After finding Weegee in this research task I was happy to have somewhere to start for my project.Discs fill with colour as time passes towards the present (further explanation below ⇓)īig Bang singularity, creation of all particles of matter and counterpart antimatter, and the laws of physics governing their interactions expansion and cooling of space → formation of the observable Universe, its galaxies, solar systems, stars, planets, moons, asteroids and comets I enjoy the work of Weegee and Vivian Maier and their input to portraiture, within the grounds of a city, but, at a moment of unconventionality. Documentary photography has had a huge role and for me a preference of street portraiture is evident. At the modernised forefront of photography, portrait photography has moulded to the concrete roots set in by earlier pioneers of photography. When put in perspective, these are just a few of the changes and events that have morphed the way we create and view photography as art. The work of Shomei Tomatsu, innovating a new style of documentary to call his own, using metaphysical representation to document post-war Japan. Eadward Muybridge’s photographs of a horse in motion, pioneering the way we capture and view images in sequence in 1877. Technical advances, commercialism, artistic developments and political stances are also a small selection of influential events, amongst a large number of more, that have morphed the way we create and consume photography. The impact of the 5 wars and its after effects bought on groundbreaking new ideologies and developments within photography. Most frequently however, he photographed young females, that bringing with it a plume of controversy. Charles Dodgson as his real name states, captured enchanting portraits, including an array of charismatic individuals. Lewis Carroll, a photographer practicing in the 1950’s, was one that used this his advantage, he was able to acquire his subjects very easily. Images of places and architecture were prominent before the increasing progression of portraiture, but it was popular within the Victorian community to partake in family photos. He used such measurements in an attempt at correlation within the area of psychometrics a study dedicated to psychological measurement. Bertillon was the mastermind behind Bertillonage, a documentation process used to record physical measurements of criminals on an accompanying photographically-inscribed card. Photographer Alphonse Bertillon is an interesting example. Most would have other professions, or fields of study. Typically, in the 1850’s the people who owned a camera would use it for documentation or scientific study. How does the photographer’s work mirror the cultural and political atmosphere at that current time? What links does a piece of work have to others along the same timeline? drawing inspiration from earlier artists and ideologies is an inevitable trait of artistic creation.įocusing on the progression of portraiture within photography since the 1850’s, there is an obvious change in its use and practice. The slow expansion of portraiture, as an expressive medium, is evident when key photographic works are displayed in these sequenced categories, and brings various questions to the table. The timeline included a number of photographers all with varying approaches. It is an appropriated and diverse documentation of people and identity, broadcasting the imagined and expressive composition of the artist, whatever that might be.įollowing an artist research task, we composed a chronological timeline the history of portrait photography. The anthropologic approach to portraiture, stemming from other explored mediums, has attracted a large number of leading photographers since the camera’s forthcoming in the early 1800’s. Concerning art, documentation and visual linguistics, a portrait incurs analytical characteristics that are paramount to the functionality of a photo and its permanent legacy. Portraiture is a fundamental and integral part of photography.