Sally Mann‘Candy Cigarette’ 1989

In the 1970’s Mann produced landscape, architectural and still life photography along with portraits. However her work started to make sense when she discovered the true nature of her work in the 1980’s when she photographed her children in their Virginia countryside house.

Much of Mann’s work captures the charming intimate depictions of childhood however in others, such as this photograph titled ‘candy cigarette’ she has purposely captured a more controversial and questionable image simply by using a fake cigarette as a prop in a photograph of young children.

The image has been taken at a mid shot to capture the main subject and the subsidiary subjects in the background which helps to gain an understanding of the meaning and what is happening in the frame portraying young siblings playing innocently, contrasted with the girl holding the candy cigarette.

Natural lighting is used in this photograph which highlights the subject standing in the middle of the frame which instantly draws your eyes to her. Her white dress and light hair and the fact the subject is looking directly looking at the camera also stands out in this photograph.

The main point I like best about this image is the message in which Mann is trying to convey. The main subject is posing and looking directly at the camera in an unenthusiastic and un-child like manner. This photograph is staged and everything in the frame

is deliberate, particularly the fake cigarette used as a prop.

However this is not necessary clear at first glance which makes the photograph have such an impact. Apart from this, you can tell that the young girl has some extent of knowledge of how subjects pose when having their photo taken andhow adults hold cigarettes. The meaning in which I obtain from this photograph is the blurring of lines between childhood and adulthood and how defining and powerful it can be if elements from the two combine.I also particularly like the framing of the subject and the way the backgrounds blurred to enhance the main subject further.

Sam Haskins‘Gill’

‘Gill’ taken by Sam Haskins is taken from his photo shoot series named ‘The Five Girls’ which profoundly influenced contemporary fashion photography and continues to inspireto this day.According to Haskins “Gill was an art student in Johannesburg in the early sixties. Not a professional model, she just walked into thestudio one day and was a total naturalin front of the camera”. There were also stories of Vietnam soldiers taking copies of Five Girls (often gifted to them by their wives or girlfriends) to war, so Gill was also a Vietnam pinup.Haskins has used a mid shot and the subject fills the whole frame, the photograph has also been taken in a studio the background is therefore minimalistic and the main focus is

the subject placed in the middle of the frame. Studio lighting has been used but softened which compliments the subjects skins tones and creates gentle shadowing on the face helping to create natural looking image. This image was not planned however was developed as the shoot progressed, and meaning from this photo has developed from the impact it has had throughout the years. It captures and represents young and idealistic women during the early sixties.

My favourite aspect of this photograph and the reason I like it is the appearance of the subject herself from her elegant pose and what she is wearing; her high knee socks and draped hair is what has made this photography so recognisable and iconic. The simplicity of this photograph and framing of the subject is what I admire most about it. Many celebrities across all industries are known to be a fan of this image the model Alexa Chung issued it in her recent book ‘I.T’ and it was used as the covering image of the debut album from the band The Last Shadow Puppets.

David BaileyMick Jagger, 1964

David Bailey rose to fame in the early 1960’s as a fashion photographer. He published ‘David Bailey’s box of pin-ups in 1965 as a loose portfolio of 36 portraits of mainly male fashionable elites. Surprisingly only four of the pin-ups are women, all of whom are models; he explains ‘In the age of Mick Jagger, it is the boys who are the pin-ups’. Together, they continue celebration of the growing celebrity culture of the sixties, and many of them became the definitive images of key cultural life and icons during this time.

Bailey has a stripped-down, direct style, he reveals the beauty of all his subjects using the same technique. In his own words “The pictures I take are simple and direct about the person I'm photographing and not about me. I spend more time talking to the person than I do taking photos”.

Photographed here is a close up portrait of Mick Jagger, with his fur trim forming a resemble to a halo surrounding his face, and his famous pouting lips, Bailey has created an iconic photograph which is enjoyed by many.

This photograph was taken in a studio, the lighting has been used to highlight and show the subjects face but still keeps the

detail within the tones of his skin. The use of a black and white image creates a strong contrast between the black jacket and white background which helps to define the subject in the frame. In terms of meaning, I feel that Baileys black and white fashion shoots such as this image and his technique to create simplicity brakes down barriers of race and class therefore equalising everyone who appears before his lens; and portrays them for who they really are.I find this image particularly visually appealing because of its simplicity and the use of framing the subjects face. I feel that the use of a hood suggests an attempt of hidden identity and shelter from his fame and hectic life style however this is contrasted with his direct eye contact which shows confidence and certainty with his established identity and who he is.

Nir Arieli ‘Austin’

‘Ryan’

Nir Arieli’s photo shoot series titled ‘Tension’ isa serious of dancers. Capturing their movementsin several pictures, the New York photographerpieces them together to create a single image bylayering the different photographs. He creates these images for intriguing combinations and letsthe viewer contemplate all the various movementsand abstractions he has formed that the human eye can not normally see. By using dancers as subjects and manipulating the images in this wayhe creates a unique language of movement that is the outcome of the dialogue between the photographed dancer during the shoot and him.

These photographs have been taken in a studioagainst a white or pale background which is latermanipulated and coloured to complement theskin tones of the chosen dancer. The lighting usedis also soft to avoid hash shadows on the back-drop as it is clear Arieli has deliberately wantedto keep the colours and light on the subjectsimplistic.

My favourite aspect of these images is the way Arieli has managed to combine two or more images together to make it look like one imagethat was taken in a single frame. I also likethe simple colour themes that is representedin every image in this photo series.

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Loretta Luxx executes her compositionsusing a combination of photograph, painting and digital manipulation.

Lux’s work is at once both alluring anddisturbing and she frequently usesyoung children as subjects. Luxx bringsher pictures to life with the attention of colour, shape and form that she learntat the easel. Her signature style however, come after her photo shoots, in post production of her images.As seen in this image titled “Sasha and Ruby’ she had replaced the backgroundwhich a simple and artificial setting thatflattens the image and makes it look falseand surreal. This image was take in the studio with soft lighting, however during the postproduction of this image she has removedshadows from the background and eachof the subjects which helps create the surreal look. The overall composition,scale and positional of the subjects lookodd, unnatural; and as a result slightly spooky and disturbing.

My favourite aspect however is the restricted pastel colour palette within theimage.

Loretta Luxx‘Sasha and Ruby’

Gottfried Helnwein‘Modern Sleep’