Iconic Photography

   

Analysing Iconic Photography

This is an image called Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, that was a historic photograph taken on February 23, 1945, by Joe Rosenthal. It shows 5 American Marines and a USA Navy corpsman raising a U.S.A flag on the top of Mount Suribachi during World War II. The image contains lines in the way of the flag, that points up into the sky from the ground, we call these eye leaders because they draw you to a focus point, kind of like train tracks. The soldiers are putting the flag into the mount to celebrate their victory. The colour of the photograph is quite cold and grimy. Dull colours that probably reflect the war. Also the lighting is quiet dull and and dark with the brightest exposure being the clouds. The texture of the bottom part of the photograph is very sharp and rough looking, showing blown up parts and bits of everything this is called texture, where we can get a sense of what it was like to touch, this shows the effort in which the soldiers went through the grit and rubble. The flag is high up for all to see, and I like that you can see the distance in the background, not that great but it gives an idea of height and depth. The photographer, Rosenthal has captured this photograph with the intention to show the moment where the soldiers won victory. It is iconic because it shows a big change in history and the conclusion of the battle. I think this image has a lot of strengths such as the moment it was captured perfectly timed, It gives it a movement feel to it. We can clearly see what is going on with the subjects because of the less distracting background. A weakness I notice with the photograph is that we can't really tell what positions in the army the soldiers held, or what war it could of been if not educated about history or what setting the place was in because the clouds cover the background. I like this image however because for me it shows team work and victory, amongst other things.

     This photograph of the Beatles is very iconic because it was a photograph of the most iconic band at the time. Unlike the previous photo with the raising of the flag, we know this photograph was planned unlike the flag photograph. This photograph was to be of their front cover design for an album, it was of the band on a zebra crossing, it was based on ideas sketched by McCartney, and taken on 8 August 1969 on Abbey Road. In the scene, the group walk across the street in single file from left to right, with John Lennon leading, followed by Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and Harrison. McCartney is barefoot and a little out of sync with the group. Straight away this shows movement because of their body language and cars that could approach at any time. To the left of the picture, parked next to the zebra crossing, is a white Volkswagen Beetle motor-car that was a car associated with those times. This image uses lines and shapes such as the Beatles body language. This image must of had a large depth of field because the photo shows the band and much more of the scene up the road. The image also seems to have a filter effect on it like a Cross Process for example, because of the tone of colours doesn't seem as natural as it should. The lighting is natural and comes from the weather, which is nice typical English weather. So there are some good strengths in this image as I have said, like how the photographer is hinting at everything British to the weather, roads, cars, costumes like promoting them. However some negative qualities can also be seen. I notice that the faces aren't as clear as they should be. I personally cannot see them as individuals in detail. Another thing is that they are not in the middle of the road like how I would shoot it, we can tell by the white lines in the middle of the road. If this was to make it seem more natural then the false leg movements of the band doesn't seem natural at all, therefore it confuses me and I would change that. You could say that the image looks a little geometric like it could be split in half or two.


I like this image because of the fear factor it gives straight away. The photograph captured at Lunch on top of a Skyscraper, that shows eleven men eating whilst dangling 256 meters above New York City. The men have no safety harness, which was linked to the Great Depression, when people were willing to take any job regardless of any dangers. The photo contains one big line through the middle where the workers are sat. The rest is all the shapes of NYC below. The photo is in black and white which I feels adds to the depression feeling. I think there are weaknesses and strengths in this image by the way of the subjects and the setting, i think that they are a massive strength because It creates a vibe of shock in the image and it's different to other photographs we see. A weakness would be the faces are a little out of focus for me to work out the facial expressions of the workers during the scene. Also I think if I was to do it I would of preferred to not have the big rope running threw the view of the penultimate worker, which is a shame. Also If the view of New York was a little clearer it might of added more reality shock into the image because it would appear a more larger depth of field. Overall however, I think this is one of my favorite iconic photographs.







This is the iconic Marilyn Monroe, the dress is regarded as iconic in film history and the image of her in the white dress standing on a vent on a subway is described as being one of the iconic images of the 20th century. The photograph has been take in Black and White, It's iconic because
of how the film industry changed over the years. I like this image because she also represents beauty for many people. The only downside I can in this photograph, is where the paparazzi and other photographers can be seen in the background kind of ruining the shot but I suppose it looks glamorous and busy just like NYC streets so it works. This will inspire me.










