Richard Avedon

I have chosen to look at Richard Avedon's portraits because I found the models he uses very interesting. As a famous portrait photographer through the 60s, 70s & 80s he did shoots for stars such as Twiggy, Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles and more. He started off photographing for major magazines and brands like Vogue, Life, Bazar and Calvin Klein but then went to focus more on portraiture, he was interested in how it captures the 'personality and soul' of the subject. And I completely agree, not only is personality reflected in his photographers but culture as well, as you can see below you can clearly interpret the differences in social class and wealth. On the top is a man dressed in dungarees, with dirt on his face and can presumed to work on farmland or something similar. While on the bottom is Elizabeth Taylor, dressed only in her pearls to emphasise her fortune and importance.

When taking my photographs I want to use some of these more personal ideas, whether its the location that reflects my culture, or my costume, body language, facial expression I want it to represent something personal about me.