Unknown-Photography Random Folder Feature 1

Oct 29, 20149 min read

Deviation Actions

Published: Oct 29, 2014

583 Views

The group Unknown-Photography aims to bring attention to images that are in less than 10 groups, and deserve to have more than 500 views and 50 faves but have been as yet relatively undiscovered.

For this feature I have chosen the People and Portraits Folder

I have randomly selected images that I feel effectively portray an emotion or evoke feeling.

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For me this image by ShamanQueen1994 very effectively portrays being out on a rainy day. I can imagine being there. I get a real sense of the cold and damp. The reflective quality of the water on the road and the hazy background in the distance helps to clarify the reason for the umbrella. The size of the person in the composition and the lack of any other people or cars adds a sense of isolation and the fact that the person is outside in such weather with no apparent/visible destination adds a sense of determination and perseverance (the person will clearly be walking some distance in this miserable weather to get to their destination). The use of black and white helps to focus the mood by removing potentially distracting colours and has the benefit of adding to the sense of gloom of a rainy day as does the subject being in virtual silhouette. I like the balance of dark to light and the effective use of leading lines created by the trees as they decrease in size as well as the road which lead you back to the figure.

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The next image by aggestardust is another example of the successful use of black and white to concentrate the attention on the subject. This image is much brighter which allows for more of a romantic hopeful feel (compared to the gloom of the above picture). The most important part of a portrait are the eyes and these eyes stand out beautifully with high contrast and draw you in to them. There is a sense of intimacy gained by the model looking directly at the camera and with her head turned toward the camera there is an added sense of expectation (like she has just turned to look at you, as if you caught her attention somehow). The model is lying down and slightly tilted with a slightly lower than eye level position which gives her a position of vulnerability (if you turn the picture sideways so she looks like she is standing you remove the hint of vulnerability and she appears to only be questioning).

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Take a look at the rest of the images below and see if you get some sense of emotion. Is it just the facial expression or is there something else about the portraits that help to add a touch of meaning to the image. The direction the model is looking, or the position/angle of the head in relation to the body and to the camera. Does the environment add to the effect, props, costume, lighting?

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