For this “Ancestry” challenge, I had my father serve as my portraiture subject. My goal in this blog assignment was to explore the realm of portraiture photography, and experiment with lighting and other photographic elements to see how I could best capture the essence of my father. I chose to concentrate on two prominent aspects of his identity – a man of academia and business, and the other being his intensely humorous persona.
In my first photograph, I shot a traditional front-on portrait shot of my father. As I have no extended family members, I chose to incorporate their ancestry into one of my images by using Photoshop. In dong so I chose to have images of my paternal lineage overlaid into the background of the portrait of my father, where he is sporting the same facial expression as his father and grandfathers, to further link the images. I chose to have their images overlaid over the wall in the background, so that it appears as if their photographs were hanging in frames on the wall. I also made the image black and white, for it added a sense of timelessness and continuity. I liked how this photograph was able to encapsulate five generations from my father’s ancestry.
In the second image, I aimed to portray my father as a businessman. The incorporation of the books, upon which his hand lent, paid homage to the realm of academia and markets from which he has hailed during his career. I chose his powerful stance, as it was reflective of his intensity in business. I also liked how the lighting only lit half of his face, further accentuating his powerful presence in the photograph.
My third shot was inspired by Annie Leibovitz’s photograph of Willie Nelson. I shot the profile of my father, positioning him so that the natural lighting was able to accentuate the lines of his age. In the image, you can grasp that he is thinking. My father will often glance away while deep in thought, and I wanted to portray this characteristic of his in this image. The black and white further accentuated his features and expression. I also liked how the negative space in the background balanced the natural light illuminating his face in the forefront.
My next two images also aimed to encapsulate my his identity as ‘a man of few words, but many thoughts’. They further exemplified his identity as a businessman, with his suit, and composed yet powerful positioning.
In the final photograph, I chose to explore my father’s humorous attributes. He enjoys making people laugh, and this image showcased his humorous, and slightly sly disposition, with him appearing to be amused and mid-smirk.
I enjoyed my exploration of portraiture. I particularly took a liking to my black and white portraits, as I found the simplicity of coloring added strength to the message and subject of the images. I was able to ascertain the importance of lighting in crafting the perfect portrait in this challenge.
In my first photograph, I shot a traditional front-on portrait shot of my father. As I have no extended family members, I chose to incorporate their ancestry into one of my images by using Photoshop. In dong so I chose to have images of my paternal lineage overlaid into the background of the portrait of my father, where he is sporting the same facial expression as his father and grandfathers, to further link the images. I chose to have their images overlaid over the wall in the background, so that it appears as if their photographs were hanging in frames on the wall. I also made the image black and white, for it added a sense of timelessness and continuity. I liked how this photograph was able to encapsulate five generations from my father’s ancestry.
In the second image, I aimed to portray my father as a businessman. The incorporation of the books, upon which his hand lent, paid homage to the realm of academia and markets from which he has hailed during his career. I chose his powerful stance, as it was reflective of his intensity in business. I also liked how the lighting only lit half of his face, further accentuating his powerful presence in the photograph.
My third shot was inspired by Annie Leibovitz’s photograph of Willie Nelson. I shot the profile of my father, positioning him so that the natural lighting was able to accentuate the lines of his age. In the image, you can grasp that he is thinking. My father will often glance away while deep in thought, and I wanted to portray this characteristic of his in this image. The black and white further accentuated his features and expression. I also liked how the negative space in the background balanced the natural light illuminating his face in the forefront.
My next two images also aimed to encapsulate my his identity as ‘a man of few words, but many thoughts’. They further exemplified his identity as a businessman, with his suit, and composed yet powerful positioning.
In the final photograph, I chose to explore my father’s humorous attributes. He enjoys making people laugh, and this image showcased his humorous, and slightly sly disposition, with him appearing to be amused and mid-smirk.
I enjoyed my exploration of portraiture. I particularly took a liking to my black and white portraits, as I found the simplicity of coloring added strength to the message and subject of the images. I was able to ascertain the importance of lighting in crafting the perfect portrait in this challenge.