I’ve decided to take on another influence for the wellbeing, empathy and altruism task as my first inspiration Chien Chi Chang is an amazing photographer but his concepts don’t fully relate too my idea for the shoot though he dose include people sharing company his main concentration relies on alienation of ones self where my idea is all about togetherness between stereotypes which aren’t affiliated with each other. Richard Renaldi is a great photographer to be researching for the topic of equality and diversity as his work includes him on his travels across different states in the US where he finds many strangers to photograph, some of the projects he puts people side by side close together like most of his pieces in touching strangers and typology of the American teenager but he also has done projects of strangers by them selfs but with somehow showing they have strong independence and a personal unique enjoyment in life only they have. I personally find that none of his portraits show any self made indication that may make the image sad in the slightest actually I think he try’s too up lift the moods of all the subjects he takes pictures of, bring out positivity in each photo, making the best out of all the strangers situations they may have faced that day or in their life which I feel is the kindness act a photographer has to offer.
This first image relates to what i’ve planned for my idea to the project’s task of diversity immensely because it shows togetherness between perhaps two strangers from different age groups. Though it relates to my idea this photo is way simpler due to the fact they are in a slightly humorous fixed position hands held together facing the camera also with quite a plain expression on their faces as if they had just met, while my photo shoot will consist of the youth and the elderly init but also shall include outdoor actives, in a skate park with a sunny afternoon casing over the scene hopefully, so I can create positive emotions within the models and let them show as much as I am able to capture.
My curiosity peeks in what the stories are in each of the individuals of all his portraits there is a large array of mystery I guess its because Richard doesn’t know these people fully, only meeting them as he takes their photograph. In all of his photo’s from most of his projects the subject’s will be looking dead eyed into the camera lens, I wonder for what reason he dose this it might be to add the mystery factor or could be so he gets an honest looking glare or gaze which I think we all are capable of.
The surrounding where these people have been found by Renaldi I assume unless they were placed I doubt this due him wanting the portrait to be mainly naturally set, has an bright artistic vibe strong use of the colour yellow that clash’s really nicely with the clothing and skin tone of the strangers and they are closely put together like other images he does of two people with potential relationship connections, for a example in this photo you immediately think that the both of them are a couple.
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