Influence - Paola Kudacki

Based in New York, contemporary photographer Paola Kudacki captures celebrities and fashion shots for a variety of clients.  There is very little biographic information on Kudacki and I discovered her work whilst researching images on portraits, looking at Burlesque and in particular Dita Von Teese.  She has photographed some of the most glamorous global fashion magazines to include Vogue, Harpers BIzarre, Vanity Fair, GQ and Bijoux.  Her images are elegant and sexy.  Celebrities include Rachel Weisz, Jennifer Connelly, Julianne Moore, Dita Von Teese and Antonio Banderas.  Clients include 4 Stroke Jeans, J.Crew, Louis Vuitton, Oil of Olay and Saks of Fifth Avenue to name a few.

I like the fact the the images are so elegant and sexy without the sleaze which is often portrayed with semi naked photography. The poses are very subtle and the model is making no contact with the camera yet your eye is drawn to her.  I love the porcelain skin and how the light is dark on the left hand side but her left hand side is highlighted creating subtle shadows.

 

The images capture the very essence and seductive glamour which so many individuals are secretly attracted too.  The eye is drawn to the sheer beauty of the human form the colours have dramatic subtlety,  They are dense and rich yet very elegant and the ambience is very glamourous and sensual.  Each shade and shadow compliments the model.  Your eye is drawn to engage into the eyes or at least the silhouette.  Other than the black and white shots of Von Teese which have a slight blurred edge (top three images of Dita Von Teese) the human form is very clear and the lines of the silhouettes beautifully  contrast elegantly with the backgrounds which are quite soft in fabric or subtly lighted in plain colours. The rule of thirds applies to most of the images which shoe the figure  off set either to the left or right side of the picture or feature centrally - even so your eye is still automatically drawn to the female silhouette perfectly poised in the main composition of the page.  I really like the angles 

of the silhouette shadows in the background of the images.

The images capture the beauty of the individuals shot and for me portray glamour and wealth.   I am extremely inspired by Kudacki’s work and have based my second theme around her work, which to me feel like works of art, you can see the passion n her work through each of the shots taken and for me are a pleasure to view.  The images want you to look like these women - for me they are aspirational - you aspire to be glamourous as the models.

Influence - Herb Ritts 1952 -2002

I have chosen Ritt's as he is renowned for his portrait photography in the fashion world.  He began his photography career in the late 70’s and quickly gained a reputation as a master of art and commercial photography.  From 1988 onwards he directed many influential and award winning music videos and commercials.

Herb Ritts's work is provocative, striking, simple and beautiful. The usage of black-and-white film in all his work is distinguished. The blackest blacks are full of depth and tiny nuances. As you can see in the image of Nelson Mandela, he has used a deep black background, the light has picked up every linear detail and crevice on his face.  This appears to have been taken in a studio which is relevant to my work.  

His composition is as much about the subject that fills the space as it is about the negative space. He has a remarkable ability to capture textures and incorporate them in the image to make it whole, whether it's skin, an octopus, sand, cracking clay on the skin or the dry earth of the Mojave Desert., that includes for me skin , hair and fabric worn my the subjects. 

The organic shapes of his nudes, along with the reflective quality of the skin, always glistening, is a modern look on a timeless theme - the body. His portraits capture a totally different mood they are no longer about mystery, but quite the opposite. All of his subjects seem to be quite comfortable around him and allow him into their private world. They are very close up and personal. It is as if they want to share their worlds and their lives with him. And it shows in the intimacy and the intensity of the portraits. The way he captures the people behind the personalities is refreshing. I also really love the contrast in his work between extreme glamour and raw reality.

In addition to producing portraits and editorial fashion for Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview and Rolling Stone, Ritts also created successful advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, Chanel, Donna Karan, Gap, Gianfranco Ferré, Gianni Versace, Giorgio Armani, Levi's, Pirelli, Polo Ralph Lauren, Valentino among others. Since 1988 he directed numerous influential and award winning music videos and commercials. His fine art photography has been the subject of exhibitions worldwide, with works residing in many significant public and private collections.

In his life and work, Herb Ritts was drawn to clean lines and strong forms. This graphic simplicity allowed his images to be read and felt instantaneously. They often challenged conventional notions of gender or race. Social history and fantasy were both captured and created by his memorable photographs of noted individuals in film, fashion, music, politics and society.

For me his work captures the beauty of the human body through seductive and very beautiful lighting which give the pictures are clean linear definition.  His work in my opinion is also a little pretentious and a little too contrived.  I actually prefer natural shots caught of people seemingly unaware of the camera, however I can see and feel the movement in the athletic running shot of Flo Jo and in the Versace ad of the flowing fabric.  Most of his images are shot centrally to the page and the lighting reflects of the contours of the subject matter which is the human body or face.  The images are very atmospheric and for me captivate the the sheer false world of fashion its aesthetics!  The lighting is very subtle and is extremely complimentary to the models in the shots.  Most of the images I have selected are either close up shots of faces and their eyes are focused directly into the camera or slightly turned away as Madela.

Studio Shoot 25th March

As mentioned in my studio plan my shoot was inspired by photographer Lara Jade. Unfortunately the floor in the studio was filthy and I could not use a white background and had to use a black back drop.  Steve advised the technician was too busy to paint the studio floor and wall, so I knew I would need to post edit some of the backgrounds in photoshop using filters and effects.

I used a 3 in 1 grid diffuser which was positioned central front (to create soft light from the front), an open light Bowens GM500 back left with a reflector pad positioned in front to stop harsh light on the models face, Bowens GM500 at the front left side, set at 1/16 and half way between plus and minus. Steve aided with the initial set up.  

The camera I used was a Canon 5D, mounted on a tripod with lens EF24-105mm.

I did a test shot using the flash meter to get the correct ISO and F/stop number setting. This was ISO100, F/5.6 as the below shot and the shutter speed was set at 1/60.

I made the model aware of the health and safety advising not to touch any of the lights for risk of burns, possible trip hazards especially  n low lighting conditions and the fire exits for the studio as well as the college.

We started to get ready an hour before the shoot for hair, make up and styling. I was responsible for all these areas.

I then positioned the model towards the centre back of the studio in line with the tri-flector.

The model was quite difficult to work with at first which I found a little frustrating - in spite of being briefed the week before and given images to practice posing she had her own idea of how she wanted to pose to the point where I was physically positioning her to look correct for the shots.

I then edited some of the images in photoshop - removing blemishes using the masking tool and adjusting the colour to black and white by desaturating.

I pleased with the shadows and light reflections on the model. I also like the mix up of textures from her pale skin to the contrast of the corsages and lace on her dress and the black background.