Two environmental portraits

bdcolen

First, complete candid -
Eugene Richards, documentary photographer, with son, Sam




Second, subject aware he was being photographed -

Dick Smith, gunsmith, Blue Hill, ME

PhotoDavid78

love the portrait as far as technique is concerned. The light falls off nicely in the background and good job keeping the reflection out of his glasses. However, I wouldn't know he is a gunsmith unless you wrote it. I only knew that the BG had rifles in it because I looked for them.

lensmole

The first one seems off balance to me,but the second one, I really like. Well executed !

bdcolen

lensmole wrote: »

The first one seems off balance to me,but the second one, I really like. Well executed !

LMole - go look at some of Gene Richard's work, and then see what you think.

TonyCooper

Kind of an interesting dilemma in #2. If that's a portrait of Dick Smith, then it's a
good portrait of a man in his favorite place: his workshop.

If that's a portrait of Dick Smith, gunsmith, then it lacks an aspect that shows
that he's a gunsmith. I see a few rifles in the shadows to the right, but that
doesn't convey to me that he makes, repairs, or works on guns. Just that he
has them. No tools or devices or work in progress in sight that say "gunsmith" to me.

As either, Dick Smith is portrayed well. I think #2 might go over better just as
a portrait of Dick Smith.

I don't know, or know of, Eugene Roberts. I like the photo, though, because
it portrays Roberts as an elusive man...a man that is used to being behind
the camera and not in front of it.

bdcolen

Tony, you and others make a good point about the guns. I'll go back into the 'darkroom' and rework the image. As to Gene Richards, take a look at some of his work, and then at the image.

TonyCooper

bdcolen wrote: »

Tony, you and others make a good point about the guns. I'll go back into the 'darkroom' and rework the image. As to Gene Richards, take a look at some of his work, and then at the image.

He seems to do a lot of head and head and torso shots, so you've
captured him as he captures others.

bdcolen

TonyCooper wrote: »

He seems to do a lot of head and head and torso shots, so you've
captured him as he captures others.

And particularly a lot of close, wide stuff, with something or someone out of focus. Btw - he is, in my opinion, the Eugene Smith of our day.

Quincy T

B.D., I see a gunsmith for sure (but that's only because my father was one, and it reminds me a great deal of him).

michswiss

Hadn't you posted the Eugene Richards shot a couple of years back, or is this fresh? I went through a few of the galleries on his website this evening. Confronting stuff. Much more so than Eugene Smith. My thinking on the second shot is simply that the background is slightly too dark to allow us to interpret the setting. Lifting the shadows ever so much might help.

As things go, I've been doing a lot of environmental portrait stuff over the last three weeks or so associated with the Documentary Photography course I've been in that finished today. I'll share some in the near future.

bdcolen

Don't remember whether I did or didn't, Jenn, but it certainly is possible that I did. And yes, I do need to ease up the shadows. Meanwhile, can't wait to see what you did in the course.

lensmole

bdcolen wrote: »

Tony, you and others make a good point about the guns. I'll go back into the 'darkroom' and rework the image. As to Gene Richards, take a look at some of his work, and then at the image.

Dynamic comes to my mind . But I have a question regarding a documentary image, if a documentary image is basically a police report of a dead body or car accident or something like that,made out of indifference without any feeling for the subject. Is there another purpose for this police report,list of details,type image,for example, to wake up politicians with the shock value,bring attention to a cause ? I don't really know anything about Eugene Smith,but I have read a lot about Walker Evans and how he established the documentary style as art in photography.

bdcolen

Documentary photography is a term that encompasses all sorts of subjects, and many styles. There really is no requirement that it be "police report" photography. Smith, who did both traditional photo journalism, and documentary work, is the very definition of a 'compassionate,' or 'passionate' photographer. Eugene Richards, to site just one modern example, is a passionate, committed, photographer, who shoves the viewer's face into the worst kinds of abuses and horrors.

michswiss

Lens,

Not that any one label is ever going to put this discussion to rest, I'd refer to the style you outlined as Forensic or Evidentiary photography. Photojournalism as an extension or part of written and photographic reporting. Documentary, more long form engaged or thoughtful photoessay. But there are seldom hard and fast lines between them.

Don't try to fit into any one of them. None of those Dudes or Dudettes we often refer to as "Masters" do. Just photograph what's interesting or meaningful to you and think about how they tell the stories you want to share.