This photograph was captured by Alberto Korda. He photographed Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in 1960 at a memorial service for victims of the La Coubre explosion in Havana, Cuba. The portrait was called "Guerrillero Heroico," evolving into a global symbol of rebellion and social justice. This is very iconic, its taken with black and white tones and basically a portrait view but maybe taken a bit more back than appears, by using zoom and cropping.
The only weakness I can see is some noise in the image, which ruins the photograph but at least we can see him in detail.

On Albert Einstein's 72nd birthday in 1951, Photographer Arthur Sasse asked him to smile at the camera. But he was tired of smiling for photos, so the old scientist stuck out his tongue and the photographer captured it. It went on to become one of the most iconic images of Einstein. The photo is in tones of black and white with no colour, as a portrait. There is a lot of noise in this image and that for me is certainly a downfall. To avoid this we could adjust the light sensitivity and the shutter to allow more light in instead of film grain. Although, I reckon the photographer had to use a quicker shutter than I mean probably because he needed to be quick at capturing Einsteins natural comical pose. If I was to re-do this I would allow for a longer exposure time to give my image a better quality, because I would have the time to wait unlike Arthur Sasse did.

PLANNING

 I did some research and analysed other iconic images, and this page shows how I am planning my photoshoots and using time management. Here is a spider diagram showing my initial ideas for my first photoshoots.

More research from Google images where i searched "iconic photography" this is what it showed:

Annotating and Analysing some more Iconic Images, which I will use for photoshoot ideas;

John Malkovich has recreated many iconic images over history and done it so very well. I am going to use this as inspiration and I will use the black and white effect on Ribbet.com and also for extra help I have included the remade version by John Malkovich, to compare mine to his and the original.







This photo of Marilyn Monroe could be easy to recreate. Its iconic and quiet simple. I could use a model with blonde, curly hair, outside in a white dress. This photo contains quiet a bit of noise so I could make mine better quality.

This is Olya the Betty Boop original model. It was iconic because it was Fleischer's most famous creation the Betty Boop franchise. Here the model stands showing great facial expression and body language that I plan to imitate when I recreate this photograph. I like this image because of the full pose of the subject in a nice studio setting. The lighting is artificial therefore I will do mine using artificial light. I also have a statue of Betty Boop that is very similar that I could use to emulate this image, yet change it and change certain aspects. Such as the dress will be white, the filter of the image when I edit my image will be brighter for a nicer exposure. Also I will crop the image a little into it to make it appear like a head shot sort of image.






Here are some photos I took that didnt seem quite right therefore I didn't use them but I will use them as part of the growing process of my final photograph. These are the photos;

 

This is a photograph by Steve McCurry of an Afghan Girl re-imagined. The original was shot on Kodachrome with a perfect exposure and buttery color. The square crop and false color completely destroys so much of essence of the photo. This is iconic and I plan to try recreate this with a twist. I would like to recreate it but with more glamor and luxury to it. I will make it more futuristic and modern. Using this girl as inspiration I can create a similar girl living the complete opposite lifestyle. This girl is poor with rips in her scarf, she appears dirty and weak, yet with powerful eyes. I plan to keep the eyes idea so that it references the original photograph, yet oppose other qualities and ideas. The head piece and pose, body language and eyes will be the main inspiration for my image.

This is Andy Warhol's Pop Art which is very inspiring and a big thing in changing art. I am going to recreate the iconic artists work with another baby, using the same sort of effect and see if it resembles the original. UPDATE; In the end I did not want to use this concept yet still gained some art knowledge from researching Warhol's work.

This famous photograph, known as The Fire of Marlborough Street, was iconic in the day because it shows the great depression. It depicts two children falling to there death before the fire services can reach them. This is iconic because it represented the time and the moment just before they fell from the building. Therefore I am going to recreate it using The Custard Factory, Digbeth as my setting. There are models there where I could remake this photograph. They fall in a similar manor with windows that appear the same, with some editing and shooting I could recreate this photograph.

I am comparing the Fire on Marlborough Street to my photo because i photographed this image of model people falling in the Custard Factory, Birmingham. The image contains a cross process filter and with natural white light coming form the ceiling which i toned down. The image has a sense of movement in it where the people seem to be falling. The buildings around the people also are similar to the one in the Fire on Marlborough Street. At first i wanted to make them look like they were falling from heaven, but then i was inspired by Stanley to show a similar scene. This is only the first photo i took, it was then developed further.


