Wednesday 5 October 2016

Portraits Research Task
Our research task was to find a photographer previously unknown to us and look at three examples of their work that stand out to us aesthetically, related to the theme of portraiture. 

Ellen Von Unwerth
  • Born in 1954 in Frankfurt, Germany
  • A photographer and director who specialises in erotic femininity
  • Worked as a fashion model for ten years before deciding to move her work to behind a camera
  • Focuses on fashion, editorial and advertising photography, many focusing on one subject with a portraiture feel





I found Ellen Von Unwerth through looking in a book called Image Makers Image Takers - Anne Celine Jaeger.

Her images are described as 'instantly recognisable' with their combination of sensual and feminine themes. Her pictures have appeared in countless magazines and have also been used in many advertising campaigns. Ellen Von Unwerth has also published several books.
In the book Image Makers Image Takers, the section on her work is purely an interview about her profession and the things that inspire her, which was very interesting to read and learn more about her as a person and what her influences are.
The equipment she uses is Nikon and Contax cameras and Kodak Tri-X film.

Interview with Ellen Von Unwerth from 2012 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation

I found this interview with Ellen so interesting because its an extended chat with her about her life before she became a photographer, and how she got involved with the industry.

 Image 1: 'Keira Knightley'
Keira Knightley taken by Ellen Von Unwerth
When I first found this shoot Ellen did with Keira Knightley, the first thing that came to mind was female empowerment. This particular image stood out because of the way Keira Knightley is standing with her hands on her hips signifies her confidence within herself. The fact that the image is in black and white just draws attention to her eyes, as there is a slight darkness around them contrasting with the pale white of her face. It also makes the shadows on her cheekbones more visible, giving her face a soft but structured look.


View the whole shoot here: http://2bmanagement.com/ellen-von-unwerth-keira-knightley/

There is also another shoot for Vogue Italia of Keira Knightley, with images taken by Ellen.



Image 2: 'In Great Shape' for Italian Vogue 2006
In Great Shape taken by Ellen Von Unwerth 

I managed to find an interview with Ellen regarding this shoot in the first book I found her in. She talks about how she is inspired by old silent movies and the dramatic effects they use to play their roles without words. When she shoots editorial she wants to create images that make people want to live the story and be apart of it.
I love this image because not only are the three models beautiful, the way they are photographed together makes this whole idea of femininity stronger, and the empowerment of women as a running theme throughout her work.
Once again the photograph is black and white, however this time there is a slightly more grey tone, opposed to harsh black fill, which compliments the image as it softens the girls and makes them appear more angelic.




Image 3: Line Brems for Italian Vogue
Line Brems taken by Ellen Von Unwerth

I wasn't intending to use another image that was from a shoot for Vogue Italia, however I wanted to look at some of Ellen's colour photographs, and this one in particular stood out to me.
Firstly I love the pose of the model, the way she is looking off to the left allows you to see her facial structure and beauty in a different light to if she was looking directly at the camera.
The fact that the model is topless not only adds some vulnerability to the image, but the fiery colour of her hair an makeup instantly made me think of her as powerful and strong.
I really like that the background is plain with the focal point on the model, as it doesn't distract your eyes from her.

See the whole shoot for this issue here: http://2bmanagement.com/vogue-italy-line-brems-emma-stern/


Preferences on her art
Ellen Von Unwerth has specified in interviews that her preferred method of shooting is with a film camera in black and white as it has a more 'dream like quality'. She also like how its more 'graphic and timeless'.
Shooting mostly females, she takes from her experiences of being a model to make the girls feel more uncomfortable, and allows them to have a more playful approach to the shoots.

"I love girls who have a personality, even if they are not the most beautiful, they always have something. They need to have a little devil in them. The more they move, the more I love it."

Being a female photographer this allows her shoots with women to be more intimate and fun, giving them more comfort than being photographed by a male. Being a model before she wants to change the seriousness that is considered the only way to conduct photoshoots and allow her models to have more fun with what they are helping to create.

