one page - Emma Summerton's Fashionable Portraiture

Emma Summerton's Fashionable Portraiture

To sell copies, fashion magazines regularly feature the celebrity of the moment, modeling the clothes of the moment. For fashion photographers, the challenge is to create photo stories that present the celebrities in unexpected ways, while making sure they remain recognizable to readers and fans.For photographer Emma Summerton, who moves seamlessly between shooting fashion and celebrity portraiture for publications such as i-D, Purple, Vogue and W, and commercial clients like Burberry, Miu Miu and Yves Saint Laurent, her approach is the same: All her work is based on creating an intriguing concept using an environment or location, and then letting her subjects inhabit it in ways that feel comfortable. “For me, it’s more about getting the mood and the space right, and then collaboratively running with it once the shoot starts.She frequently finds that the best images come at the end of a shoot, when everyone else feels like the workday is done. On a 2012 job for W photographing actors Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen, she recalls, publicists were rushing them through shots. The story was called “An Affair to Remember,” a nod to the film the two actors were promoting, Hemingway and Gellhorn, and to the ladylike 1950s clothes of the season in which Kidman was posing. As they were wrapping the shoot at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Los Angeles, Summerton noticed Kidman looking in the mirror, and asked her to take one final shot. Summerton says she never guessed she would shoot commercial and editorial work when she was a student at the National Art School in Sydney during the early 1990s. Then, while out for coffee with her musician boyfriend, she met a professional photographer who was looking for an assistant. Summerton offered her services, even though her experience was limited to working in the school darkroom. “It was eye-opening,” she laughs. “I realized I had almost no technical skills.”For the next six years, she devoted herself to learning the craft by assisting fashion and lifestyle photographers in Australia. During that time, she discovered Vogue Italia. “It was a revelation for me,” she says. “I said to myself, ‘Oh my god, there’s fashion photography that can actually be put on a wall.’For a cover story on George Clooney for W’s Art Issue, released in December 2013, Summerton was told that Clooney would be wearing a black-and-white polka dot suit designed by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. After brainstorming with the magazine’s design director, Johan Svensson, and photography director, Caroline Wolff, Summerton asked Kusama to design a matching backdrop to go with the images. Thomas Thurnauer, a set designer, created a table and chair covered in dots to fill out the composition. The resulting work is equal parts surrealist and retro pop—Clooney’s face practically jumps out of the textured surfaces of the images.  Although Summerton primarily shoots for fashion clients, she hasn’t ruled out the possibility of showing her work in an exhibition, marking a return to what first drew her to fashion photography when she was a young assistant. “Right now, I’m just letting go, and going along for the ride,” she says.

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz

Early life

Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, on October 2, 1949, Leibovitz is the third of six children. She is a third-generation American whose great-grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe. Her father's parents had emigrated from Romania.Her mother, Marilyn Edith, née Heit, was a modern danceinstructor of Estonian Jewish heritage; her father, Samuel Leibovitz, was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. The family moved frequently with her father's duty assignments, and she took her first pictures when he was stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War.At Northwood High School, she became interested in various artistic endeavors, and began to write and play music. She attended the San Francisco Art Institute, where she studied painting. For several years, she continued to develop her photography skills while working various jobs, including a stint on a kibbutz in Amir,Israel, for several months in 1969.

Personal life

Financial troubles

In February 2009, Leibovitz borrowed $15.5 million, having experienced financial challenges in recent years. She put up as collateral, not only several houses, but the rights to all of her photographs.In July 2009, a breach of contract lawsuit against Leibovitz was filed by Art Capital Group in the amount of $24 million regarding the repayment of these loans.On September 11, Art Capital Group withdrew its lawsuit against Leibovitz, and extended the due date for repayment of the $24 million loan. Under the agreement, Leibovitz retains control over her work, and will be the "exclusive agent in the sale of her real property (land) and copyrights". Leibovitz losing her artistic and real estate.In April 2010, Brunswick Capital Partners filed suit against Leibovitz, claiming that they are owed several hundred thousand dollars for helping her restructure her debt.In December 2012 her famous Townhouse in West Village, NY was listed for sale, asking price was set at $33 Million. Leibovitz stated that she sold her home in order to move closer to her daughter. 

