Philippe Halsman

 


Halsman was known for his innovative techniques that pushed the boundaries of traditional portrait photography. One of his most famous techniques was the when he would ask his subjects to jump while he photographed them mid-air. He believed that the act of jumping revealed a person's true character, and the resulting images were often playful and lighthearted. I personally love this technique and find a lot of inspiration from it. I love that it shows the playful childish side to people that you don't often see that from.

The top image is his most famous image. It is accomplished by throwing all the objects in the air while jumping at the same time. This requires a great deal of time and energy to get the perfect shot but he did it perfectly. Not only is this image one of a kind and extremely eye catching, it is also compositionally perfect. The lighting, shadows, and focus in this photo are what takes it to the next level.

Halsmans photo of Marilyn Monroe is iconic. In this image, Monroe is shown in a very peaceful and gentle energy and has become a very recognizable photo by many. The lighting is done perfectly and personally, I love the dark wall color on one side with the white wall contrasting on the other side. This gives the perfect amount of creativity with still keeping it a rather simple image.


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