Research: David Bailey

David Royston Bailey was born in Leytonstone, London and after leaving school at fifteen got a job as a copy boy at the Yorkshire Post in Fleet Street.  He was then called up for National Service where he served in the Royal Air Force and soon discovered the work of Henri Cartier Bresson which inspired him and increased his passion for photography.

David Baileys professional career started as a photographers assistant and he then went on to be a freelance photographer for Vogue Magazine in the late 1960s.  At this time London was in the swinging 60s which was the height of fashion culture for celebrities.  Along with Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy he was socialising with actors, musicians and royalty.  This is when Bailey revolutionised pop portrait which was previously formal and false.  In 1965 his Box of Pin Ups which is a box of thirty seven portrait poster prints done in half tone print include Terance Stamp, Jean Shrimpton, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and The Kray Twins. 

Of the thirty seven box prints thirty were taken against a plain white background a style much used today for portrait style photography. Bailey then used high contrast printing in some of  the images like this one of John Lennon and Paul McCartney taken in 1965 which developed the style even further.  I really like this image the high key background against the low key figure brings out a really interesting contrast.  The empty backdrop and the low key clothing demands you to look at the faces forcing you to study the expression.  They appear to be staring out endlessly at the viewer but I would say there mood seems relaxed, indifferent and unselfconscious.  The image has great shape against the background and the balance of both sides are almost symmetrical.

Music was a passion of Bailey's and he became great friends with Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones in the early days and accompanied them in the early days when they were still playing tiny halls with minimal equipment.  Mick Jagger was also in Bailey's Box of Pin Ups with this image taken in 1964.

This is one of my favorite of Bailey's Box of Pin Up images.  A fresh faced Mick Jagger a young rock star in all his insolent androgynous glory.  This full frontal pose where just the head and the shoulders are heavy within the frame shows a stripped bare portrait of the young Mick Jagger with no artificial props or poses.  Again Bailey has used a plain white backdrop which shows good contrast against the texture of the fur hood around Jaggers head.  Bailey has used a direct flash for this image which has resulted in flawless luminous skin.  The bareness of the backdrop has been softened by the fur of the hood.   This image has a great tonal range bought together from the white backdrop and his flawless luminous skin together with the low key contrast of the fur around his shoulders which is then softened by the fur hood.  I really like the frame created around his eye with part of the fur from the hood.  There is great texture and patten within this image which is created by the fur hood which allows for a lovely shape against the white clinical cold background.

I really like this image shot of Pauline Boty in 1964.  The camera has been tilted which has created an unsettled composition.  The canvas picture in the background has been tilted in the opposite direction which creates further disorientation.  This aside I still really like this image that I feel has a lot going on.  The portrait is really close to the lens but the eye is guided into the image beyond the subject.  There is lots of patten and texture in this image and the composition aspects of lines forms a great part of the image together with angle.  I think this image has a really nice contrast with the spotted blouse and iron bedstead.  The main focus is the eyes but then you are very quickly guided around the image.

This image of Jean Shrimpton was taken in July 1965 and it was taken especially for the Box of Pin Ups.  Taken in the style Bailey seemed to adopt around that time against a white backdrop this portrait has a flawless look.  The high key tone and the great contrast of the hair demands that you focus on the subject.  The focal point is the eyes and you are drawn towards the facial expression.  Bailey shot this image with the camera just below her face which it seems you are looking up to her.  Bailey said she is narcissus in love with her own reflection.

Bailey has shot quite a few images with black and white fashion garments much like this image of Chrissie Shrimpton and Ossie Clark taken in July 1965.  Using a white backdrop I like the choice of clothing Ossie dressed entirely in black and Chrissie wearing black and white makes the image high contrast with a really good tonal range throughout the image.  The image has nice patten and texture created by the black and white clothing and shows the composition aspects of lines, pattens and texture  The subjects are very heavy in the frame guiding the eye around the whole of the image but the focus still remains in the expression.

This is a fantastic image of Jean Shrimpton taken in 1962 in New York for British Vogue.  This was taken on Baileys first trip to New York when American photographers often came to London but British photographers were seldom invited to travel west.  This image represents the composition aspect of reflection and the way Bailey has captured the reflection in the puddle is great showing the composition aspect of the Rule of Thirds within the puddle.  I like the way the image in the puddle almost seems like a different image altogether almost like a statue.  The image has a really nice tonal range and appears like it has been shot high but at a tilted downwards angle.  I also like how the background shows street life and people just going about their day to day business.  I really like this image as I really like images with reflections within them two images in one which sometimes, like this, can look completely different.

In 2001 David Bailey was given a CBE and has been involved in numerous television commercials and documentaries and together with David Lichfield published the Ritz Newspaper.  He has photographed icons including Paul Weller, Jarvis Cocker and Razorlight.  David Bailey has also been a filmmaker, curator, environmental campaigner painter and sculptor as well as photographer.  Bailey has published many books to celebrate his work.

