Lighting

 Broad

 Butterfly

 Rembrandt

Short

Self-Portrait

 

I don't take myself very seriously.  I create characters all the time because I love dressing up in costumes and I make myself become them.  I especially enjoy the style of the 1940s and 1950s because I think the hair and make up were so elegant and complicated.  It blows my mind when I think about how women used to wake up 4 hours early just to their hair for work or school but the end result is so stunningly beautiful I can see why they would do it.  I'm also obsessed with old photographs and when I found a bunch in Brooklyn this weekend I was immediately inspired to do my self-portrait in that style as well.

Depth of Field

 f3.5 1/45

 f11 1/8

f22 0.5

f8 1/15

f16 1/4

Shutter Speed

 1/250 f3.5

 1/250 f3.5

 1/125 f3.5

 1/60 f4.5

 1/15 f9.5

 1/15 f9.5

 1/8 f11

Why Portraits

Why are we so interested in making art about each other?
What are some things that portrait artists are trying to talk about? 

How are photographic portraits different from portraits in other media?

For a long time making portraits was a way to record one's existence.  As it evolved it became a way to allow the masses to understand stories, especially in religion.  It then became a commodity for those that were rich to record themselves, their power, and their wealth.  By the early 1900s when photography was slightly more affordable it then became a way to document a person's existence again, particularly during wartime.  Now when we think of portraits it's more of an artistic experience, it's less about the portrait itself and more about the way it was made and what it signifies.

In early commissioned portraits wealth and power were depicted but today they are used for several different reasons.  For some it's leaving a mark on the world and for others it's about exploring the different ways to make the portrait itself whether it's different media or playing with the lighting.  In photography it tends to be a recording of the person and maybe an exploration of that person's personality on film.

You can create multiple copies of a singular image and you have the ability to take multiple images at a time.  This means there are so many options for the photographer once they have shot their subject as opposed when a painter makes a portrait.  You also have more of an ability to control the outcome with photography because you are able to immediately see the results.

Personal Photography

My Photography:

http://500px.com/lorynlees