Contrast and Comparison
There are plenty of similarities between portraits of the past and portraits today. The main purpose has always been the same, which is to capture the image of the subject, so that it can be printed and displayed, and viewed later on in life by others. Also used so one could visually affirm his new social status both to himself and to others. Just like portraits in the present day, portraits of the past were used as a keepsake something one can carry around to remember friends, lovers, or faraway members family . Back then there were miniatures that can be printed on powder boxes and pendants, nowadays some people wear lockets many carry pictures in their wallets, or use images of these people as their cell phone wallpaper.
Portraits also differ in many ways as well. Portraits of the past have generally been very posed, and stiff, this can be attributed to the fact that it took longer to set up and take a photo than it does compared to today, subjects were generally seated against plain backgrounds and lit with the soft light, and staring directly at the camers. Portraits today can be like that too, but many photographers try to capture a more natural pose, one that looks like the subject is not even aware that a photograph is being taken. There's more artistic expression in present time portraits compared to those of the past, many photographers today will often apply a theme to their shoots as well. Another thing is that in the past cameras an photographers weren't so easily accessible, therefore it would have cost a lot to get a portrait taken so one must be wealthy or important enough to get a portrait done. Nowadays portraits are relatively cheap and done as a way to remember something special, such as a graduation, or as just a way for parents to visually record the growth of their child, it's more mainstream.
Photographers and Subjects
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| Daguerre – Boulevard du Temple, Paris, 1838 |
Photographers of the past include people like William Henry Fox Talbot. T, and Louis Daguerre, whom were both pioneers of photography, the subject of photographs in the past were of scenery, and then with the relatively low cost of the daguerreotype portraiture became really popular. Studios sprang up in cities around the world time. Today subjects of photos are similar, but with the popularity of magazines, celebrities are a popular subject for photography. Annie Leibovitz is a well known celebrity photographer. Some of her work has been for magazines such as Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. Some of her famous shoots include, John Lennon and Yoko Ono for Rolling Stone cover, shot the day of Lennon's death and Queen Elizabeth II on during her visit to the United States in 2007.
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Impact of Technology
With the constant change of technology it has become easier for portraits to be captured, and shared. From day one the simple goal was to make the process of taking photographs more simple and to improve the quality. From the invention of William Talbot's calotype process (the first practical negative-positive photographic process) to the current digital camera, photography has been impacted significantly by technology. Thank to the digital camera, photo’s now exist in a digital world too, and with computers, and programs in them like Photoshop, it enables people to edit and tweak photos to fit their liking. Another aspects of technology that have also impacted photography, is the internet. With sites like Flickr and Facebook, photo's can easily be shared with everyone.
Link for pictures
Annie Leibovitz- John Lennon and Yoko Ono Rolling Stone January 22, 1981 - http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/9729637
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