assignment 1

richard avedon's photography has a very classic style. his use of lighting on the subject is very simple and he focuses more on varying the backgrounds to give the photo depth and character depending on the subject being photographed. his quality of light is very soft and appealing and only it sometimes reveals additional facial detail like in chet baker's portrait. avedon's compositions are very simple and i think that's why they are so powerfull. his angles and compositions do not distract the viewer from what is going on and actually draws you right in to the subject.

arnold newman has a completely different style then avedon. his use of space and framing is very peculiar. his compositions are very loose at times and he use the empty scape to add elements that correspond to and describe the subject. his style of portraiture is more environmental. newman does not use very complicated lighting setups as he does not use the studio to produce his images. i think most of the light used is ambient or window light and he makes it look as natural as possible. i think what makes his images successful is really the use of props. he really knows how do describe people through a photograph.

dan martensen  and avedon have a similar style: however, martensen's portraits look a little softer and less dramatic is some way. martensen's use of lighting is what reminds me of avedon but his images don't have as much punch and contrast as avedon's. his compositions are also similar to avedon's. he uses very simple and straight framing which draws you to the subject.

timothy white has a style comparable to arnold newman's. although his compositions are not as loose, he still uses the subject's environment as the location to photograph them and uses props that are relative to the subjects personality. his lighting style varies but he ultimately does not use very complex studio light setups. most of his work is environmental and has simple lighting.