This was the final image i came up with. I eventually cropped one model from the image and added a back drop effect. The man appears bronze because of another effect, therefore making it seem Italian influenced like Venice. Also relating and referencing art movements that was inspired by certain Italians. I love this photo and i captured it with a 3D movement feel to it. This image I will use as my final Image.

   Art movement, Art Period and Art Era timelines.

 




















Here are some more examples;

This photograph was of the first evidence of art in life at Lascaux ca 32,000 BC found in a cave;

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF IMPORTANT ARTISTS FROM HISTORY THAT HELPED DEVELOP HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY DESIGNS:

PABLO PICASSO

LEONARDO DI VINCI

ANDY WARHOL

CLAUDE MONET

VINCENT VAN GOGH

SALVADOR DALI

 

     VOCATIONAL FINAL IMAGES

Here I was inspired to take a photo of a woman with curly blonde hair and instantly I thought of Marilyn Monroe for inspiration. I researched on Google and found this image, so I used this to help me create a similar photo to this Iconic original. Marilyn Monroe was an iconic model/actress and she was iconic because of the film industry at the time, when she represented it in her famous white dress. The photograph was of Monroe above the subway, which showed a promotion for the film THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH. So I thought I would recreate this photograph with my own twist because I find Monroe beautiful and artistic in her own way. The Original has Monroe with her hand on her cheek and wind blowing her hair. She is outside because of the exposure and natural lighting we can see. My photo was similar because I done it also outside and with the hand on the same place. I made her hair flowing in my picture by using the wind, and the model had natural curly, blonde hair anyway. The Monroe photo has no background just what looks to be the sky. I however had a background, but blanked it out a bit when I used a shallow depth of field on aperture setting. I also later edited my image on Ribbet where I blurred the background out more, airbrushed the model, whitened the teeth, colour boosted her tattoo and added a border and vignette effect. In the original there is clearly a nice tan colour on Monroe with a white dress, in contrast to my photograph, my model has black clothing with a sepia filter which takes the tan away. I didn't find it important. The natural lighting for mine was from the sun, and I shot the photograph from the front perspective. In both pictures its clearly obvious me and the other photograph wanted to show off the face, as a portrait, by having nothing to off putting and focusing on the model. Also I have noticed that the original contained more noise than my photograph, because I softened mine then used the sharper tool.

Always in command — Lara Croft has been a video game icon since her debut in 1996 to this day in the Tomb Raider series. Wearing a tight small tank top and even smaller jungle shorts, the tough, rich English Lady was an instant success untill this day. Despite the much-needed female character in a male-dominated world, Still, the series sold millions of copies and spawned a successful duo of films starring Angelina Jolie. I have chose to get inspired by this female character because shes iconic and a childhood heroine to me. I will recreate a typical costume, photo shoot relating to Tomb Raider. Here is my finished image:

Here, I first got the model to wear a tight small t-shirt with a small pair of jungle shorts. I then gave her a prop and covered her in dirt, like she has been on an adventure just like Lara. I then touched her up with baby oil to add sweat and water to the scene.

I took a range of images but these where my final two and I liked them both and didn't want to show them individually so it would add movement. I put the shoot together and shot from the front view of the model twice, but got the model to look away on one and act tired, and the other to grab the viewers attention, holding them at gunpoint.
I like the photo because it really reminds me of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. The only things I would re-do is the background, I wish I would of blurred out entirely the backdrop because It was next to a window that allowed some light in. However, it doesn't look as nice unedited out. I kept the photo-shoot pretty basic, I edited on Ribbet and airbrushed, collaged the photograph and then touched it up with fake blood. I really think the original Lara Croft would look similar and I used side angles, close ups, and aperture. I shot the second photograph in intelligent mode. I borrowed many different ideas from the above photographs of the original Tomb Raiders.

 This is Lady Gaga an iconic Pop singer of the 21st century. She is known for her crazy costumes, and artistic shows. Here Gaga is on a photoshoot for her album cover The Fame Monster where she poses for the Alejandro track. I am going to recreate this image, because as an artist I find her artistic, creative and imaginative. I like the colours of this photoshoot, sticking to a black and white theme. It has a gothic kind of feel to it, because the mascara is running and she has a head peice that seems to be a bird on her head. I am going to use this as inspiration. They are basically portraits so I will also use that idea. Ths skin is fairly glowing but not entierly, so I keep that in mind when I re-make it.

