Personal Background
Arnold was born in Manhattan, and grew up in Atlantic City, NJ. In 1936, he studied painting and drawing at the University of Miami, but after two years he couldn't afford to continue his college education and began working in Philadelphia for a studio. Though he was known for his portrait photography, he pioneered environmental portraiture, in which the subject is placed in a place that capture's his/her life or work. His most famous photograph is one of Igor Stravinsky leaning on a piano, where the piano took up 90% of the frame. He is the recipient of nine honorary doctorates and has lectured and conducted workshops throughout the country and the world.
Arnold was born in Manhattan, and grew up in Atlantic City, NJ. In 1936, he studied painting and drawing at the University of Miami, but after two years he couldn't afford to continue his college education and began working in Philadelphia for a studio. Though he was known for his portrait photography, he pioneered environmental portraiture, in which the subject is placed in a place that capture's his/her life or work. His most famous photograph is one of Igor Stravinsky leaning on a piano, where the piano took up 90% of the frame. He is the recipient of nine honorary doctorates and has lectured and conducted workshops throughout the country and the world.
Style
The black and white nature of Newman's photography really brings out the depth of his photos. Not only does it take away distracting flashy colors, but it also gives the photos a sense of balance. Also, contrary to other portrait photographers, he emphasizes the objects around the subject. This makes the photo not only a frozen moment in time, but also a story implicitly told by the frame. This type of photography was revolutionary and influenced many photographers to this day.
The black and white nature of Newman's photography really brings out the depth of his photos. Not only does it take away distracting flashy colors, but it also gives the photos a sense of balance. Also, contrary to other portrait photographers, he emphasizes the objects around the subject. This makes the photo not only a frozen moment in time, but also a story implicitly told by the frame. This type of photography was revolutionary and influenced many photographers to this day.
Philosophy
The main ideas of his photos were to bring out personal qualities without having to describe them in words. The environment in which the subject is captured tells so much more about a subject than putting it down in words. Also, the lack of colors blends the subject with their background, giving the photos a sense of completeness. The social effects were that other aspiring photographers began to replicate his work, bringing a traditional aspect to modern digital photography.
The main ideas of his photos were to bring out personal qualities without having to describe them in words. The environment in which the subject is captured tells so much more about a subject than putting it down in words. Also, the lack of colors blends the subject with their background, giving the photos a sense of completeness. The social effects were that other aspiring photographers began to replicate his work, bringing a traditional aspect to modern digital photography.
Influences
Newman has transformed the way I perceive photography. I had always assumed photography had one focal point, and everything else was planned to complement the main focus. However, after this project, I have realized that the focal point could in fact be the environment around the subject, and the effect it has is beautiful. It brings appreciation to the photographer as well as the subject at the same time. In the future, I will always consider the environment of my subject before taking a photo.
Newman has transformed the way I perceive photography. I had always assumed photography had one focal point, and everything else was planned to complement the main focus. However, after this project, I have realized that the focal point could in fact be the environment around the subject, and the effect it has is beautiful. It brings appreciation to the photographer as well as the subject at the same time. In the future, I will always consider the environment of my subject before taking a photo.
Resources (facts):
http://arnoldnewman.com/about-arnold-newman
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/07/arts/07newman.html
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arnold-Newman
http://arnoldnewman.com/about-arnold-newman
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/07/arts/07newman.html
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arnold-Newman
"Igor Stravinsky"
http://reelfoto.blogspot.com/2011/08/arnold-newman-environment-is-portrait.html
http://reelfoto.blogspot.com/2011/08/arnold-newman-environment-is-portrait.html
"Norman Mailer"
http://lubowphotography.com/2011/12/the-environmental-portrait/newman-mailer-4/
http://lubowphotography.com/2011/12/the-environmental-portrait/newman-mailer-4/
"Aaron Copland"
http://arnoldnewman.com/portraits
http://arnoldnewman.com/portraits
Compare/Contrast
My photos do not have the same gravity as Newman's because his camera has a larger lens. A wider lens allows his photos to capture more light (or lack thereof), and therefore more depth. Also, the room I was in had much more natural light than in Newman's photos, so there are more reflections that are hard to eradicate. In the very last photo, I was unable to use the same piano sheets that were behind Copland's head, so I just used some close substitutes. In my opinion, the first photo is probably the closest to Newman's.
My photos do not have the same gravity as Newman's because his camera has a larger lens. A wider lens allows his photos to capture more light (or lack thereof), and therefore more depth. Also, the room I was in had much more natural light than in Newman's photos, so there are more reflections that are hard to eradicate. In the very last photo, I was unable to use the same piano sheets that were behind Copland's head, so I just used some close substitutes. In my opinion, the first photo is probably the closest to Newman's.
Personal Artist Statement
These photographs were extremely difficult to take. The angle itself took dozens of micro-adjustments and is very challenging to replicate. As for the positioning, I was able to do fairly accurately due to cropping and the simplicity of the originals. The complexions were similarly relatively easy to replicate as most of them had calm or bored expressions, which my sister does a good job imitating. All in all, we had a fun time with this assignment and I learned a lot about the amount of work and effort that goes into a photograph.
These photographs were extremely difficult to take. The angle itself took dozens of micro-adjustments and is very challenging to replicate. As for the positioning, I was able to do fairly accurately due to cropping and the simplicity of the originals. The complexions were similarly relatively easy to replicate as most of them had calm or bored expressions, which my sister does a good job imitating. All in all, we had a fun time with this assignment and I learned a lot about the amount of work and effort that goes into a photograph.