh has captured each one of his subjects. It is well known that he had a very specific method that he effectively used as a way of probing deeply into the soul of who ever sat before him. "Within every man and woman a secret is hidden and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can". Just as his quote indicates these portraits appear very intimate and truthfully raw. Karsh has simply stripped away the mask that shields us from seeing one's genuine self, as if unraveling parts of the puzzle of who they really are. Karsh also had a renowned lighting style which to some extent separates his work from others. In every one of his portraits low key lighting is a constant feature which makes the overall atmosphere extremely emotive. A streak of harsh light leaking over the subjects extracts them from the shadows almost as if the spotlight is shining them, that this their moment, the opportunity to openly present themselves to the rest of the world. Its evident to see that Karsh developed a strong connection with his subjects, and would always take time to establish the person he was intending to photograph. Even on his official website Karsh reminiscences about the experiences he encountered with each individual he was fortunate to meet. This obviously contributes to his portraits in the way the  person felt comfortable to freely express themselves, be themselves without having to adopt a false public persona. Karsh would strive for the perfect shot and I suppose that's what I admire about him rather than the portraits themselves. His passionate and conscientious attitude filters throughout his work and as a hopeful photographer myself, i'm genuinely look up to him as a child would look up to its older relatives. If there's one thing I've learnt from this man, it's that I should always seek out for things what interests me and not worry about how its been photographed just as long as the end result satisfies me. By doing this you inevitably gain a distinct, individual style of your own and just like Karsh puts it's you should never feel it necessary to sign your work because "the stamp of your creativity should be recognisable."    


Richard Avedon
A photographer who has really stood out for me goes by the name of Richard Avedon. One thing I find quite remarkable about Avedon is the way he diversified himself as a photographer. Working for high profile magazines such as Harper's Baazer and Vogue, Avedon was first and foremost established by others as an fashion photographer. However those who are familiar with Avedon's work will know full well that his real creative genius shines through in what he considers his "deeper" body of work, his portraits. In some ways this has a lot of relevancy to what I intend to do in my future career, specialising in one field which fuels regular income and then devoting my spare time into exploring and delving into other areas that I'm personally interested in. Quite literally i'm compelled by both sets of work. In his fashion images the models are captured in dynamic positions, clothed in the most extraordinary costumes I've ever seen and above all other things actually in motion, a attribute that notable photographer Irving Penn famously disregarded, demanding that the models acquired complete statue like stillness. I think another reason that I like these images is purely down the fact that they are so unique from the average fashion shot. There's more depth to them, they hold the viewers attention for longer. I feel an involuntary impulse in my eyes beckon whilst observing them. Two of my personal favourite images from this archive are "Dovima with Elephants" and "Natassja Kinski and the Serpent". I love the interaction between model and animal. How the Elephants are mirroring Dovima's pose and the way the snake has constricted itself around Natassja's body subtly whispering into her ear. These are sights I'd never imagined would be possible for someone to capture with a camera.  


The portraits on the other hand is obviously where Avedon's real passion lies. Again in a similar way to Karsh, Avedon has adopted a specific lighting style over the years which trademarks his creativity. The signature white background isolates the subjects, all of whom have been desaturated  of any colour with jagged black margins occupying the edges of the frame. Ironically I do prefer Avedon's style to Karsh, although i'm not a fan of high key lighting in this particular scenario there seems to be more focus on subject as you see their entire features without any traces of shadows clouding over. I also like the heavy contrast that's generated between the subject and background which makes the portraits appear more demonstrative. In relation to this I've figured that high key will probably be the best style suited towards my intending idea as I want to illuminate the whole face in order to avoid shadows so that the manipulation process doesn't become too complex when it comes to merging peoples facial feautres. 
Avedon succeeded in photographing pretty much every famous face that conquered the planet during the 20th Century. He had various encounters with respectful figures of the entertainment industry and not to mention a fair share of run ins with powerful politicians and heads of state. However aside from photographing the rich and famous Avedon also branched out and changed his focus on distinct minorities within society ranging from mental health patients to Civil Right protesters but his most influential piece of work comes from his exploration of the American West. Throughout this endeavor Avedon created yet more sensational portraits but this time around miners, oil field workers and unemployed drifters stood before the camera. I think it admirable of him to of develop an interest on not just privileged celebrities but also average human beings. His fascination with the American West is not only intriguing but also insightful as we get to observe these people more closely than we might not of done before. I personally think that inhabitants of the west are commonly misunderstood as their way of life is rarely highlighted which makes this culture within America ambiguous to outsiders like you and I. Clearly the viewer will no doubt read into the surface of portraits of the famous because they are familiar with who they are looking at, consequently when one is confronted by a portrait of someone who is in fact not famous, a nobody, the viewer still surprisingly also reads a lot into that which kind of proves that Avedon is try to give these people the dignity they deserve and in turn allows us to gain better knowledge about their lives. 

