Digital Photography Series
"Solace" |
Digital Photography
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Exhibition Text
"Solace" is a digital photography series comprised of three photographs. It belongs to a series of work exploring the unique stages of grief. Inspired by the work of the portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh, this series explores the support groups that help nurse one back to normalcy after experiencing grief. I aimed to illustrate that grieving does not have to be a lonely process but rather a struggle fought with the support of many.
Process
Planning Sketches
Portrait Photography
Prior to editing color and saturation, I had to make three portraits. The three women featured in this piece are people who have supported me during my best and worst moments. They are all unique as they are of different ages and walks of life. I aimed to capture a candid moment despite the fact that they knew they were in front of a camera. I conversed with them and didn’t warn them when I photographed them. I captured them in places relevant to their lives. The frames are filled with bits and pieces of who they are as people to contextualize the images.
Post Processing
I processed the three portraits in Adobe Lightroom. I first edited each photo in color, placing emphasis on skin tones and the contrast between light and dark. I accentuated the highlights to create a strong juxtaposition with the shadows.
Digital Manipulation
Once the portraits were edited, I manipulated each photo’s colors and saturation in Adobe Lightroom. I decided on the order of the portraits from left to right which guided the color manipulation process. As the series progresses to the right, the photos gain more and more color almost like a gradient. This was achieved using Adjustment Brush layers and Graduated Filters.
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Experimentation
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Creating “Solace” involved a great deal of experimentation. Creating a photographic series of three portraits is a relatively simple task. But the real challenge for me was telling a story through those three portraits. The photographs featured in the piece all have varying backgrounds, facial expressions, and identifying characteristics thus the photographs have little to nothing in common. They contrast with each other in a visually stimulating way. I shot each portrait with a 50mm lens to force myself to get close and personal with the subjects of the images. I was comfortable but because I told them I was going to photograph them, they were a bit nervous. My goal was to capture a candid expression that I felt encapsulated their respective personalities. I always thought candid portraiture had to be made when a person was unaware that they were being photographed. But I learned from these three portraits, that candid expressions are waiting to be documented if one is patient. I talked to each individual I photographed and engaged in our usual conversations. And I didn’t tell them when I was going to photograph them. I told a joke and watched their expressions change and captured them. I experimented with landscape orientation and chose to orient the photos in portrait because I wanted to emphasize the people in the image rather than their surroundings. To further emphasize the women and their expressions, I experimented with Graduated Filters and Adjustment Brushes in Adobe Lightroom. Though I am familiar with the software, I have never tried to drastically alter photos in Lightroom. I desaturated the images to create a gradient from black and white to full color moving left to right.
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Artistic Inspiration
The piece “Solace” draws inspiration from the work of photographer Yousuf Karsh. Famous for his portraits of famous figures, Yousuf Karsh is considered to be one of the best portrait photographers of the 20th century. He was born in Armenia and found photography when he moved to Canada where he took an apprenticeship with his uncle, a photographer. It wasn’t until he photographed Winston Churchill that he became an internationally known artist. From Pablo Picasso to Mother Theresa, Karsh photographed people in ways that captured genuine expression. He conversed with his subjects and got to know them before he made their portraits. This allowed him to see who they were and what their image would portray about their character. His portraits show strong contrast between light and dark. This was due to his emphasis on lighting setups both natural and artificial to accentuate his subject’s faces.
Meaning
“Solace” is a three piece digital photography series that focuses on a personal stage of grief through the portraits of three important woman in my life and support group. This piece is part of a larger series regarding my experience with grief and how I traverse through it. This stage is called “Solace” because it is defined as “comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness.” This is one of the latter stages of grief I personally experience. The gradation from black and white to vibrant hues is symbolic of the transition from grief to normalcy and even happiness. The women in the photographs have helped me cope and traverse through my darkest hours and so this piece is meant to show my appreciation for them. They have shown me unconditional love and support and I am grateful to have such wonderful people in my life. For me, grief is not something we have to or should deal with alone. Life is meant to be experienced with people you love and people who love you back. Grief is not always a solitary journey; it is a time when you need support and good relationships to help remind you who you are and what you stand for.
Reflection
Throughout the completion of this piece, I have improved my storytelling and portrait skills. Prior to “Solace” I was unfamiliar with candid photography when the subject was aware they were being photographed and with connecting images through a common motif. This piece challenged me to capture genuine emotions and portray people as they truly are in a single photograph. It also challenged me to connect three images using a gradation of black and white to color. I am satisfied with the outcome of “Solace” as it accomplished what I intended it to. The process was successful as I was able to capture genuine expressions and clearly connect three images to tell a story.
Overall, “Solace” emulates the photography of Yousuf Karsh to some extent. While I did utilize candid portraiture to capture genuine emotions, I failed to use light as effectively as Karsh. My photos lack the depth of Karsh’s work and his strong contrast between light and dark. His portraits feature lighting that juxtaposes the subject from the background in a way that is natural yet harsh. My lighting is all natural and so it lacks the intensity of Karsh’s work. In terms of what went well in the emulation, my use of background to contextualize the subjects successfully emulates Karsh’s portraits.
Overall, “Solace” emulates the photography of Yousuf Karsh to some extent. While I did utilize candid portraiture to capture genuine emotions, I failed to use light as effectively as Karsh. My photos lack the depth of Karsh’s work and his strong contrast between light and dark. His portraits feature lighting that juxtaposes the subject from the background in a way that is natural yet harsh. My lighting is all natural and so it lacks the intensity of Karsh’s work. In terms of what went well in the emulation, my use of background to contextualize the subjects successfully emulates Karsh’s portraits.
Connection to ACT
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
I am able to identify the cause-effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect upon my artwork by analyzing the lighting and emotion. It is clear that my emphasis on candid expressions and lighting draws from Yousuf Karsh’s work.
2. What is the overall approach of the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration.
The author's point of view regarding Yousuf Karsh is that he is an Armenian - Canadian photographer focused on capturing the true essence of an individual via photography.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
While researching, I've come to the conclusion that people are often showing genuine emotion even in front of a camera. Photographers just have to be patient if they want to capture it.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme of my inspirational research was grief and candid expressions.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While reading my research, I inferred that Yousuf Karsh utilized light to accentuate the expressions and facial features of his subjects.
Sources
Websites
Karsh, Yousuf . “Overview.” Yousuf Karsh, Yousuf Karsh, karsh.org/overview/#thumbnails.
Berman, Eliza . “Yousuf Karsh Photographer Spotlight: 15 Great Portraits.” Time, Time, 18 Mar. 2015, time.com/3684569/yousuf-karsh/.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Yousuf Karsh.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 16 May 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/Yousuf-Karsh.
Books
Karsh, Yousuf. Karsh: a sixty-Year retrospective. Little, Brown, 1997.
Karsh, Yousuf, and David Travis. Karsh: beyond the camera. Godine, 2012.
Karsh, Yousuf . “Overview.” Yousuf Karsh, Yousuf Karsh, karsh.org/overview/#thumbnails.
Berman, Eliza . “Yousuf Karsh Photographer Spotlight: 15 Great Portraits.” Time, Time, 18 Mar. 2015, time.com/3684569/yousuf-karsh/.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Yousuf Karsh.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 16 May 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/Yousuf-Karsh.
Books
Karsh, Yousuf. Karsh: a sixty-Year retrospective. Little, Brown, 1997.
Karsh, Yousuf, and David Travis. Karsh: beyond the camera. Godine, 2012.