Richard Avedon -My Mentor

“A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.” –Richard Avedon

Photography is the process of capturing a still moment in time. When photographing portraits it is hard to capture a subject’s true essence. However, Richard Avedon had the special talent of achieving this, which is why he is my photography role model. Richard Avedon had the ability to present public figures, who were seen as reserved or untouchable, in their most personal ways. Avedon’s portraits are viewed as intimate, sophisticated, and unique.

Richard Avedon was born in New York on May 15^th, 1923. He was the first staffed photographer for The New Yorker. Studio portraits interested Avedon the most, and he continued in the fashion business. He was seen as one of the most important and prolific photographers of the twentieth century. As well as the most important fashion photographer of all time according to the eyes of many photography and fashion specialists. Richard Avedon was capable of almost constant stylistic reinvention, as he had maintained a unique style of his own throughout his career.

In Richard Avedon’s photographs he liked to portray emotion, and when photographing his subjects he felt that his pictures represent himself more than the model. Avedon would manipulate reactions from his portrait subjects by guiding them into uncomfortable situations, or by asking them discering questions. Through these means he would produce images revealing aspects of his subject's character and personality that were not ever captured by others. For example, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor. This is definitely one of my favourites by Richard Avedon due to the story behind the emotion. Avedon knew that his subjects were dog lovers, so he told them a story about running over a dog on his way to work that day. As soon as they heard that, Avedon snapped his picture, and captures true emotion.

Avedon was always interested in how portraits could capture the personality and soul of its subject. As his reputation as a photographer became widely known as he brought in many famous faces. Another one of my favourites is of Marilyn Monroe. “There was no such person as Marilyn Monroe …She was invented, like an author creates a character.” Said Avedon. “For hours she danced and sang and flirted and did this thing that’s—she did Marilyn Monroe, then there was the inevitable drop … she sat in the corner like a child, with everything gone. I wouldn’t photograph her without her knowledge of it. And as I came with the camera, I saw that she was not saying no.” This interested me that Avedon was able to extract such emotion unlike any other photographer.

I also love the photograph of Andy Warhol and his scars. By lifting up his shirt and showing his surgery wounds it adds emtoion and relatablilty.  By showing Andy Warhol's imperfections and flaws it breaks down the barrier that viewers may feel when seeing a picture of someone so famous. In this photograph the expression captured on the subject's face is surprised, as if he was caught off guard. I like the mystery and confusion this picture portrays.

To replicate Richard Avedon's photography intent, I wanted to capture intensity and emotion in my picture. My subject, Laura, is into acting so I decided to choose her as my subject. I set up the studio with 1:2 lighting to capture the most complimenting light. I took many shots of her while talking and having a conversation (like Avedon woiuld do), but nothing turned out right. Instead, I told Laura to think... She started to cry. The expressions I caught when this happened was amazing! (She said it was mainly because of the bright studio lighting). Since Avedon's portraits are all black and white, I wanted to do that as well. However, when transforming the original, it lost all its mood and Laura's tears because invisible. To change this, I just lowered the photo's saturation and played around with the light balance. I really love how this photo turned out!