Inspired By a Master- Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon is a famous photographer best known for his work in fashion photography and is defined as a master due to his work and experiences. His work captures eccentricity, transformation, drama, and freedom. His photos portrayed concepts of photography both controversial and iconic. He's covered fashion week in Paris, a highly reputable series of fashion shows in which designers showcase the top fashions of the season, and worked for Vogue magazine for 25 years. He's photographed a multitude of famed people of his time from Martin Luther King to Marilyn Monroe as well as published over a dozen books showcasing his photography along with commentary and essays.

My group chose Avedon because we are all interested in the photography he pursued: fashion photography. I grew to be interested in Avedon for his strange yet beautiful poses and photos. This assignment has inspired me to take bolder and more eccentric photos.

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This photo is filtered to be black and white. Avedon's work shows a heavy contrast between black and white as well as the use of shadows. For this reason I have brightened the photo and increased contrast and shadows. I also cropped the photo using rule of thirds so Andrew Xu would be centered appropriately. Andrew is posed with a relaxed hand dangling over his head.

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I filtered this photo to resemble Avedon's black and white work as he didn't take color photography. I posed my model, Andrew Xu, with his hands on his face to demonstrate a dash of eccentricity. By increasing brightness, the little increments of light stands on out his face as well as the shadows in his clothes, fingers, and face. I increased shadows to define the creases in his jacket more and sharpened this photo to define the little details on his face.

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This photo is filtered to be black and white Jiayi Zheng, is posed looking straight at the camera with a slight smile on her face. I cropped this photo to center and zoom in on her face. I increased brightness and white balance to make the white wall stand out. This time I decreased shadows in order to make details in her hair stand out. Clarity is increased to accentuate the kindness in her eyes and sharp curves of her face and shoulders.

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This photo is filtered to be black and white. My model is posed with her hand casually placed as though she's looking at her fingers while she stares directly at the camera. I increased brightness as this photo came out darker than anticipated. Decrease in shadows accentuates the waves in her hair and jacket creases. Sharpness was also increased to show off the curve of her face as well as the shape of her curled fingers.

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This photo is filtered to be black and white. Andrew Xu is posed with one knee down and a hand placed over his mouth like he's thinking. He is staring off from the camera. The brightness is increased to show off light hitting his face, light hitting his leather jacket creases, and the white background. Shadows is increased to show off leather jacket creases and his shadow as he leans against the wall.This photo is sharpened a bit to accentuate the shape of his hand on his thigh and the same arm.