The genres of David Baileys photography go from fashion to portraiture, nudes to erotica and documentary to reportage.  Many of his photographs have been black and white, minimalist, graphic and high contrast between lighter values and darker tones.  Bailey has also produced some really powerful images of his wife Catherine Bailey giving birth to their daughter Paloma which must hold a personal feeling that only they can explain, he also has a books called Mrs. David Bailey by David Bailey and The lady is a Tramp.  In the collection The Lady is a Tramp these images are split into five different sections Nudes, Fashion, Pregnancy, Children and Beauty.  These images show Catherine Bailey in different incarnations as wife, mother, lover, seductress and Tramp.  Although I do admire much of Bailey's work it is the work photographing the music icons, high contrast shot in black and white and minimalist which inspire me the most.

Bailey has done various exhibitions including a major traveling show which opened at the Barbican, London in 1999 entitled "The Birth of Cool".  This exhibition includes an overview of Baileys life including works from "Box of Pin Ups" and "The lady is a Tramp".

Research Material Used

David Baileys Rock and Roll Heroes 1997
David Baileys Look Book - Jackie Higgins
David Baileys Locations - Martin Harrison

Internet

Experimenting with Monochrome Vision

I took a few shots over the weekend in black and white to experiment with the visual effect of monochrome, portraiture and instruments.  I also practised using the filters in photoshop to see what visual differences could be created.  These shots are taken with my Nikon D90 with 18-105 F3.5-5.6 lens and tripod which was needed for the very slow shutter speed

1/6s F5.6 ISO 400

This image was taken with very low light with a really slow shutter speed of 1/6s and a large aperture of F5.6 for exposure.  The ISO was set on 400 but I have since learned by researching black and white photography that the iso should be set on the lowest setting.  I have cropped this image so the face and the top curve of the guitar are quite heavy in the frame.  The image has a nice tonal range not high key or low key which probably keeps it from being a really interesting black and white image as black and white photography needs good contrast within an image.  I really like the hat, the patten and the texture have worked really well and I like the shape and pattern of the guitar. Also the creases in the clothes form a textured patten.  When working with black and white images you have to use pattens, shades and textures to create the image as you have no reliance on colour.

This image is the same as the previous image but I have used a yellow filter.  This has evened out the skin tone.  This visually has improved the image especially the face and has created some nice shading or shadowing throughout the image.  I think the contrast and the tonal range has been improved slightly by using the yellow filter although I have read that a green filter is good for evening out skin tone but the yellow worked better here.  I am not sure if filters can be used for the assignment I will need to check with Mr Steve.

This next image I have taken just as an idea of how equipment is going to look in black and white.  The guitar always looks great shot in black and white the strings and the frets adding great patten and texture. I have also noticed that dust collected along the guitar has added shading and tone to the image.  I have made a mental note not to clean any instruments between now and the shoot as even dust can create shading within a black and white image.

1/8s F5.6 ISO 400

Evaluation

I think that everything went well whilst concentrating only on people and equipment.  I need to go to the warehouse and see what shapes and texures can be used to create the desired contrast within my images.  It is however a large light open space so I think props and lighting are essential.  I will also shoot any future shots with the highest iso to see what difference it makes.  I am also going to practise looking with monochrome vision as good black and white photography requires tones, shades and textures and good contrast.  This experiment has helped me with assignment planning as I have been researching black and white photography.

Assignment 206 Statement of Intent - People and Portraits

Intentions/purpose of the photography to be undertaken

This is my statement of intent for my first theme People or Portraits.  I intend to create this theme around music and also produce the images in black and white.   I plan to use different instruments which could include the drums, guitar electric and acoustic, djembee drum and even possibly the mouth organ.  I am planning to shoot some of the images in the warehouse at work as there is lots of space and I hope the warehouse will add something to the images.  I will also shoot images at home and whilst out and about.  I intend to use my family and friends for the images.

Reasons for Selecting Theme

The reason for selecting this theme comes initially from the research I have been inspired by  Dennis Morris for his work with Bob Marley, The Sex Pistols and Marianne Faithful.  I have recently been researching Rankin looking at how he brings mood and emotion into portraiture and David Baileys work with John Lennon , Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and The who to name a few.   This research together with my love of music and passion for black and white photography has inspired my ideas. 

