Project:  Emulate 2 Famous Photographers

For this project, the goal was to emulate a photograph taken by famous photographer.  Re-creating the essence of the original photograph through use of lighting, posing, costuming, and replicating other distinctive features of the original photograph.  

My photographers are Margaret Bourke-White and Lisette Model.  Both woman were active during the same period (1930's-1960's) and shot mostly in black and white.  Both woman were pioneers in bringing women photographers and their work into notice in a previously male dominated profession.

In re-creating these photographs, there were some technical issues to overcome.  Mainly in lighting the photograph and finding a background that would, if not duplicate, at least give the same "feel" of the original.  I found two locations near the Ohio River in New Albany, IN that I felt would work if I used a shallow depth of  field when shooting the photo.  Some of the lighting issue were corrected (although not completely) in using tools in photoshop.

In working with my model for these photos, I learned how important communication is between the photographer and the subject.  Discussing and agreeing on everything from the clothing to posing was more challenging than I initially thought it would be.  Especially in the smaller details such as draping of the clothing, head and body position, and hand placement on props.

Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971)

“The camera is a remarkable instrument.  Saturate yourself with your subject, and the camera will all but take you by the hand and point the way.” Margaret Bourke-White (photoquotes.com)

Margaret Bourke-White, American photographer, born in the Bronx, New York, 1904.  She took her camera all over the world to photograph and document many of the 20th Century’s most important events as they were developing and unfolding.  Her works are on display in numerous museums across the country and she in the International Photography Hall of Fame.

She felt, “By some special graciousness of fate, I am deposited…in the right place at the right time.” Margaret Bourke-White (photoquotes.com).  The following is a short list of some of her accomplishments and moments in history she captured with her camera.

-First Foreign credentialed photographer (man or woman) in the Soviet Union under Stalin (1930)

-First cover of Life Magazine (1936)

-First credentialed female war photographer (WWII)

-Photographed aftermath of Louisville flood of 1936

-Photographed the Dust Bowl of 1937

-Rise of Nazism in Europe (1930’s)

-German bombing and siege of Moscow (1941)

-Segregation in Greenville, SC (1956)

-Chronicled and befriended Mahatma Gandhi and was with him just a few hours before his assassination on January 30, 1948

References:

BuzzFeed.com, Retrieved from,

Gallerym.com, Retrieved from,

Photo quotes.com, Retrieved from, https://www.photoquotes.com/ShowQuotes.aspx?id=73&name=Bourke-White,Margaret

Time.com, Retrieved from,

https://time.com/4355162/margaret-bourke-white-cameras

Lisette Model (1901-1982)

“Shoot from the gut.” Lisette Model (theartstory.org)

Lisette Model was born in Vienna, Austria in 1901.  Model originally studied piano and compositional theory under Arnold Schönberg.  Although Model abandoned her musical studies in 1933, Schöberg’s avant-garde approach to music would influence Model’s use of photography as an expressive artform. 

Using a 35mm camera, Model’s first major project was on Nice’s “Promenade des Anglais” shot in 1934.  This project produced some of her most well-known photos.  Her study was of rich and upper middle-class Europeans enjoying the French Riviera during the midst of the Great Depression. This was a marked departure from other photographers’ work of that time. Most photographers were documenting the plight and suffering of the poor during that era.

Model and her husband emigrated to New York City in 1938 to flee growing anti-Semitism in Europe.  In New York, Model had great success in capturing the energy of the city by documenting street scenes from unusual angles and perspectives.  Her photos of “Running Legs” captured the energy and vitality of the city from the perspective of a camera placed on the sidewalk.  Harper’s Bazaar sent Model to Coney Island for a photo series.  From this assignment came “Coney Island Bather”, which is another of her best-known works.

Later in her career, Model became a teacher and lecturer in New York and California.  Her photography and teachings influenced the direction of photography as a documentary tool and artform into the 50’s, 60’s and today.

Choosing a photograph to emulate:

Lisette Model’s photography is interesting in subject matter and camera perspective.  Choosing a photograph to emulate involved reproducibility locally and finding a model that could imitate the pose and look of the original photograph.

Model’s pictures from the “Promenade des Anglais” are  her first to gain notice.  What makes the photographs interesting is that the subjects are aware of her presence, yet also behaving as if she were not there, taking their picture.  The photo of the gentleman on the veranda is not a well known as “French Gambler” but, contains many of the same lighting and style elements. This photograph had many subtleties in pose, lighting, and props that made it an interesting emulation project.

References

ICP.org

Theartstory.org