Bobbie Cornelius Genre Written Assignment HND Photography Year 1

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Photography, Portraiture and Personality

This study of portrait photography will explore, compare and contrast the distinctive

approaches of the work of three very different photographers: the British twentieth century

peer, Lord Snowdon, the nineteenth century American Edward S. Curtis and Richard

Renaldi, a contemporary American photographer. Lord Snowdon, born Anthony Charles

Robert Armstrong-Jones (B. 1930), is one of England's most well respected

photographers. He originally worked as a photographer in fashion, design and theatre, but

with his popularity and visibility in the public eye, he became one of the world’s most

frequently photographed photographers. His career as a portraitist then began to expand

and he became known for his royal studies. Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868 - 1952) became

one of America’s finest photographers and ethnologists. After witnessing one of the last

performances of the Native American sun dance ceremony, Curtis began to realise that he

might create a photographic record for preserving the history of these tribes and their

cultures. Edward Curtis Photography, Life & Work, (2011). Noted author and critic A. D.

Coleman (B. 1943) stated:

'Curtis's work stands as... an absolutely unmatched masterpiece of visual anthropology,

and one of the most thorough extensive, and profound photographic works of all time.’ (n.d)

Richard Renaldi (B. 1968) graduated from New York University with a BFA in photography

in 1990, since having had solo exhibitions in both America and elsewhere, including

places such as Stockholm and Hamburg. Renaldi, R. (2015). Renaldi uses photography to

explore complex human relationships and the creation of identity in the modern world.

These three photographers were chosen as the focus of this study into the genre of

portrait photography because their work represents such a diverse range of responses to

the themes of personality, culture and identity through time, thereby allowing for an

interesting comparative exercise into the nature of photography.

Portraiture photography is debatably one of the most complex areas of photography.

There is not just one singular type of portraiture photography. It can be as simple as just

being used to show a model stood on their own, advertising a product or it can be used to

suggest a certain feeling from a model. It is suggested that because of the range in

portraiture photography it can not be completely defined.

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'The portrait is ... a sign whose purpose is both the description of an individual and the

inscription of social identity.' (1997)

As Lord Snowdon was married to the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, HRH Princess

Margaret he was familiar with mixing with famous people. This assisted in his popularity

and how influential he was because when he photographed royalty he managed to show

their personalities through the photographs, a technique he manages to keep doing this

throughout all his pieces.

Snowdon was most commonly known for his portraits through which he manages to show

the subjects identity and personality. He manages to create images that draw an audience

into the photograph and make them want to try to understand the thoughts being put

across through the subject and the way the photograph is shot.

As seen in the 1991 portrait of the late Princess Diana (1961 –

1997) (IMAGE 1) she is not portrayed in a traditional formal

manner that would be usual for a member of the royal family.

Snowdon had an understanding of Diana that not many people

outside of the Royal Family would have. It may be suggested that

in this photograph Diana is shown to viewers as a simple person

in the aspect of which she is not a member of the royal family.

Snowdon manages to portray her personality through the shot by showing her appearing

to be smiling at something above the camera whilst wearing a simple plain shirt. By doing

this he encourages the viewer to forget about her being royalty, focusing instead on her

individual character.

Edward S Curtis experienced cultures that the majority of people will never have a chance

to. Whilst travelling through the tribes he documented his finds through photography, by

doing so he has created a documentation of Native American tribes and cultures. At the

time of its creation this documentation was not as inspiring or successful as he had hoped.

However this has now proved to be one of the most significant pieces of documented

photography and is admired by many. Curtis managed to create images that show the raw

way of how Native Americans lived, the truth behind the tribes and the different cultures

within them.

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As seen in the (1906 – 1930) Portrait of a Young Girl (IMAGE 2) she appears withdrawn from herself. Where someone would

associate a young child with positive images and joyful faces,

this image brings the opposite. This photograph makes the

audience wonder why the girl seems to be displeased. Whilst

showing emotion in her facial expression the viewer is shown an

aspect of the tribe through her hair and clothes. It could be

suggested that the first noticeable area of the image is the two simple braids in her hair as

they are in focus and bolder than the rest of the image. Through focusing on her hair and

the clothing she is wearing Edward shows aspects of the Native American tribe which may

appear to be a simple aspect to others but they are a way to define the tribes from other

tribes.

Richard Renaldi has a unique approach to showing personalities and identity through

portraiture photography. Where Lord Snowdon has photographed people as individuals or

with others that they know and are acquainted with, Renaldi created a project in which

complete strangers would have to pose with each other. It could prove to be a better

method of showing personalities through portraiture, as the models would be with

complete strangers, which means that they could show the most positive aspects of their

personality. On the other hand, their identities may not be shown due to the fact that they

stand with a stranger and are positioned in an intimate way they may not be sure how to

act.

