While wondering around Amazon UK over the past couple of days on the hunt for a couple of good books on portrait photography, I came across these two which I really like the look of…thought I’d share for anyone who’s interested.
- “Vanity Fair” Portraits: A Century of Iconic Images
- The Half: Photographs of Actors Preparing for the Stage
Being a huge movie fan I think these will sit nicely on my book shelf . Some fantastic imagery from some of my favourite photographers…Cecil Beaton and the awesome Annie Leibovitz being just a couple.
On a slightly different note…
Around this time I picked up on a little photography related quote that was doing the rounds via Twitter. This was in reference to a New York post article “Behind Obama’s People”, highlighting the power of imagery and the whole portrait process with reference to the following…
In “Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography” Roland Barthes suggests that any time a subject steps in front of a camera to have his portrait taken, four people show up…
…Who that individual thinks he is, Who he wants others to think he is, Who the photographer thinks the subject is, Whom the photographer will try to make use of to bring about his art.
Being the armchair psychologist and a keen people snapper, I found this very relevant and quiet thought provoking. I’ve never sat down to consider these options when I’ve had a camera in my hand, its really been a case of the shot I want to achieve rather than the impression or ‘persona’ I want to create for the individual within the portrait.
A great thought process to think about when you next consider what you want to achieve from a portrait shot. It’s definitely something I will be making a concerted effort to consider the next time I’m pointing my camera at someone.
Take a click on the link above and have a read for yourself…
