Something that immediately stood out to me when given the parameters of this project was “family portrait”. I’ve always found those very interesting in a way just because of how the people themselves are in the picture. Based on what I’ve seen, they seem to be very awkward, monotone, and or mundane. With this project I wanted to create my own portrait but as a royalty theme. First off, I asked three of my friends to each send me a picture of them in a suit in a very straight-stanced position. I then proceeded to blend them into the background which took quite a while but after, I found the outcome visually pleasing. I don’t know why but I like how some royal portraits contain animals in the background or involved with the individuals so in the back of my piece, I added a tiger. To make it more realistic I made the face and paw blurry. The original image of myself was standing, but after playing around it felt a little awkward so I photoshopped myself on a person in a seat which worked out well. The last thing I did was add some objects around the room to make it more realistic. Finally, being the cherry on top, adding the textures and ripped edges were easy to finalize the image.
The person I will be critiquing is Bryce Locaylocay’s work. The photo is composed by starting with a room in a mansion or, in this case, possibly a castle. It is filled with ornate and ornamental designs with chandeliers and detailed wall design. The tone of the photo seems serious in demeanor with it being a portrait-style photo and the subjects in formal attire. It is serious and focused on the subjects rather than the elaborate surroundings.
ReplyDeleteThe original photo also includes wear on the edges, which gives a worn-down effect to this photograph. The original photo has a wide range of tones and when the photo was changed to black and white I think this translated well into the final image. Even though there isn't much texture added to the photo, I think the lines work well in the photo. The lines make me imagine that it was folded up in a family member's pocket and just discovered. The use of making the image black and white rather than a sienna-toned photo works well in furthering the idea of an old family portrait.
As for the content of the image, I think the way the subjects are depicted matches well with the setting of the photo. The addition of the shadows and the scale of the subjects works well. When I think of family portraits from the 1800s and 1900s, I think of the subjects being the focal point and I think that the addition of the lion takes away from the family portrait idea. Also, the lion is large in scale and isn't consistent with the scale of the subjects in the photo. Looking at the techniques of the portrait, there are cracks and a few light leaks in the image. It looks like there was also some blurring added to the subjects to create depth of field. Since the theme of the photo is centered on royalty, I would consider placing the photo in a fancy golden frame or adding in some calligraphic writing.
In closing, the idea of a royal family portrait wet-plate works well with the use of varying techniques. There is a focal point where the 4 subjects, and they are dressed to match the scene. The photo is black and white and added lines give meaning to the photo that may have been creased or folded. The lion takes away from the portrait and doesn’t add much to the photo. With the grand scale of the room and size of the subjects, you get a sense that these individuals are wealthy. To push the idea of fortune further is placing the photo in a gold frame.