Here I found that these three photographs where the best turn outs so I edited them on Ribbet. Firstly, I sat the model down in a bathroom environment so I could use the bulbs that would allow me to adjust the lighting and aim it on the model. The lighting was quiet bright and the white walls in the bathroom reflected light. I did however, edit the photos quiet dark and gothic looking like Lady Gaga's photo shoot. I put a similar head piece on the model, with long black eyelashes that Gaga also wore, with long similar hairstyle to the original image. I also copied the mascara running down the models face similar to the Alejandro shoot. I got three because I wanted to capture more movement and life in the photo, whilst showing different meaning and emotions. I composed these images well, and Im happy with how they turned out. The vantage point was from the front of the subject, with no crazy angles. It was pretty basic, taking portraits in a style similar to the Gaga photoshoot. I would of liked to improve on the noise of the images. There was a lot of light but I can see a little noise still, so next time I know to edit a little carefully. I stuck to the same colour scheme as the original and I put a lot of my own creative ideas into it. I wanted the viewer to feel for her because she was sad and beautiful. I showed hints of religon and gothic themes. I really enjoyed doing this photoshoot.

This image of Steve Mcurrys' Afghan Girl is a great iconic picture that shows a girl looking directly into the viewers direction. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul and she stares with her eyes which are glossed and bright. There also is a head scarf on her head. The image has a grotty feel to it like shes maybe dirty or just the effect. I like this image because it makes you see the sorrow in her eyes and the way life is treating her in her world. I am going to recreate this image changing certain aspects but using this as an influence.




Here I have remade the Afghan girl, I wanted to recreate it similar but more modern. I done this by using a clinically clean white backdrop, with black and white effects and a lot of airbrushing. I done this on Picnik.com. What I like about my photo is that it's remodeled but kept the original concepts such as the bright eyes that stand out, but I made them a little furthur away. I got the model to pose with the scarf instead of wearing it like the girl. Our photos are very similar and have similar themes, however just a few differences such as the previous photo is in colour.

Fire on Marlborough Street [1975] 





As sad as it is, this is a good photo because the photographer was there at the right moment. Snapping the photo instantly for others to see what happened. This photo is to inform.
I was inspired to recreate this iconic image because it should be remembered since it was such a big thing at the time and peoples life's where involved.








The image contains a cross process filter and with natural white light coming form the ceiling which i toned down later when I edited. The image has a sense of movement in it where the people seem to be falling. The buildings around the people also are similar to the one in the Fire on Marlborough Street. At first i wanted to make them look like they were falling from heaven, but then i was inspired by Stanley to show a similar scene. We can see various shapes in the subjects body movements and from the windows of the scene. The lighting was artificial and I didn't need a flash. I shot it from below to get a good low vantage point. I'm happy with my image an wouldn't change much, I like how the models faces are blacked out to add mystery to the story and to hide the bronze statue reality. I love the motion in which they fall. I did however think one weakness was that there was so many models that I couldn't just get the two like in the original plan. I could of photo shopped the image if I wanted to change it but as a photograph I like it.

This photograph of Olya, the Betty Boop model was shot from maybe three meters away however this photo is cropped to suit my image. I have chosen the most interesting part of the photo, the models facial expression and body language is very important and I wanted to recapture this when I photographed my Betty Boop. This is iconic because it was a famous franchise of it's time and still around to this day. The lighting in this image is quiet dull and artificial yet I wanted to recreate her in a more brighter, happier mood. So I set the exposure at ISO 80 and used Shutter Speed setting on my camera to captured a clear life-like photograph of the statue prop I used. My image was also inspired from Marylin Monroe that was similar to Betty Boop in many ways. I applied a vintage filter to my photograph to seem older than its time. The strength of my image I feel is the statue although a little cartoon looking seems quite realistic. I think I achieved this with using human editing tools such as make up tools and filters. I positioned the statue in my image in the center like the original image with both subjects with their arms in the same position and similar facial expressions. A weakness I did find was when editing and taking my photograph I noticed noise but I changed this into a positive thing by making it appear more vintage film looking. In the future I would use a better flash than I did and better lighting. The photograph seems that she is seated to me like she is in a school photograph or a head shot photo shoot, than on stage.