AT 11.2: Yousuf Karsh Critique

Audrey Hepburn

The first thing I noticed was the vignetting in the bottom left and top right corners of the image. To achieve the vignetting you have to burn in the corners, using this technique really brings your eye in toward the center as is the case in this image. He also might have flashed the paper beforehand to achieve the soft grey that exists in the background. Without knowing for sure I would say that he reduced exposure time on her face to keep it brighter and added extra light/time to her sweater and hair which are very dark and don’t contain much detail. You notice, especially on the left side around the contour of her face a lighter shade of grey compared to the rest of the background, you can also see the same grey around the collar and front of her sweater. This difference in tone is probably the result of burning and or dodging around the face and sweater. On the outline of her face you can also see a much darker shadow in comparison to her creamy light skin. This could be due to the lighting he used or when he was burning and dodging he added the slightest bit more light/time to the skin on the contour of her face. That little bit of dark shadow around the edge of her face is a nice contrast to the lighter shade of grey surrounding it but it also gives the image more depth and form. In terms of composition it’s a very simple glamour shot but it works because her beauty and fame is what makes it intriguing. The lighting appears that it was hitting her from above on the left side. This lighting creates some incredibly flattering shadows. The shadows produced from her eyelashes on the soft skin under her eyes is what stood out most to me. The slight tilt of her head and the shadows he’s created give the subject form and thus a look of three-dimensionality. The reason why I chose this image from the exhibit is because I feel it represents my personal style more then the rest. Almost all of the other images were low key and had a darker look to them, this image however has a brighter and more approachable mood.