Career

Rolling Stone magazine

When Leibovitz returned to the United States in 1970, she started her career as staff photographer, working for the just launched Rolling Stone magazine. In 1973, publisher Jann Wenner named Leibovitz chief photographer of Rolling Stone, a job she would hold for 10 years. Leibovitz worked for the magazine until 1983, and her intimate photographs of celebrities helped define the Rolling Stone look.While working for Rolling Stone, Leibovitz became more aware of the other magazines.Richard Avedon's portraits were an important and powerful example in her life. She learned that she could work for magazines and still create personal work, which for her was the most important. She sought intimate moments with her subjects, who "open their hearts and souls and lives to you". She was awarded The Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship (HonFRPS) in recognition of a sustained, significant contribution to the art of photography in 2009.

Joan Armatrading

In 1978 Leibovitz became the first woman to photograph Joan Armatrading for an album. She did the photography for Armatrading's fifth studio album To the Limit, spending four days at her house capturing the images.^[8] She also did the photography for Armatrading's 1979 live album, Steppin' Out.

John Lennon

On December 8, 1980, Leibovitz had a photo shoot with John Lennon for Rolling Stone, promising him that he would make the cover.She had initially tried to get a picture with just Lennon alone, which is what Rolling Stone wanted, but Lennon insisted that both he and Yoko Ono be on the cover. Leibovitz then tried to re-create something like the kissing scene from the Double Fantasy album cover, a picture that she loved. She had John remove his clothes and curl up next to Yoko on the floor. Leibovitz recalls, "What is interesting is she said she'd take her top off and I said, 'Leave everything on' — not really preconceiving the picture at all. Then he curled up next to her and it was very, very strong. You couldn't help but feel that he was cold and he looked like he was clinging on to her. I think it was amazing to look at the first Polaroid and they were both very excited. John said, 'You've captured our relationship exactly. Promise me it'll be on the cover.' I looked him in the eye and we shook on it."Leibovitz was the last person to professionally photograph Lennon—he was shot and killed five hours later.

public annoucment project 3

one page notes: Pet Photography Tips and painting with lights

Pet Photography tips

• Catch your Pet's Character- 
  It’s a good idea to photograph pets in their preferred spots or enjoying a much-loved pastime such snoozing on the porch or catching a Frisbee. To capture a pet’s character, you can ask yourself what is unique about your pet and try to capture that uniqueness on camera.
• Freeze the action- Set the focus mode to continuous focusing (AI Servo AF Canon/AF-C Nikon) so that the lens can constantly maintain its focus on the running pet. For multiple shots use continuous shooting mode and hold down the shutter button as long as you’d like.
• Aim for the eyes- Use a standard lens (50mm) or a zoom lens that covers the 28-70mm lengths. Turn the mode dial to AV (Aperture Priority) mode and select a wide aperture for a blurred background. Use spot metering and focus on the eyes – this area must be sharp – and avoid flash if possible, for a softer look.
• Include people- A standard lens of 50mm is ideal for this kind of image. A shallow DOF (depth of field) keeps things in the center of the frame sharp so make sure you have focus on the eyes. Remember to be quick when taking this type of image because animals are easily distracted when outdoors.
• Get on their level- Getting on the floor and at the same level as your pet is a great way to capture some dramatic, yet natural shots. Lying on the ground usually prevents the use of a tripod, so to keep the camera steady you may use a camera bean bag, or a sturdy book as support.For the blurred background effect, choose a shallow DOF (f/2.8-f/8) and a fast shutter speed since pets can move fast! Shutter speeds of 1/400s and faster when you are outdoors is a good bet.
• Avoid using flash- Flash can scare them or make them nervous and hide. Additionally, flash is harsh. Particularly if you are indoors, it’s best to use natural light since this won’t wash out feathers. If your pet is light colored, white fur in particular will look washed out with a flash. Another reason for not using flash is because animals can photograph with red eye, like humans. Finally, try to avoid using flash with animals that live in tanks, because glass will reflect the flash making an unsightly white hotspot.

Recommended setting 

- If you pet is still or relaxing then try to avoid using flash as animals tend to dislike it. Open the aperture to let more light in instead. This also keeps the background blurred and works for artistic shots.

Recommended equipment

-A standard lens, such as a 50mm f/1.8 or f/2.8 is also useful because it can take good portraits and can work quickly in low light conditions without needing a flash.

