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.