Photography and genre

PHOTOGRAPHYStreet and War

DENNIS HOPPER –STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

• Dennis Hopper was born May 17 1936 and died May 29, 2010.

• An American actor, filmmaker, photographer, and artist.

• Best known for “Easy Rider” which he directed and starred and his role in

“Apocalypse Now”.

• 1960s he gained recognition for his photography.

• He shot portraits for Vogue and other magazines but his most iconic photos were documentary photos of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1963 March on Washington.


• He used a Nikon F camera with a 28mm lens.

• His acting career allowed him BTS shots of films and celebrities such as Andy Warhol and Jane Fonda.

• Very personal and unguarded photos of people, who otherwise would never have exposed this portion of their lives to the public.

• He made his money through Royalties and Freelance work.


• His photos range from informative photojournalism, to capturing memories and documenting the secret life of many prominent figures.

• Hopper has had many books published which include a range of his photographs such as “Dennis Hopper: On the Road”, “Dennis Hopper: The Wild Ride of a Hollywood Rebel”

• Art exhibitions such as the recent event at the South Bank BFI: Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album.



• Vantage Point is very personal. Intruding.

• Not much negative space, representing how the two subjects are the focus of attention.

• Many of his photos are very expressive and many have deeper meanings.

• All of his photos were taken in Black and White, making his subjects look emotive and

elegant.

• This photos has a very large depth of field, as do many other photos of his, which allows for

a realistic representation.

• The same as how the naked eye would see it. Everything is important.

• This composition follows the rule of thirds. The subject to the right has been cropped.


• The Texture comes across as very clean and smooth. The female Subjects skin looks like a Pre Raphaelite photo.

• The background is overexposed and so therefore it makes it seem unimportant.

• You can not see the roof of the car or doors in the framing, representing how they are not contained by materialistic objects.


• Vantage Point is as if your driving, slightly tilted up which makes you feel inferior.

• Looks similar to Hitchcock's “Psycho” driving scene.

• There’s a mixture of negative and positive space. The positive space is made up of lots of thin lines and the mirror makes the photo look bigger than it really is.

• Unlike the previous photo there is no one subject. Your eye gets drawn to the horizon and

then to the mirror.

• This is because the mirror is in the third section, when the rule of thirds is applied.

• The wide depth of field makes it hard for you eye to focus on one thing.

• The contrast makes the sky look eerie. Like a storm is Brewing.

GARRY WINOGRAND –STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

• Garry Winogrand was born 14 January 1928 and died 19 March 1984.

• He was a street photographer known for his portrayal of the United States in

the mid-20th century and his representation post WW2.

• He is said arguably to be the best street photographer to date.


• Winogrand’s subjects ranged from business moguls, everyday women on the

street, famous actors, athletes, hippies, politicians, soldiers, animals in zoos,

rodeos, car culture, airports, and antiwar demonstrators.

• He shot from the hip, up close with a wide-angle lens, often tilting the camera.

GARY WINOGRAND –STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

• 5 books and exhibited extensively throughout the United States and abroad.

• After his sudden he left behind approximately 6,600 rolls of undeveloped film

(some 250,000 images) that he had never seen.

• These rolls of film were developed after his death.


• Vantage Point makes you feel like a spectator, you are at the same level as the cow.

• Winogrand has a running theme in his photos to capture odd moments which juxtaposed each other.

• The cow seems to be showing affection to the man, who ultimately will decide his fate.

• The rule thirds shows the two subjects are framed in the centre of the photo, giving the impression they

take up a lot of space.

• The positive space fills a lot of the photo because the camera is very close, though the negative space

still gives a sense of depth.

• The texture looks gritty and slightly dirty, the colours are not very crisp, this could represent the rodeo

and environment Winogrand was in at the time.


• Vantage Point is from behind the event and so makes you feel like you’re not part of the scene. Unlike a lot of Winogrand’s other photos.

• The scene is shot in colour, which is very rare but shot in black and white the photo would be completely different.

• The rule thirds separates each object and due to framing allows the eye to focus on each subject equally.

• The sharp contrasting colours makes every object seem relevant and important.

• Since the salt is white and fills most of the image this could be classed as negative space, however,

when met with the blue sky it could also be positive space.

• The texture is clean and minimalistic, however the distinguishing colour of the subjects, are very

expressive and could represent the new vibrant era (80s)

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

• Both artists we renowned for taking a lot of photos and “hoping” at least one would be useable.

