More class portraits

More class portraits to share here.  The first set was from a few weeks ago and they were taken just after my students all had midterms.  You can visually see the shared relief in those portraits.  We were outside discussing various lighting situations [as you do] when I asked each of them to let me take their portrait by their car.  I think that Mary Ellen Mark came to mind when I took these images...

The second set of images comes from my new love of True Detective.  That opening sequence!  Amazing!!  I've seen double exposures floating around the internet for a while and it was fun to make these, I admit.  They were easy enough to put together and all the images I had taken already from previous trips and shoots.  This week we will be discussing the ever expanding definition of what a portrait can and cannot display.  Strong relationships of people to place seem to overtake this subject.  Can the environment tell more of a person?  Can a person tell more of the environment?  When put together, do either hide or reveal a person?

This week, I'm excited to see what my students came up with after our environmental field trip last Wednesday.  I really want to display their work in the halls since it seems to excite them a bit more about my 8am class.  We shall see!

Portraits

 Each week in my portrait class that I'm currently teaching, I try and take a portrait of my students.  Try, being the optimal word here.  Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't.  Sometimes we don't have time or someone is absent.  Sometimes they refuse over the idea of an 8am portrait but sometimes they cheese-out in front of the camera.  More over than not, I find that they get more involved and interested as each new week emerges.  Last time I took simple portraits using my Fuji Instax.  We utilized the classroom white board and I asked them to define themselves in one word. 

This week the theme was "emulation" and together we all focused on Martin Schoeller's portraits.  We broke down his ideas and aesthetics behind the signature style and then recreated it in studio.  We discussed the importance behind posing and composition.  I had them think about Schoeller's interest in the eyes and why they were so piercing.  My students get very involved and I feel lucky that I can share these images here.

This week is midterms and I'm excited to see their projects and own work!