Rineke Dijkstra
After exploring the traditionalist methods of Karsh and Avedon I was keen to look at more modern examples of portraiture and the  conceptual ideas that have been expressed. I googled the work of Dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra and from that moment on I was captivated. Throughout the various archive of portraits Dijkstra examines the notion of transition, an inevitable occurrence that her subjects have experienced or are in fact undergoing. She usually targets individuals whose lives have endured monumental change and the most prominent choice of subject matter are adolescents who are evolving into adulthood. We all go through that phenomenal transformation but the process can seem like a challenge and constant struggle as we try to fit into society. Our own awareness becomes clearer which generates insecurities and endless amounts of emotions. This is clearly expressed in the series entitled "Beach Portraits" where Dijkstra photographed a number of teens as they retreated back to the shore after dabbling in the sea. Within every one of the images each teenager tries to compose themselves confidently however the resulting body language translates the inner venerability and self conscious frame of mind. The fact that they are all in bathing attire, semi-naked also adds to the awkwardness of their stance as they have been captured during the formative stage of their development where change is perceivable and bodily alterations are beginning to emerge. We also need to take into account that the teenagers  were probably approached by Dijkstra quite suddenly so all of them must of felt rather caught off guard by this daunting prospect. If this was the case there must of been little if not no time for them to perfect their image which therefore means that these portraits reflect the natural reactions of young and confused individuals experiencing brief a moment outside of their comfort zone. 


The concept of transition continues to feature in her other series of images however the focus is narrowed towards more self inflicted changes arising in the subjects lives. In 1997 Dijkstra produced portraits of young civilians just before they where about to enter the army, she then went onto chart their progression by re-photographing them once they completed military training. As you would imagine both before and after shots differ quite significantly, there is an obvious dramatic change regarding the soldiers physicality but it also appears as if the inner, non visible psychological change as been captured too.  I find it effective the way Dijkstra has coupled the two images together, in a sense it kind of minimizes the time span between  the then and the now, exaggerating this sudden transformation even more. 


Bettina Von Zwehl
I envy this woman's creativity and the reason why is because she goes to endless lengths to challenge the idea of portraiture. If anything I think of her in as a scientist trapped in a photographer's body as she carries out interesting experiments in order to capture her subjects in a midst of an experience.By distracting the sitters attention the fixed pose that each of us individually adopt when we confront the camera is stripped away within the blink of an eye and the involuntary reactions of the human face are exposed.  
Looking through her archive of portraits I found it hard to acknowledge which series I admired the most as I found every set extremely innovative and thought provoking. Setting this matter aside I've chosen to elaborate on Von Zwehl most credited pieces of work, images of which first spring to mind by the mention of her name.


The most famous photographs by Von Zwehl come from her series named Alina. This body of work comprises of twelve portraits of young girls each of whom where invited into a studio to be photographed. A relatively normal request, however unknown was it  to them that the studio would not only be insufficient of light but also of sound. Each girl was told to sit and wait in the darkened, silent room to be photographed. How long each of them waited varied considerably, for some it was a matter of mere minutes, others  as long as thirty minutes and the rest anything up to an hour or even possibly longer. Whilst they waited anxiously in the dark, classical music supplied the room and the sitter slowly became heavily engrossed by the stimulating tune forgetting the fact that the lens of the camera still remained on them. In the moment where the sitter became completely oblivious to their surroundings and the music reached momentum bright flash lights interrupted the soothing ambiance and the portrait was taken, incredibly suddenly and unexpectedly. This inferred that Von Zwehl had complete control over the each girl's overall representation and their emotions. As you see before you no false expressions are present, instead something far more human and natural dominates the face.


Another particular body of work that achieved great attention was Von Zwehl's rather intimate portraits of people as they awoke from sleep. At first glance the composition of these images appears quite amibigous. As you initially perceive it you assume that the people are sitting in front of a white background but then if you observe more closely you begin to realise by the two-dimensional weight distribution, they are all in fact lying down. I think this is rather unusual. Traditionally portraits are normally taken with the person standing or sitting upright but another unique concept is that we the viewers are technically hovering above these people and that's something I find quite interesting. We don't personally know these people and yet we are observing them from a heighten viewpoint. In reality we wouldn't normally observe people like this, unless we were emotionally connected to them.  
As with Alina, Von Zwehl carried out a  similar operation  however this time round she set up a portable studio within each of the sitter's homes. Each individual was told to rest their eyes but what wasn't informed was when they would actually be woken up. Once again the times were diverse, with some lasting as long as four hours. From the images we can see the brief moment of confusion as the sitter emerges from their subconscious condition with that customary disheveled glare we all naturally pull with every waking day.