Irving Penn

 

    Irving Penn is such an inspiration to the world of portrait photography. His works main focus is studio portraiture. In most of his photos he uses harsh lighting to create string contrast and a dramatic feel. This is a beautiful technique that many photographers use to create unique and eye catching images.
    The first image shown is a portrait a little more out of the ordinary because it doesn't actually include the womens face Most portraits are images that capture a persons face and that's why I find this image so special because it crops the face out of the frame. Most of the time a person can read the look on someones face and know a lot about the emotions and feelings that that person is portraying but the way that Irving Penn was able to show this without using her face is so powerful. To me, I see a strong confident women who doesn't feel the need to use her facial beauty to make an impact.
    The second image shown is a very well known piece Penn created. What I find most beautiful about this picture is the harsh and strong contrast. It seems as though he used one source of lighting shown on just one side of his face. This creates the deep shadow on the left of the photo and the clear and crisp detail on the right. This is something I would love to try to mimic in my own work. The facial expression of the subject matches perfectly with the mood of the lighting. 


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