Famous Portraits

Arnold Newman's portraits tend to depict people in front of their work. Whether it's a pilot in front of his plane or an artist in front of his work, the background serves as a description of the person. Here, we see an artist, sitting casually (with an almost smug look on his face) as the majority of the photo is consumed by his art. This photo was very eye-catching, and the smug facial expression looks as if it was done out of confidence- "check out what I did". While being confident, he is still off to the side, letting his art be the subject.

Richard Avedon's photos do something a little different. They attempt to tell a story with very little detail, and typically just a white background. The story comes from the person and the person alone- their expression, clothing, hair, etc. It leaves you with a lot of questions. This one stood out to me: Who is this man? What does he do? Where is he from? His expression here is tough to decipher. At first glance, he looks disappointed or exhausted. But the longer you look, you almost can see the hint of a smile in his lips. Maybe he is remembering something, or recovering from a long day of hard work.

Annie Leibovitz's photos are very unique. They are pure, real, and often risky. Some are nude, but with a purpose. Sometimes there is no other way to capture the mood a photo (take Lennon and Yoko Ono for instance). I really liked this photo when I saw it. It captures two separate generations, most likely a father and son, matching in their expressions and stances. It clearly shows the difference in age, while also showing it's similarities. They both stand proudly; the younger man as if it's about something he's going to do, and the older man as if it's about something he's already done.