Influences and Inspirations
I found an interview with Ellen discussing how she conducts her fashion shoots, which gave me more of an insight into how she likes to work and what she can be influenced by. 

She also talks about her influences from silent movies and how she collects them in the interview for Image Makers Image Takers. Talking about how she loves old 'naughty pictures' and Bettie Page, this inspires her to look at her shoots differently which gives her a different approach.
Photographers that inspire her are Helmut Newton, as his women are very strong and he takes strong photographs. She is also inspired by Jacques-Henri Lartigue due to the charm and lightness in his pictures.
In an article I read called Dark with a Happy Twist, a conversation with Ellen Von Unwerth, she discusses her series Revenge and how it is influenced by Helmut Newton. The series resembles a movie in still images, featuring eight young women who are subject to bondage by their evil stepmother and her staff. The images deal with mostly love and jealousy. The photographs show the influence of Newton through their use of capturing submission, similar to a series Newton did on bondage and fetish photography.


To get an insight as to why these photographers might inspire her work and provide influence, I looked into the work of Hemut Newton.
Monica Bellucci by Helmut Wilson
White Women / Sleepless Nights / Big Nudes by Helmut Wilson
Fetish Photography by Helmut Wilson
All of these photographs feature women models, similar to the work of Ellen Von Unwerth. They're also all in black and white, which creates an obvious link between the two photographers works. You can easily pick up on the different styles however. I wanted to look at many different shoots by Helmut Wilson, which is why I chose to look at three photographs that are different, showing the variation yet consistency in his work. I think these images are instantly more powerful due to the fact that they are in black and white, bringing them a more dramatic effect instantly.

The dramatic approach to his work is something I'd like to build more on in my own photographs. I'd also be more open to shooting in black and white after looking at Helmut Newton's work with comparisons to Ellen Von Unwerth's, as they display a good use of contrasts between the two colours, but also including the greying shadows to add more dramatic effect and draw your eyes to key areas.

My Reflection
Although I may have not known about the work of Ellen Von Unwerth before this research task, she is definitely a photographer that will inspire me in my future work. I love the aesthetics of her portraiture and the way she shoots using film and black and white colours. 
The way she manages to bring a dramatic aspect to her images, but still allowing for a playful and fun approach is something I would want to do myself, making the images more natural but still effective. 
Although I haven't always chosen to shoot in black and white, after looking at the work of both Ellen Von Unwerth and Helmut Newton, I think I would be more confident to try it out, even if the first few attempts aren't completely what I'm looking for.
These artists have inspired me to think about black and white as a good way of capturing the most important aspects of portraits, really drawing attention to the models face and features.

Bibliography for my research:

    
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1 comment:

  1. aparisio8 October 2016 at 16:31

    You have explored a wide range of research ranging from magazines, books, interviews and websites; this is very well researched so well done Danielle. I am pleased you have discovered someone new who may provide you with inspiration for the future. I enjoyed watching the interview which explains how she became a photographer and how she works with her models. This is valuable information as that the relationship between the photographer or filmmaker and the subject is absolutely key and might help you to think about how you will direct your subject in future photo shoots. All the images you have chosen by Ellen are lit in what we would call high key mode with little shadow areas, do you think this affects the way we respond to the images? How does the lighting contribute, as you point out, that our attention is drawn to the women's faces?

    I am pleased you chose images which you felt were depicting women as strong and in control. Helmut Newton, however, is as you say renowned for his fetish photography and one might consider if his bondage images (although you did not choose them for this comparison) are empowering women or transforming them into sexualised objects for a primarily male audience. Do you think that we interpret Helmut Newtons nude image in a different way to Ellens? How is the lighting different?

    Glamour and fashion photography play with sexualised images and perhaps it would be good to think about this important aspect. Do Helmut Newton's images affect you in a different way?

    By exploring the depiction of women in the fashion industry you have touched on an important issue that you may wish to explore in greater depth. Good work Danielle.

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