Black & White PortraitureAdam Green

My PhotographersYousuf KarshDavid BaileySebastião SalgadoElliott Erwit

#1 Yousuf KarshYousuf Karsh’s work includes portraits of statesmen, artists, musicians, authors, scientists etc. He has an extraordinary portfolio of black and white portrait photographs.

Photograph #1

This is a photograph of Jean Sibelius. The subjects eyes are closed. He has a concerned facial expression, and the fact that it is a dark scene means that he could be in deep thought, or be anxious about something. It was taken in 1949.

Photographer #2This is Ernest Hemingway. The photograph was taken in 1957. The lighting is centered, making all of the shadow symmetrical and consistent. He is not looking into the camera.

Photographer #3This is another black and white portrait photograph. It was taken in 1948. The way that Einstein’s hands are positioned and the look in his eyes represent he is thinking.

#2 David BaileyDavid Bailey is a photographer from Eastern London, and is a famous portrait photographer.He has spent his career focusing on fashion and portrait photographs.

Photograph #1

In this photograph, the model looks focused, and is giving the audience an angry stare.The subject looks about 50 or 60 years old. He is wearing dark clothes.

Photograph #2This is a photograph of a famous musician. He is looking into the camera with a straight face. Not much emotion is conveyed from his face. His arms are crossed, so despite the fact he has a straight face, we can establish he is trying to portrait some serous emotion.

Photograph #3This photo is much different to any of the other photographs that I have showcased of David Bailey’s. The contrast is quite high and the brightness is quite low so the levels of the shadows are even more visible. This adds to the sense of mystery, as we are not quite sure what emotion he is trying to portray. We can however see some fear in his eyes.

#3 Sebastiào SalgadoBorn in 1944, Sebastiao Salgado is a famous photographer. He focuses on black and white photography. I will be looking at his black and white portrait photography.

Photograph #1

There are three subjects in this photo, each one is distanced from one another. It seems that they have face paint and have clothing around their heads. The background suggests they are in an area of poverty. The lighting is all natural.

Photograph #2This photograph was taken with a brownish tint which makes the audience ask questions about the photograph. We see a single child but we cannot see much background which adds to the mystery. The eyes are very bright.

Photograph #3This photograph is of another child who has a dirty face and messy hair. The contrast of the photo shows off quite dark tones The subject looks quite murky, their face looks quite dirty and due to the lack of context, this allows us to imagine why the child is like this, perhaps she is a child laborer.

#4 Elliott ErwitElliott Erwit is another black and white photographer, however I am going to be looking at Erwit’s black and white photography worksHe has photographed a range of famous people, including Churchill.

Photograph #1As you can see, the subject in this photograph has a neutral expression, and is looking directly into the camera. He is dressed smartly which evidences he is of a high level profession. It is lit from one side, leaving shadows on the other side.

Photograph #2This photo is particularly controversial because of the era it was taken in (judging from