Conclusion

-Pets can provide a range of interesting photographs from cute to dramatic. Build up a rapport with the animal; use toys and treats to reward them if they are behaving well and let them leave if they are bored of having their photograph taken. Feeding an animal first is always a good idea if shooting portraits as it leaves them relaxed. If your pet is going outside make sure you have another person helping in case they break free. 

Painting with lights 

-Painting with light is a fun technique that gives great results. It is called painting with light because this is what you are actually doing while taking the shot – painting with light.

1.  A camera capable of long exposures – film cameras will work OK, but if you really want to get the most out of the shooting session, use a digital camera.
2. A nice tripod. Since you will be doing some long exposures you want to make sure your camera sits still.
3. A flash light – and by flash light I do not mean flash as in a speedlight, but the flash light or what our British will call a torch.
4. A dark location. This one is tricky. If you are going to shot at home – a dark room will be OK. If you are going to shoot outside – make sure that you are not doing this under a street light, or where a car can come by and “paint its headlight” all over your shot.

This is how it works:

Set the exposure to a relatively long value. Stop down the aperture as much as you need. If you are outside do nothing. If you are inside – this is the time to turn off the lights.Once the shutter is open use your flashlight to light the stuff that you want to “paint”. You can use the flashlight as a brash, and “smear” the light, just like you would have done with brush and paper. Or, you can use the light as a pen, and do precise work. Areas where you go slowly will be more lit then others. Be careful not to linger to much over the same stop – you will burn it.

Here are some great ideas to use this technique with:

Product like shot – In a closed (dark) room place your product on a table and paint it’s contour. You can use several colors to make a strong effect or to draw different (even imaginary) parts of your object.

Location shot – find a location with some ambient light. Find an object that is less “hit” by that light. now you can use the ambient light to capture the background, while painting the object with light. You will get a nice effect – with some surreal foreground and a “normal” background.

Environmental Graffiti – If you are shooting a wall (or even on thin air…), you can scribe on the wall. Make funny graffiti; Write huge love notes; Make a political statement – there will be no trace left other then the one on your memory card.

one page notes

 7 Detailed Tutorials that will Improve Your Indoor Portrait Photography Today

Indoor portrait photography can be a bit challenging, especially in regards to lighting choices. Each one has something unique to offer, but what I was really focusing on was finding articles that complimented one another and collectively became one large and useful tutorial. You will likely find something for yourself here, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned photographer. 

• Creating Beautiful Indoor Portraits without Flash- This article by photographer Ed Verosky is featured on the website Digital Photography School. Ed talks about using available household lighting, natural light from windows (with curtains as filters in some cases), and how to manipulate each to suite your needs. He also addresses post processing issues such as white balance or noise.
• Simple Digital Portrait Photography for Beginners- What I liked most about this particular page is that it also gives a list of must-have equipment and accessories for those just starting out. We all begin somewhere, and it really helps to have this information available to avoid common start-up mistakes.
• Inspirational Portrait Photography Tips- f you are looking to spice up your portraits, do not forget that rules are only guidelines and sometimes stepping outside of the box is the best decision you could make.\
• Natural Lighting and Diffuser Tips (Video)- The sample photographs shown are really helpful as well because listed is the camera settings, direction of light, and reflector position.
• Composition and Posing for Indoor Portraiture (Video)- If a client is self conscious about their skin, their weight, or any other specific trait, there are ways to help insure that you create photographs for them that they will be happy with. The last thing that you want to do is accentuate the very things your client is concerned about. This video tutorial offers a ton of tips on these very delicate concerns that many clients may have.
• Light Modifiers (Video)- They go into great detail about each method, the options available, and the pros and cons (and things to avoid) for each setup. Covered are umbrellas, softbox, barn door, and reflector panels. They show each in action, the video is long enough to cover everything thoroughly without being too long.
• 101 Portrait Photography Tips- There are so many options on the internet for photography tutorials, and weeding through the good and the bad can be tiresome and overwhelming. Getting information from just one source is not enough, there is probably not a single tutorial or article available that covers everything, so it is important to get the information you seek from various sources. There is not always a right or wrong way, especially when it comes to lighting. The biggest things to remember are to avoid shadows unless you are planning to capitalize on them for artistic effect, and always know where your lighting is going and the effects it will have on your subject and your final photograph.