This first image of Cecil Beaton was taken by Erwin Blumenfeld in 1946 as a part of a private collection based in Switzerland. This picture is a gelatin silver print. Blumenfeld was known for experimental techniques in the darkroom, Dada and Surrealist influences, and groundbreaking street work. Blumenfeld had a lot of influence in the fashion world because of his combination of elegance and eroticism. His portraits typically embodied dramatic lighting. This picture provided my inspiration because of its eery- mysterious vibe it emanated.
My response image was taken in the Pattee and Paterno Library. I wanted to mimic the partial inverted feel of the original image. To do so I went into Photoshop and selected a portion of my model’s face and applied a colored gradient to it. I added color because I wanted to add my own touch to my response. I darkened and added contrast to my picture to hide the shadow in effort to create an ominous feeling. I took this picture under a low-hanging ceiling light to produce the harsh lighting that Blumenfeld’s portraits typically had. Because of lack of eye contact in my photograph, I had the model take off his shirt to make the image more intimate like my inspiration photo was.
PhotoChronologies 