By Howell Conant

By Richard Avedon

Jacob Israel Avedon

The picture that I chose for my contemporary picture was the last picture of a sequence.

The camera is following every step. the pictures does not try to idealize youth and flawless flesh. It shifts the focus to the sad reality of age and infirmity

Historical Photograph

Famous Portraits by L. Fritz Gruber (Editor)

For my historical photograph I chose a book that depicts a collection of portraits of famous people. This quote from the introduction explains, why I chose portraits:

“There is no doubt that the picture of a human being has always been, and still is, of the greatest interest to his fellow men. No image of any other kind will convey so much to the viewer.”

After having opened this book and read what the author had to say about portraits, I knew this had to be my topic. I chose a picture by Howell Conant of the American film actress Grace Kelly. This picture fascinated me because of its simple, direct beauty and its magical surrounding. Knowing that Grace always loved out door sports it reflects a part of her personality and shows her humanness.

By using an interesting depth of field, the photographer wants the viewer to focus on Grace Kelly’s face, which stresses her natural beauty and youth. The background on the other hand is very blurry but still recognizable and shows a calm lake in the mountains. 

Contemporary Photograph

The Century of the Body by William A. Ewing

For my contemporary photograph I also wanted to use a portrait to maintain my subject. Here another quote from the introduction, which made me choose this picture.

“We are beginning to think of the bodies we inhabit in much the same way we do the cloths we wear- as changeable according to climate, task, fashion and whim.”

The portrait I chose by Richard Avedon shows his father, who is an old man that is sliding towards death. The facial expression of the man is filled with pain and marked by a long life.

By using a white background the viewer can only concentrates on the person that is shown and is not distracted by anything else.

The photographer does not try to manipulate the picture, or make it more beautiful. He clearly wants to show the truth of age and what a long hard live does to our body.

Today age is linked to money. The more one has, the less evidence one can see that the body is aging.