Photography Project: Natural Light Portraits

 Today's class was about portrait photography. We analysed the work of David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, shots from Life Magazine, Bill Brandt, David Bailey, and Annie Leibovitz. The photos that I like the most from the visual aspect are of Marge Sutton with her son from 1956:

Marge Sutton with her son in their Los Angeles home, 1956.
Ralph Crane/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

It looks like a frame from a movie, a black and white, horizontally oriented photo. The image captures more than mother and son. It shows family interaction and the woman according to her stereotype, highlighting gender expectations. It's not about just one family - it reflects the concept of an American family and the American dream in the post-World War II era. 

Marge Sutton with son and dog, 1956. Ralph Crane/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

This photo shows a woman, her son and a dog inside a car. The picture is vertically oriented and captured from a low angle. It uses natural light streaming through the car windows highlighting the faces of the people inside. 

Both images show people in real-life situations, recording their emotions, kept in black and white colours, captured in a documentary and timeless style.


After some introduction to the concept, we went outdoors to take portrait photos of a model. 

The aperture value ranged from f/3.6 to f/5.6, and the ISO was 200 or higher. Below is a contact sheet from the session (163 photos):

The contact sheet was created using an online generator. I selected some photos that are ok.

 

The water droplets in the background create an abstract effect.  The colours are muted, mostly browns, greys and blues. Lighting is soft and even, with no harsh shadows. The photo is in focus, and the model stands out from the blurred background. The model fills most of the frame with her shoulders and head.

Close-up portrait. Soft and natural light creates gentle, warm tone. Focus on the model's face with a blurred background. The image is exposed well.

Natural, high-key lighting. Good exposure, with balanced highlights and shadows. Slightly blurred background.

The photo is taken from a high angle. Natural and bright light, clear shadows, highlighted subject face. Sharp, well focused image, makes the model stand out from the background.

The model is in sharp detail, the image is well focused, good depth of field helps focus on the model.  The model is facing left. The eyes of the model are located at the bottom of the top third (the bottom edge of the glasses is a bit lower). Natural, soft, and even light with minimal shadows.

The bokeh effect helps isolate the subject from the background. Blurred background helps keep attention on the subject of the photo. Some highlights on the model's face were caused by slightly too high exposure. The framing of the photo creates a portrait feel. 

The photos are slightly better than the last time. I'm okay with the results. However, I should have paid more attention to the exposure settings to avoid many overexposed photos. Next time, I'll try a higher F number and lower exposure compensation in similar conditions to keep photos darker.