LO1: Research into photographers

Steve McCurry - documentary, portrait 

Annie Leibovitz - portrait celebrities

David Bailey - portraits

Henri Cartier Bresson - documentary (compressision)

Dorothea Lange - documentary 

Robert Capa - War photographer 

Robert Capa

Robert Capa, original name, Friedmann Endre Erno (October 22, 1913 - May 1954) was a war photographer and photojournalist, as well as a professional partner of Gerda Taro, from Hungary. Capa's war photography made him one of the greatest photojournalists of the 20th century. He was made unique as a photographer as he was the first to make photojournalism appear 'sexy and glamorous'. As well as being one of the first photographers to bring a camera into a battlefield he also embedded himself in with the troops with travelling to different war zones around the world. 

Capa first started off by working with a German picture agency in 1931 and 1932, before later finding himself and his form of photographer in Paris, where he first got the name Robert Capa. He first found fame with war photography during the Spanish civil war. Later developed his style in with closeups of deaths and grim photos, like the Loyalist Solider, Spain. Which he gained his famous saying of  'If your pictures aren't good enough, then you aren't close enough.' During World War II he covered a lot of the heaviest fighting in Africa, Sicily and Italy for a magazine and his photography have now become some of the most memorable of the war.

This image below, taken by Capa, shows a solider falling in the battlefield, after being shot, during a civil war. However, over the years people have been made to believe that Capa stages this image, as he couldn’t of developed an image during war. In this image he used the golden ratio, where the subject is off centre. This will purposely done so it gets the people viewing the image attention, as well as giving them an insight of where the subject is, to set the scene. 

The image below is one which Capa had taken during a war, and the aftermath effects people living their have to be surrounded with. This image shows people what places can result in and the damage which is caused, not only to the surroundings but the families which are surrounded in the wars. He also used the golden ratio in his image to show the different effects war can have on places as well as people. 

In this image below it is showing Capa using the Leica camera, which was light carry, therefore was easily portable to capture different shots throughout his years of war photography. This is a portrait of Capa shows that he is determined to try get the ‘perfect’ shots during the war, looking at his facial expressions. This image doesn’t follow the golden ratio as the subject is in the middle of the photo, which shows his audience that the focus of the image is him and his facial expressions. 

The use of black and white in the images show that the image is timeless and that no matter how old an image is it will always have an impact on someone and tell a story based on what you can see.

Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist who was best known for  her depressive style of photography. She then began to travel the world in order to try sell some of her photography. In this time she then had to stop in San Francisco, as she ran out of money. As a result of this she started working in a photography studio. Then she was known for photographing unemployed men who wandered in the streets of the place she was living in. These photographs, which was taken on a Graflex Super D, then got recognition from the public which then made them successful. The images were taken to raise awareness for the Great Depression ( severe worldwide economic depression that took place for 4 years), therefore all the images have the same meaning. In the images below you can see the suffering of the Great Depression with there facial expressions and the poor condition which they live in.

This image is of a mother with her two children Living in poverty. The main focus of this image is the facial expression on the women, which shows the image is a portrait and the genre of a documentary, to tell a story of what she is feeling. Her two children which are on the outer frame of the image are not facing towards the camera, showing people that her children are trying to get her attention and seeking for the comfort of their mother. However, she is looking towards the camera showing her sadness and desperation to help her children get the essentials. The clothing in this image shows the very and struggle of this family as it looks as it it is the only thing they have, due to how dirty it is and the colour of the women’s arms and face. 

This is an image taken by Dorothea Lange, showing the two subjects of the image, the man and women, opposite and against each others beliefs, to show the sexism and conflict between both genders during WW2. During WW2 it was made to believe that all men went to work and fight, but all women should stay at home and look after their children and make sure their family homes are tidy. In this image it shows that women believed that they also had a right to work in factory's, to make there own money, instead of being controlled by men. This photo has deliberate lighting which highlights the women's face, giving her more attention by an audience, to show that the image is mainly based on women's right, over a males. 

In this image it shows two children in poverty, and they are trying to get the audiences attention, in order to seek help and try to get the essentials they need to survive. You can also tell these children don't have the basic needs with the clothes that they are wearing and where they are in the photograph. The children are placed on the floor at the bottom of the image to show the class of the family that the children live with. 

David Bailey

David Bailey was known for English fashion and portrait photographer as well as being successful in celebrity and advertising photography. Bailey ones from a working class background in East London, and left school at a very young ages to take roles in different jobs. With being interested in painting and photography he then went on to do an apprenticeship in fashion photography, as well as working freelance and on magazines and newspapers. When Bailey uses everything from 35mm to 8x10 inches camera to produce high quality shots using Nikon, Nikkormat and his favourite Pentax. 

The image below clearly represent his style of black and white, this style captures the personality of the different celebrities, making the images timeless. This is created in a studio by changing the lighting, the backdrops as well as the poses to change meaning of the image, such as the image is old. However, still capturing their personalities with the facial expressions which they are using. The tones of this image emphasises contrast, texture, lighting, tape and form.  

In the image of the Queen he has purposely taken a photo of the Queen smiling to show the audience that she is an innocent and nice lady. This facial expression makes the Queen look friendly and approachable, which is how people currently view her. This portrait of her shows a small part of her clothing, which looks basic but smart, so the audience believe the Queen to be just the same as other people and doesn’t see her self as a leader, she just is like everyone else.

This is an image of Pharrell Williams and his girlfriend, however this photo is ironic to what Pharrell Williams is known for which is his rap. Typically if you’re interested or produce rap then you are often seen as a ‘gangster’ because of the type of music they like. However in this image Pharrell Williams is viewed to seen as a innocent man who comes across caring and affectionate towards his girlfriend. This is shown through oral hugging his girlfriend whilst learners head on her shoulder.

This portrait of Johnny Depp focuses mainly on the facial expression and the action which he is doing, which portrays the iconic roles that he plays in the films he stars in e.g. jack sparrow. This action he is doing with his hands shows that the roles he plays are challenging and causing him stress in the films, making this shot iconic to the films. In this image it has been edited so the the darks are really dark to show his features and shape but the whites are highlighted to show the high points of his face and make his eyes stand out.

In conclusion my favourite photographer is David Bailey. I like these photos as they are timeless so you never know when the image is taken so it would always fit. He also makes the images look natural and doesn’t look as if he has covered them in makeup, which makes the shots he takes simple but dramatic. As majority of David Baileys shots are of celebrities they make the photos more interesting as people actually know who it is in the images.