Photo Imaging Equipment and media that will be used and why

I will be using my Nikon D90 Camera and 18-105 F3.5-5.6 lens.  I have just purchased a Nikon Nikkor Macro AF-S 105mm IF VR lens which is a macro lens which is supposed to be excellent for portraiture.  I will be using my tripod which will help with framing and exposure should a slow shutter speed be needed.  I am planning to buy some, acquire some or make some kind of studio lighting to help create the images.  I need to research studio lighting techniques as I have very little knowledge at the moment. I will use photoshop to crop and desaturate my images.  I have been using my phone as a remote control which will work when connected to my laptop via bluetooth but I will need to buy a remote for when I am away from home.  Using a remote means there is no camera shake as there is no need to press the shutter release.

Techniques used and how they will help convey the visual message

I will be shooting my images in black and white and then using photoshop to change to black and white as this gives more control over the output of the final image.  I need to check with Steve if filters can be used or only the original black and white image.  I need to start looking at things with monochrome vision as good black and white photographs need good contrast, tone and texture as something has to make up for the loss of colour guiding your eye around the image.

How light can be used to create the visual message

As my images will be in Black and White I plan to use light to create mood and also to create tone and contrast within the image.  A photograph with dark tones can create a moody, dark and somber image whilst light tones can be delicate and upbeat.  I would also like to use light to create shadows within the image of musical instruments and people. 

Evaluation

This will be a ongoing statement of intent which I will add to when more research and ideas materialise.  I hope I have not taken on too much, but I feel I need a challange as my last assignment theme was nature which was quite easy to acheive.

Level 2 Certificate in Photo Image Capture

I have decided to choose Level 2 Certificate in Photo Image Capture.  This consists of Assignment 206, Principles of photo image capture and Assignment 211, Presenting photo images.

For Assignment 206 I have to choose two themes and produce a minimum of 10 images for each theme.  I have chosen people and portraits.  I have chosen music to be the the theme and I also plan to produce these images in black and white.  The other theme will be either still life or nature.  I plan to shoot these using a macro lens.  I am presently researching macro lenses and will decide when I have experimented a little using a macro lens.

For Assignment 211 I have to present 10 thematic images and produce a written account which explains the choice of presentation and describes the methods used and also contrasts with alternative methods of presentation.

Introduction

At present I have a passion for Landscape, Travel and Street Photography but I am looking forward to doing some close up work, which I need to invest in a macro lens and some portrait photography.  I really like black and white photography especially portraiture shot in black and white.

I have been inspired by Dennis Morris not for his work photographing Bob Marley and the Sex Pistols although I do love this work but by his collections Growing up Black and The Jamaican Street Scene.

1/200  F18  ISO 400

This image was taken up in the mountains in a local neighbourhood in St Lucia.  I really like the colours against the earthy landscape in this image.  A natural image shot at a distance and then zoomed and cropped in photoshop.  This image represents the Rule of Thirds in all perspectives, the man the tree and the embankment in the background.  The Tonal range is low key although the sunlight highlights the contrast on the embankment reinforcing the shape.

1/200  F18  ISO 400

This image was taken up in the mountains in the rain forest in Dominica.  I really like the vibrant colours of the shirt and hat against the textured background of the rain forest.  This highlights the Dennis Morris concept of pride in appearance beautifully.

I think sunsets are a big part of landscape photography and I really love sunrise and sunset photography.  This image was shot just of the coast of Antiqua at sunset.  I have shot this image directly into the sun and the high shutter speed and smaller aperture have worked well together to give a good exposure.  I have cropped the image across the top of the picture which has removed the sun in the distance but a line of light still remains right through the image as the sun is shining down on the sea.

1/2000 F16 ISO 400

This landscape image was taken just off the coast of St Lucia.  The slow shutter speed and large aperture have bought out some lovely colours in the skyline.  The image has been cropped in photoshop.  This image is low key but shows great colour.

1/25  F4.5  ISO 400



1/320  F13  ISO 640

I like shooting in extreme weather conditions like snow.  This image was shot on a winter morning as the sun was rising.  I shot this with quite a small aperture allowing for a wide depth of field.  A fast shutter speed was needed to gain the correct exposure in the extreme weather conditions.  I have been inspired by Ansel Adams who has created some brilliant snow images shot in black and white.





This image was shot on a winter morning at Hoar Cross. This shot was taken early in the morning just after sunrise.  Shot with a small aperture which has given a wide depth of field and also ensured exposure which can be a little tricky in extreme weather conditions.  I have desaturated this image in Photoshop.

1/125  F13  ISO 640

Whilst completing level 1 Photography one of the units was Digital Manipulation something that I was not really interested in until I started to research Helen Sear and Julia Fullerton Batten.  I really like Helen Sears collection "Inside the view" and Julia Fullerton Batten's "Teenage Stories"  This next image was inspired by Helen Sear without the artwork.

This post gives an idea of what I like and what I have been working on recently.  I am now looking forward to exploring new styles of photography especially macro and portrait.  I would also like to do some work in the studio as I did not venture into the studio much whilst doing level one.