Two photographers that have influenced my artistic style are Robert Mapplethorpe and Adam Elmakias.
Robert Mapplethorpe was a controversial photographer in the 1980’s. He mainly shot still life and portraits as well as some documentary style shots of the underground S&M scene. I like his work because of how controversial it is. He created things that weren’t the ‘norm’, they were new and exciting. All of his work was shot in black and white. His early work was shot using Polaroid’s before he moved on to using a Hasselblad medium format camera. At the time his work was highly provocative. His repertoire of work included many nude models and scenes of a homosexual nature. All of this was rather shocking to the general public.
Adam Elmakias …show more content…
This image consists of many leading lines caused by the window frame. These draw you in to the subject without taking away from the background. The image has very high contrast with the model being just a silhouette stood on a white floor. This creates a very simplistic image that still has lots to look at. The window frame separates the subject from the background which means that the model is the main focus in the image.
By using a small aperture Elmakias has ensured that all of the image is in focus apart from the background outside which is blurred by the windows. As a result of placing the subject slightly off centre he has caused the viewers eyes to sweep over the whole frame rather than focusing straight on the main part of the image.
Both Mapplethorpe and Elmakias shoot black and white, high contrast portraits. However they each have their own style whilst still having similar applications. Both artists are portrait photographers amongst other things, and both shoot other creatives in similar scenes to themselves. Adam takes photos of musicians and artists in the alternative scene and Mapplethorpe shot various icons in both the underground S & M scene as well as people in his inner circle of friends. Neither photographer took photos of pop culture, they took photos of things on the outside of society. Mapplethorpe’s work was very controversial whilst Elmakias’ work is …show more content…
I first learned of Mapplethorpe’s work at college when I was given a brief to create an image in the same style for a project with Tate museum and Bowes Museum. I instantly fell in love with his work, my favourite thing has always been the controversy of his work. His work isn’t something you’ve seen before and I admire that about him as an artist. He wasn’t afraid to do things his own way, no matter what people may think or say. This is something I would like to apply to my own work. I want to create something new, something exciting, something that will get people talking. Another thing I would like to apply to my own work is the boldness of Mapplethorpe’s portraits. I like how they are eye catching and the subject is so prominent in the frame. By experimenting with lighting techniques and carefully positioning my subject I think that I could use the influence of Mapplethorpe to ensure that my work stands
Robert Mapplethorpe was a controversial photographer in the 1980’s. He mainly shot still life and portraits as well as some documentary style shots of the underground S&M scene. I like his work because of how controversial it is. He created things that weren’t the ‘norm’, they were new and exciting. All of his work was shot in black and white. His early work was shot using Polaroid’s before he moved on to using a Hasselblad medium format camera. At the time his work was highly provocative. His repertoire of work included many nude models and scenes of a homosexual nature. All of this was rather shocking to the general public.
Adam Elmakias …show more content…
This image consists of many leading lines caused by the window frame. These draw you in to the subject without taking away from the background. The image has very high contrast with the model being just a silhouette stood on a white floor. This creates a very simplistic image that still has lots to look at. The window frame separates the subject from the background which means that the model is the main focus in the image.
By using a small aperture Elmakias has ensured that all of the image is in focus apart from the background outside which is blurred by the windows. As a result of placing the subject slightly off centre he has caused the viewers eyes to sweep over the whole frame rather than focusing straight on the main part of the image.
Both Mapplethorpe and Elmakias shoot black and white, high contrast portraits. However they each have their own style whilst still having similar applications. Both artists are portrait photographers amongst other things, and both shoot other creatives in similar scenes to themselves. Adam takes photos of musicians and artists in the alternative scene and Mapplethorpe shot various icons in both the underground S & M scene as well as people in his inner circle of friends. Neither photographer took photos of pop culture, they took photos of things on the outside of society. Mapplethorpe’s work was very controversial whilst Elmakias’ work is …show more content…
I first learned of Mapplethorpe’s work at college when I was given a brief to create an image in the same style for a project with Tate museum and Bowes Museum. I instantly fell in love with his work, my favourite thing has always been the controversy of his work. His work isn’t something you’ve seen before and I admire that about him as an artist. He wasn’t afraid to do things his own way, no matter what people may think or say. This is something I would like to apply to my own work. I want to create something new, something exciting, something that will get people talking. Another thing I would like to apply to my own work is the boldness of Mapplethorpe’s portraits. I like how they are eye catching and the subject is so prominent in the frame. By experimenting with lighting techniques and carefully positioning my subject I think that I could use the influence of Mapplethorpe to ensure that my work stands