Richard Avedon

After my presentation and the talk about extending my shoots and making the subject wait, I thought it would be quite relevant and useful to look at the portraits by Richard Avedon. I find his portraits fascinating, especially when you know how he has gone about executing them.





Avedon is a world famous photographer who when photographing his models often puts them in uncomfortable situations or asks them awkward questions. By doing this he was able to evoke specific reactions from people, which they would not normally show, and especially not in front of the camera. This made for very interesting portraits where the expressions from his subjects are far more questionable.
His images are technically good, however it is not this style I am looking for in my photographs but the way in which he captures unique reactions from his subjects, reactions that might only last a split second, but in doing so reveal so much.




In particular the two images of Marylin Munroe and George Bush really capture these reactions. I think that these images are fantastic and really show an unknown side to the two famous characters; Munroe looks distant and worried instead of her usual smiling self, and Bush looks doubtful, unlike his usual confident self.
This is something that I'd really like to strive for with my images, where I could capture a really significant and distinct moment of my subject. It is all about this relationship between the artist and the sitter, and how the artist is able to manipulate the shoot and the model to show something that he wants. I find this really fascinating.