I attended the second studio work shop during the week. A few more things to remember
- Wait until the flash has recharged between the shots.
- Change the ISO on the light meter, which in my case is 200.
- Connect the remote receiver and press test to take the light reading.
Dead pan photography can be described as cool, straight, and detached. In Charlotte Cotton's book "The photograph as contemporary art" a whole chapter is devoted to this genre. She claims that in the last decade, this has been the most common style in photographic galleries. As photography gained weight in contemporary art in the 1990s, the dead pan genre broke sharply with the 1980s style paintings and subject art-making. I had mainly heard about dead pan aesthetic in relation to portraits, but it can also be applied on landscape and architecture. It's a way of seeing beyond the limitations of individual perspective.
The origins of this genre can be traced to the German photography style "New objectivity" in the 1920s and 1930s and August Sander is often mentioned in relation to this style. Andreas Gursky is a contemporary photographer using the dead pan style. His images are often printed in a large format and is often taken from a far distance, making people and activities part of a pattern. It makes it impossible for the viewer to distinguish any individuals. I would liken to like this to watching an anthill.
In dead pan portraiture, German artist Thomas Ruff is one of the most influencial photographers. Many of his portraits are head-and-shoulder, expression-less, and looking straight into the camera. It questions if we can really read anything about a person by just looking at the surface. It seems to be more about how the subject reacts to the camera to being photographed. Their reaction is supposed to give information about their state of mind. But it also meant to make us (the viewers) feel a relationship with the person who looks straight back at us.
I'm not sure about this dead pan genre. I think it works better for landscape and architecture, than for portraiture. I don't think it's something I would use for my portrait photography. I even find it a bit lazy and easy.
Regarding my attempt above of dead pan photography, I think the ring flash used gives it an interesting look, and I can appreciate the composition and colour qualities. But a series of portraits I would not find this style interesting.
The origins of this genre can be traced to the German photography style "New objectivity" in the 1920s and 1930s and August Sander is often mentioned in relation to this style. Andreas Gursky is a contemporary photographer using the dead pan style. His images are often printed in a large format and is often taken from a far distance, making people and activities part of a pattern. It makes it impossible for the viewer to distinguish any individuals. I would liken to like this to watching an anthill.
In dead pan portraiture, German artist Thomas Ruff is one of the most influencial photographers. Many of his portraits are head-and-shoulder, expression-less, and looking straight into the camera. It questions if we can really read anything about a person by just looking at the surface. It seems to be more about how the subject reacts to the camera to being photographed. Their reaction is supposed to give information about their state of mind. But it also meant to make us (the viewers) feel a relationship with the person who looks straight back at us.
I'm not sure about this dead pan genre. I think it works better for landscape and architecture, than for portraiture. I don't think it's something I would use for my portrait photography. I even find it a bit lazy and easy.
Regarding my attempt above of dead pan photography, I think the ring flash used gives it an interesting look, and I can appreciate the composition and colour qualities. But a series of portraits I would not find this style interesting.