Portraiture: What Is A Portrait?
Portraiture: What Is A Portrait?
Portraiture: What Is A Portrait?
V I S U A L A R T S S E C O N D A R Y 3
Photography
Portraiture
Questions to Consider
Steve McCurry. Portrait of Sharbat Gula, photograph, 1984. c) What moods or feelings are
For more information, www.stevemccurry.com expressed in the portrait?
Vocabulary
Framing Point of view Sitter
Christopher Wahl
Wahl is a contemporary photographer who specializes in
studio portraits and photojournalism. His work has been
featured on the cover of numerous magazines. He has
photographed The Rolling Stones, The Royal Family, and
the William sisters.
Glue your
image here.
Find a portrait by Wahl and…
Describe how he used framing, lighting, and point of
view in the photograph.
Dorothy Lange
In 1960, Lange gave this account of the experience:
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EVERYING ABOUT ART
Jodi Cobb
For the past 30 years, Jodi Cobb has worked as a freelance photographer and is one of 7
photographers who olds a position with National Geographic. She is known for capturing details in
her work that add to the story. For example, a clock on the wall above the aging actress. Cobb’s most
powerful work are of women.
Glue your
image here.
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EVERYING ABOUT ART
Cindy Sherman
1) What do we learn about the person in the photograph?
5) What challenges do you think Sherman encounters as both a sitter and photographer?
Vik Muniz
Vik Muniz creates large portraits of people using garbage. He works with garbage pickers at the
world’s largest garbage dump in Brazil. His process starts with photographing the pickers posed in
iconic stances and projects that image onto the floor of a studio. Then, the image is recreated using the
garbage to fill in highlights and shadows as a monumental drawing. Finally, he photographs the
image. He views his artworks to explore human consumption and raise awareness of the working
conditions in garbage dumps. Additional resources: https://recyclinginternational.com/latest-
articles/editors-top-picks/vik-muniz-proves-the-true-power-of-trash/26958/
Find a portrait by Muniz and…
1) Do you think his artwork is more about the
process, the monumental drawing or the final
photograph?
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PORTRAITURE VISUAL ARTS
Points to Consider
Homework # 1 Compose your image in
the camera’s viewfinder.
Your are to create one of the following: a) an environmental
portrait focusing on your subject in a place that includes details Only include elements
that would help to define or describe him or her that add from your
composition.
b) a studio portrait photographing against a sparse background
that would focus our attention on your subject’s body, clothing, Chose your vantage
physical and facial expressions. point.
Consider lighting.
“A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more
it tells you the less you know.”
—Diane Arbus
Homework #2
Your are to create one of the following: a) an environmental
Photograph a day in your life. Carry your camera or cell phone throughout the day and take 30 images
from the morning till when you go to bed. Photograph all aspects of your day, including everyday
moments and locations. Submit a photo grid of the 30 pictures and one 4 x6 of your best picture from the
series. Check out the work by Mebane and Hyers titled, “Empire 2006” in which they took 9000
photographs of the interiors of various homes across the USA to get a unique perspective of American life
and values. titledxamplen a place that includes details that would help to define or describe him or her
b) a studio portrait photographing against a sparse background that would focus our attention on your
Points to
subject’s Consider
body, clothing, physical and facial expressions.
Try to represent your day evenly.
Avoid photographic clichés such as making
Homework # 3
a lot of pictures of your friends “mugging” Masks are used to create or hide identity whether
for the camera. physical or metaphorical. We wear them on
Halloween for fun but what happens when you
Include items that would teach others wear one walking down the street in September?
about you. You are to wear a mask in an environment and
Use the technique of framing. photograph yourself. How does the mask relate to
the space? Document how it felt to wear the mask
and the reactions of people around you. Print the
image and examine it from an objective viewpoint.
What makes the photograph successful?