I went to the National Portrait Gallery today where I saw an exhibit of Irving Penn’s work. It was a very memorable experience, especially because he was one of the first artists to really inspire me when I started studying photography. My first assignment in grade 11 photography was to take a roll of film of a subject in north light. My teacher had given us a lecture on Irving Penn before giving us the assignment, explaining that this natural light was the most beautiful light to use when taking photos. It was this roll of film that awakened my passion for portraits and the use of north light-I was astounded at the way it made absolutely anything look beautiful.
I remember being in awe of that first roll of film I took of Olivia using north light, for my teacher was right; the light transformed the overall mood and look of the photos. From that day on, Olivia’s bedroom (much to her displeasure) was dubbed my temporary photographic studio. Through the course of the year, Olivia (quite patiently) posed for me consistently as I experimented with this light. My teacher could see how much Irving Penn was inspiring me and began throwing all things Irving Penn my way (an old Roliflex Camera, the kind Irving Penn used to take a majority of his shots, a book of his photographs taken during his travels and a backdrop for my “studio”).
What I love about Irving Penn’s portraits is the way they capture the true nature of the person being photographed, whether this is by a simple gesture they are making or by the way they are smiling. Though he did photograph for Vogue and other high esteemed magazines, my favourite photos by Irving Penn are the ones taken of “normal” people. I poured over the book “Worlds in a Small Room” to help me with my culminating project, composed of portraits of butchers, sheep herders, electricians he had taken during his travels around the world. What amazed me about these photographs was the way the north light transformed the subjects, bathing them in a soft even glow. It revealed so much about them, allowing them to silently tell their story.
For my final culminating project at the end of grade 11, I had composed a book of photographs that explored the human body in north light, Irving Penn my chosen mentor. I became obsessed with capturing flaws of the body for I wanted to show how north light enables us to look past the flaws of a subject, things we so often get preoccupied with, and instead see the beauty these imperfections hold. I was amazed at how photography had the ability to essentially re-define beauty, turn flaws into works of art.
Seeing Irving Penn’s photos that I looked at over and over again on glossy photo books in real life today was just amazing. There was something so magical about looking at the images and knowing he had printed them himself. I can’t count how many times I thought “just stunning!” as I walked around the exhibit.
A couple of my north light photographs:
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