Harry Scott Photography: Body

Steve Pyke
President Chavez 2006

At face value, a portrait seems to be just an image or sculpture of a person. However in most cases they're so much more than that. A portrait can describe so much about the subject, the mood, personality, wealth, power, dominance, leadership and much much more. With lighting, backdrop, location, props and expression an ambiance can be created in the image to put across a certain feeling or emotion.

Steve Pyke
Arthur Scargill 1985

The lighting used in the images by Steve Pyke interest me greatly. The use of very large contrast and makes the viewer read the image with a certain amount of honour and sense of something noble in the photo of Arthur Scargill. I think this and the position of the camera is to reflect the position and respects people had for him as a Union leader. Scargill was a huge figure head in the miners strike of 1984-1985.

A similar case with President Chevez, in the photo the viewer can't help but look at the subject with a sense of respect and awe. The photo offers a sense of overwhelming power in the subjects face, the high contrast lighting and sharp lines between the face and back ground draws the viewers eye into the eye of President Chavez. Chavez achieved so much change in Venezuela from the very right wing and in many cases violent President Perez, Chavez after an unsuccessful attempt to over through Perez in a coup d'etat and imprisonment for two years formed a Social Democratic Party called the 'The Fifth Republic Movement' and was elected the presidency, still in power today he has changed the politics of Venezuela forever.
Knowing a small amount about the subject makes me understand why Pyke has chosen to light, pose and construct his photos in this manor.

Martin Schoeller
Jack Nicholson

After looking at Steve Pyke and his use of lighting to tell a narrative or to provoke an emotive response, i wanted to look at use of composition and techniques of camera position. The use of the Scheollers lighting and choice of camera position gives the subject no where to hide, gives the viewer a full sense of intimacy with the subject. I feel Scheoller chose to do this with celebrity to both confront the pedestal and bring them down to our level, to in a sense 'mortal-ise' them.
This goes in hand with the work of Nancy Burson and her work about beauty or categorising subjects, the one in particular in my mind to compare with similar back story and concept to Scheoller is 'The Human Race Machine' the idea that we are all human, under the skin we are the same.

Nancy Burson
Human Race Machine

I feel as though i want to use these photographers to influence and guide my own work as combined i think it will result in my own image being both well informed and accesable for the viewer to read. My initial idea was to keep it relevant to the class divide, keep it along the lines to the rich poor and economic downfall, to use the similar stylings of Schoeller in the way that the image would be very clear and incredible detail, but the intensity of the Pykes set of images. Taking the sense of taking people off a pedestal and bringing them down to our level, but the the opposite, so in a sense bringing someone up to our level, in a way off everyone being able to read into the face of less well off, less admired or socially looked toward person. For this i was thinking a homeless man. Hopefully with a story to tell from his aesthetics of the face.

Starting ideas:
I want the subject to be visually interesting and have a story to tell through its presence and at the moment im thinking keeping it related somehow to the rich poor divide, i know I've used this throughout my object still life shoot, but its something that i feel strongly about.

35mm shot inspired idea

Lighting Tests, ideas

Contact sheet

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Lighting

Lighting Diagram

From left of the camera (taken on camera phone)

Loop flash covered to reduce intensity of light

Medium Format Test

Using a Medium Format camera and a 180mm lens i managed to get the style of image i wanted, the extremely shallow depth of field and the lighting set up i used gives the very crisp white background and good clinical detail in the face, the black polly boards keeps the shadows in the face and doesn't allow the details to be totally washed out. However whilst doing this test, my class mate Johanna used a large format camera, a 5 x 4 camera, which gave a much more shallow depth of field. I could either used a larger lens maybe a 210mm or increase my format size so shoot on 5 x 4 to achieve a shallower depth of field.

Jonanna Rosenlew
Me on 5x4

As you can see the depth of field is very shallow on 5x4 camera, this is what i'll have to bare in mind when i come to my shoot. On one hand the medium format gives flexibility on shots, and cost, however 5x4 a much shallower depth of field, but cost is to increased.

The subject

I've emailed Shelter asking permission to place a advertising poster for a homeless man to model for me. I've stated how long the shoot will take and that i am willing to pay for their time. Also that if Shelter do help me with this then i would advertise Shelter with the image.

5th Dec: Met up with a homeless man, he agreed to do the shoot meeting for a few drinks and a chat to discuss the shoot and what times he could be available for the shoot either on Friday 9th December or Wednesday 14th December, its looking like it could be the Wednesday. Name is Malcolm approached him in the smoking area of a pub.

7th Dec: Met Malcolm, all went well however he's back out. To meet my dead line i'm going to have to do the shoot with my back up model which is Callum Harvey, a CG arts student in first year. Its slightly annoying because i'll have to either change my whole concept or use this model to try and put across the idea but i already know the out come wont be as good as if it would have all gone according to plan.

What intend to do is to slightly change my idea to meet the course deadline, however come back to do the actual photo in my own time and add it to my portfolio and course work even if its past the deadline as its something i want to explore and i feel as though it would be a good piece to do.