Friday, December 12, 2014

Inspired by a Master - Eugene W. Smith

Short Description of the Master: 

  • W. Eugene Smith is considered one of the greatest master photographers for his perfection. Smith was known to be very critical of himself when taking photos. Many of his famous photographs were on the battlefields. He went more close to the fighting, than any other photographers would have done. Smith is a master for his courage, and passion in photography. He did not let anything stop him from taking photos which satisfied him.  
                             
                                                                 
This photo was inspired by Smith's photo of the nun at a New York City port waiting for survivors to return. I mimicked this photo by first cropping the photo and making the photo black and white. I also increased the contrast and slightly decreased the exposure. Eugene Smith's Photo: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/w-eugene-smith-nun-670x413.jpg



This photo was inspired by Smith's photo of musicians talking in a hallway. I mimicked this photo by  this by decreasing the saturation, as well as increasing the contrast and shadows. Eugene Smith's Photo: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/w-eugene-smith-nun-670x413.jpg


I mimicked Eugene Smith's photo by shooting at f/1.0 ISO 125. I then made the photo black and white using Adobe Bridge. I decreased the saturation and contrast in this picture. Eugene Smith's photo: http://woodenkimonos.com/therealmurphy/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/nachtwey01.jpg


I was able to mimic this photo by shooting at f/2 ISO 125. I made the photo black and white by decreasing the saturation significantly. I also decreased the highlights and increased the exposure, shadows, and  contrasts to illuminate the subjects in the photo. Eugene Smith's photo: http://www.cranburypubliclibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/EugeneSmith0013.jpg 


I was able to mimic this photo by shooting at f/2.0 ISO 125. I created the black and white effect by removing the saturation, and increasing the shadows and contrast. Eugene Smith's photo: http://www.keithdelellisgallery.com/Exhibitions/face%20to%20face/images/30%20W.%20Eugene%20Smith.jpg

About the Photographer

  • December 30, 1918 - October 15, 1978
  • Location: Wichita, Kansas
  • Object: People and War
  • Uniqueness: Was know for being critical when taking high quality photographs.
My View
  • We chose this photographer because of his strong work ethic. It was interesting to learn about how Eugene Smith started working for a local newspaper. With experience, he was able to eventually work for Newsweek and Life magazines. 
  • Our group was furthermore inspired by Smith after seeing his famous photo of Truman.
  • As we worked on the project more, we discovered his passion for taking photos on the battlefield. He was not afraid to risk his life to take unique photos that many others photographers could never capture.