At first sight of looking at the (2007) portrait of a male and female

standing close together in an intimate stance (Image 3), some

would assume that they have known each other for some time.

Through his images Renaldi manages to make the audience

forget stereotypical cultures of America and focus only on the

individuals in the photograph. By positioning the models like this

the viewer is given a false interpretation of personality and identity

through portraits, Unlike most photographers who aim to show true emotions and

expressions that an individual has, in this body of work Renaldi seems to have created

false personas for the models.

Looking at Lord Snowdon's photograph of Princess Diana, the viewer would believe that

capturing someone's identity, culture and personality through photography is a simple

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task. Although this looks the case in a lot of images, Snowdons

(1978) image of David Bowie (Image 4) shows otherwise. In this

photograph, which is just a simple shot of David Bowie stood

with his right side facing the camera looking to his right towards

the camera, the viewer does not get a sense of personality.

Some may suggest that from this photograph he has a simple

reserved personality. On the other hand, the viewer could

interpret the image to have a mysterious vibe about it. The photograph is a head shot and

half of his face appears to be in darkness, this could suggest that there is a hidden part to

him that people do not know about.

In Edward S Curtis's image discussed earlier, the young girl

seems to be portrayed through her tribe, whereas in the 1903

image of a male Native American Quniaika–Mohave (Image 5)

he is striped back of links to his Native American tribe. What the

viewer sees is a simple face on portrait of a male who appears

slightly distant in the moment in which the photograph was

taken. This shot has some similarities to Lord Snowdon's David

Bowie image in the way that it is striped back of anything that someone could connect to

the personality of the subject being photographed. From this viewers can not connect to

the image in a way that they could if the subject had more personality being shown. This

image also does not reflect the culture in which the subject is from, the viewer may be able

to guess by how the subject looks but can it be certain with such a simple image.

In the (2007) photograph of two females, one who was going

through chemotherapy and the other a woman on her

honeymoon (Image 6), the audience sympathise with the female

going through chemotherapy and relate to the actions of the

woman who is on her honeymoon. In an interview for an online

photography blog by Jonathan Blaustein, Renaldi comments on

his thought process for taking this image.

'I had her caress her on the cheek. I think it was the second exposure I made. I know that’s

how I felt. I felt bad, and I would have wanted to do that. There is this emotional transference that I

see in these pictures, from where I stand now.'

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Could it be that instead of showing the subjects identity, culture and personality through

the photographs, it is the photographers identity, culture and personality? This would give

the viewer a completely different view on the images. Before hand, anybody looking at the

photographs would instantly be thinking about the subject in the image. They would be

thinking about how the subject felt while having the photograph taken. They would be

looking at the cultural aspects of the image to get a look into the life and background of the

subject. They could be trying to understand the subject. From studying Renaldis work, it

could be argued that the photographers personality is being shown through the models

and not the models personality. In Renaldis work he focuses on positioning the subjects so

that they reflect what he would be like in their position, and how affectionate he would

have been to the other subjects.

Having looked at these three photographers it is certain that there are multiple ways to

show identity and personality through portraiture, whether it be the truth or a lie. Lord

Snowdon shows the honest representation of the model; anyone who sees the images he

created can identify how the model is truly feeling and create an idea of what the person's

personality is like. Edward S Curtis shows the cultural side of portraiture photography in a

more detailed way than most. He created images that represent the tribes culture's whilst

also giving a glimpse into the identity of the person on their own. Richard Renaldi,

however, created images that give a false idea of personality and identity in portraiture

photography. As a viewer it could be suggested that due to knowing the story behind the

body of work they think that what is being shown is completely and entirely false emotions;

however the models in the photographs could be showing their true emotions. After

looking at the images from the photographers point of view and understanding why the

photographer shot the image that way, it could replace the viewers original ideas about the

subject in the picture. Whilst knowing the reasons to Renaldi’s Touching Strangers

photographs, it shows identity, culture and personality in portraiture photography in a new

light. Although the majority of portraiture photographs are to show the subject as they want

to be shown or how the photographer visualizes them, the viewer can now see the

photographs as a way for the photographer to show their personality. Apart from being the

photographer of the images, there is no definite way of knowing whether the personality

that is being shown in the images is truth or not. In conclusion to this study its clear that

although there are similarities throughout the different photographers and the way the

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subject is shown, they all have an individual style and their own definition of portraiture

photography.