Tom Barnes

The work of Tom Barnes is very different to the work of the previous photographers I have looked at. He makes use of colour photography in addition to doing some much darker work. His work is mainly used for promotional material for bands and magazines. Compared to people such as Richard Avedon he makes much more use of studios and flashguns.



This photograph of a five piece band has been shot in a well lit studio location. It has been centred around the band singer, who is looking down towards the camera, generating a feeling of inferiority in the viewer. The poses of the two either side of him are quite open stances, with their bodies leaning in towards the singer. Those at the back are quite small in comparison to the front man, which demonstrates almost a hierarchy within the group. Barnes has made good use of a fill flash in this shot so that all the faces are well illuminated. The lighting in this photo has been excellently engineered to work out any shadow within the image.




This photograph is much darker compared to the previous photograph and uses very little colour. The enclose feeling generated by the small room and the crowded band has an intimate nature but at the same time there is that feeling of inferiority again. There is also more shadow in this image, especially around the singer's (again closest to the camera) face. The way those in the background have their sweatshirts open again promote a slightly less aggressive feeling, although the revealed t-shirts draw focus away from their faces due to the graphic nature of the designs. Due to the lack of colour it is less obvious the flash has been used but due to the brightness of the image for an enclosed space I would say that at least one has been used.



This photo is even darker and shadowier than before, again this one uses limited colours. The shadow in this means that the main focal point is are the faces of the band and the white parts of their clothing. The shadows cast on their face are quite striking and at the same time sinister. Once again Tom Barnes has positioned the camera low to get a shot looking upwards at the band.

Gyula Halasz

Gyula Halasz's job and his love of the city, whose streets he often wandered late at night, led to photography. He later wrote that photography allowed him to seize the Paris night and the beauty of the streets and gardens, in rain and mist. Using the name of his birthplace, Gyula Halasz went by the pseudonym “Brassaï” . As Brassaï, he captured the essence of the city in his photographs, publishing his first book of photographs in 1933 titled “Paris de nuit” (“Paris by Night”). His efforts met with great success, resulting in his being called “the eye of Paris” in an essay by his friend Henry Miller. In addition to photos of the seedier side of Paris, he also provided scenes from the life of the city's high society, its intellectuals, its ballet, and the grand operas.



This photo was taken by Halasz in Paris and falls under the category of `candid photograph'. It is centred on the couple but also includes their reflection in the mirror behind them. The background is quite busy which in a formal portrait would be bad to have but as this is candid it is hard to avoid. However the reflecting of the couple in the mirror behind I find to be an interesting touch to this image.





This is a rather different portrait photograph is comparison to some of Halasz's work. The close proximity of the subject to the camera is striking and helps portray an image of age and wisdom. The lighting in this shot comes from the front and slightly to the left, putting some shadow in the palm of the hand. This has lighting has helped bring out the detail in the subject's face, especially in his wrinkles and his eyes. The overriding theme from this photograph seems to be that he is watching us, the eyes focused squarely on the photographer and the fingers wrapped around the eye - almost in such a way as to mimic a camera. The other hand placed as if propping up his head shows that he is almost bored of life and that it has grown to be predictable.

Richard Avedon

In 1944, Richard Avedon began working as an advertising photographer for a department store, but was quickly discovered by Alexey Brodovitch, the art director for the fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar. In 1946, Avedon had set up his own studio and began providing images for magazines including Vogue and Life.

As his reputation as a photographer became widely known, he brought in many famous faces to his studio and photographed them with a large-format 8x10 view camera. His portraits are easily distinguished by their minimalist style, where the person is looking squarely in the camera, posed in front of a sheer white background. He is also distinguished by his large prints, sometimes measuring over three feet in height.



This is a simple, formal photograph of Marilyn Monroe. The depth of field is good as the foreground is well focused on the subject and they background is out of focus. The plain background puts focus on the subject. The black and white aspect makes it seem more stylised and art, whereas colour might have made it look to busy, especially as it the subject is wearing a sparkly dress. As the subject is not looking at the camera it makes her look thoughtful and because the camera is on the same level, and a feeling of equality is established with this superstar.




This photograph is in a way very similar to that of Marilyn Monroe as above. It shares the same characteristics in terms of depth of field but also the plain background denotes almost a studio backdrop. I like the simplicity in the style of the photo combined with the 'complexity' of what is happening in the photograph, the man holding a decapitated snake and is covered in what looks like entrails. The large amounts of white in this photograph do well to contrast the dark skin tone of the snake.

This is different to the previous photographs and is much more striking in comparison. The bold pose struck between the two elephants, combined with the outfit seems to perfectly contrast the lives of oppression lead by the elephants who are chained to the floor. The elegant pose seems to be the opposite of the large, lumbering forms of the elephants. I feel this photo seems to talk about contradiction.