Task Two, the presentations, consisted of my and my partner focusing entirely on one genre within photography (fine art) - there was five different genres in total which individual groups explored further into. While the rest of the class did their presentations, I took it upon myself to make a list of notes, including photographic techniques and influential photographers which I would be able to investigate further in my own time.
I made short lists of bullet points as each presentation ran, the notes made will relate to their genre title:
FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY (Group 1):
∙'La mode pratique' - thé first French magazine which used fashion photography within it
∙Half tone printing
∙Rankin - Jamie's Dream School (a video which shows the digital studio photography techniques that Rankin used)
∙Cecil Beaton
∙David Bailey
∙Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle - examples of fashion magazines
∙The main three categories: catalogue, editorial, high fashion - there are subdivisions and cross overs between these
STILL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY (Group 2):
∙'Vanitas' and 'Momento mori'
∙Still life photography concentrates on composition, form, lighting, texture and tone
∙Edward Western
∙A small aperture is often used within this genre of photography for great clarity of smaller objects
∙Conceptual photography can be produced (as seen in the example of the wires in 'The Guardian image being made into a brain shape)
∙Sam Taylor-Wood - 'A Little Death': a still life serious which consists of food gradually rotting. These images were taken while Taylor-Wood was suffering cancer, in the early years of her 30's
∙Man Ray
ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHY (Group 3):
∙Tim Wallace - photographs cars
∙Gareth Morgan - photographs food
∙Advertising photography sells a product as well as a lifestyle
∙The Barnardos campaign - over exposed baby photographs which had to get taken down
ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHY (Group 4):
∙Black and white photographs were used until the 1950's
∙Edward Steichen - 1920's, cartier earrings, Kendall Lee
PORTRAITURE PHOTOGRAPHY (Group 5):
∙Roland Barthes - relates to semiotics
∙'The Fashion System'
∙There are three different subsections; 1) Literal representation ("normal"), 2) Romanticising (attempting to sell not just a product, but a lifestyle that goes along with it too), 3) Mockery (outrageous).
∙Michael Thompson - 'I Am African' campaign
∙ Allure magazine - front cover portrait shots
PORTRAITURE PHOTOGRAPHY (Group 6):
∙There are four approaches that can be taken in portrait photography: constructionist, environmental, candid and creative.
∙Painting > calotype > daguerreotype
∙Terry Richardson - captured Barack Obama, Johnny Knoxville, Amy Winehouse etc. He subverts traditions of portraiture
∙The focus is on the person's face
∙Displays and captivates expression, personality and mood