• Large depths of fields, allowing you to choose what your eye focuses on.

• Stick to the rule of thirds to create an appealing composition.

• However Winogrand defined himself on taking more surreal or unusual images,

Where as Hopper documented a more serious world.

Denis Hoppers Book “On the Road”

EDDIE ADAMS – WAR PHOTOGRAPHY

• Eddie Adams was born June 12 1933 and died

September 18, 2004.

• He was an acclaimed American photographer and

photojournalist .

• Noted for portraits of celebrities, politicians and for

coverage of 13 wars.


• Adams began his war photography career as a Marine Corps combat photographer in Korea.

• He remains one of the most published photographers in the U.S.

• Publications for newspapers and magazines and did freelance work for Time, Vogue and Vanity Fair.

• His career delved into journalism, corporate, editorial, fashion, entertainment and advertising photography.

• Adams photography was known for the expressive subjects and being able to “capture tension in every photo”.


• Vantage Point is distant, but at the same level as the subject being shot. It could have been an ordinary civilian.

• The background looks deserted except for the 4 characters in shot. Each one has there own unique expression which has been captured.

• The texture is very rough due to the contrast in colours, this could represent the harsh

lifestyles the soldiers were living.

• The composition follows the rule of thirds, though your eye immediately focuses on the man

being shot because of the depth of field and framing.

• The photo won Adams the Pulitzer Prize, though he said he wished the photo had never

been published.


• Vantage Point is again distant, however it is looking down up the subject.

• The background is full of spectators and combined with the vantage point, you feel like one also.

• There is hardly any negative space in this picture except for the ground surrounding the subject. This could represent the commotion going on in the crowd and how alone the main subject is.

• The photos framing allows for a viewer to decipher exactly what has happened, and due to

the object in the background can fully imagine the scenario leading up to the event.

• The composition does not entirely fit the rule of thirds, however the main subject is centred.

EARNST BROOKS – WAR PHOTOGRAPHY

• Earnest Brooks was born 23 February 1878

and died in 1936.

• He began his work for the Daily Mail.

• First British official war photographer to be

assigned to the Western Front in 1916.

• His remit was to take as many pro war themed

photos to fuel the propaganda in the UK,

however this was not always the case.

EARNEST BROOKS –WAR PHOTOGRAPHY

• Vantage Point is looking down onto the soldiers, giving them more inferior look. The man is looking at the camera, it seems less natural.

• There is hardly any negative space and the positive space is crammed together, this could represent the claustrophobic lives the men led.

• The background shows tombstones, and even though this is more Pro war because they are smiling, there is always a reminder of death.

• The subjects are not very defined, because of the low contrast, they merge into the

background, they have accepted their surroundings.

• The rule of thirds applies to this photo, as both men are stood in the middle, our eye is

immediately drawn towards them.

EARNEST BROOKS –WAR PHOTOGRAPHY

• Vantage Point is low down, as if you were crouching like a soldier.

• The space is distorted and you don’t realise how low down the photo is because the trees mislead the eye.

• There is a lot of negative space, which could represent the destruction the war has caused.

• The texture is gritty and unclean, the specs of dust on the lens looks like mud.

• The rule of thirds is not used and the photo is slightly slanted, this could represent the

chaos that ensue a war.

• The photo has no clear subject and could actually be classed as being abstract.

• The is a large depth of field and you are able to see clearly right to the horizon.

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

• Both Brooks and Adams used space to convey a certain emotion.

• They both freelanced as journalists to document wars and subsequently went on to be published in books and exhibitions.

• Brooks focused more on pro war compared to Adams who takes many of his photos with the “Enemy” being the main subject.

• Throughout Brooks journey he shows much more camaraderie within soldiers.

COMPARISON BETWEEN STREET AND WAR

• Both Street photography and war have many similarities, both capture an event, unrehearsed and can give a personal insight.

• Both are shot on the go and so the photographer must be thinking all the time.

• A certain theme may need to be conveyed e.i homelessness, pro war. So therefore could show a bias representation.

• Now a days war photography is more commonly shot in color, unlike street photography which is still commonly shot in black and white.

• War photography not only focuses on people but landscapes, or lack of and so mixes genres.

• Depending on preference a lot of street photography is shot on a wide angle lens, meaning you have to get up close to your subject, this is not always viable for war.

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