Connecting Essay

This is a photograph that I found on the internet of basketballer Kobe Bryant in a smart formal attire. The photograph is taken in portrait orientation with the him placed to the left side of the composition with his body being slightly cut out. The camera is at a relatively low angle where Kobe is looking down at the camera making clear eye contact. There is a light placed to the left of the frame which causes the shadows on the right side of the face and body which show a sense of form. His facial expression is slightly smug through the smirk seen which is further enhanced through the rather warm glow of his skin and also the pink shirt. Lines are shown on the pattern of the tie which stand out through the contrast of colour. A light grey background is used very effectively to allow the model to stand out with his darker coloured suit.

This is my photograph which I captured in shoot 10. Here my subject is placed on a chair slightly to the right of the compositions with light coming in by a soft box from the right side of the composition. Also I have used a black background which is similar in colour to the suit which the model is wearing. So in order to allow him to stand out from the background I used a red head light slightly behind him which provided a slight glow on the left side of the subjects face, providing a sense of shape and definition. The overall colour scheme is rather cold with many blues and some green seen, I feel that this works well with the suit and enhances the smartness of the clothing. The camera is below eye level and the model's head remains level but looking downy at the camera with his eyes. The colour colour scheme compliments the serious and cold facial colour scheme. There is a pattern of dots on the tie of the subject which stands out quite well.

These two images can be connected through the same style of clothing acquired to the subject being the formal attire of a suit. Also the colours of the suit a very similar despite the slight difference with the colour of the shirt which contribute to the overall colour schemes. The positioning of the model and composition styles are also very similar as in both cases the subject is placed on a chair towards the edge of the composition with part of their bodies being cut out of the frame. This causes for some negative space on the opposing side of the frame which works very well in both cases. The poses which are being used also can be connected as they both are simple and quite casual and both making eye contact with the camera. The cameras are placed at a low level directed up at them which makes them look powerful. Also their are shadows on one side of the subjects face on both occasions. Some differentiation seen between these images such as the colour of the backgrounds which are both effective in different ways. The grey background in the picture of Kobe allows the subject to stand out and be define whereas the black background in my photograph causes for him to blend in, but still stands out due to the red head light being used. The patterns on the ties are different as well as the overall colour schemes. My image much colder due to the blues included in comparison with the warmer saturated glow in the internet image.