2. Who is he?
Mario Testino is Peruvian Photographer born in 1954.
His work has been featured in magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair and V
magazine. He is one of the most famous and well regarded fashion photographers. He
has photographed many members of the royal family including princess Diana and he
was the official photographer for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s engagement.
As well as the royal families Testino has taken photographs of Madonna, Kate Moss
and Naomi Campbell.
He moved to London in 1976 to start his career as a photographer. His work first
appeared in Vogue in 1983 and since then he has photographed many celebrities for
many different magazines. In 2014 Testino received an honorary OBE for his
contribution to fashion and his contributions to charity. His charity contributions
mainly consist of the way he has tried to give back to his native country of Peru which
is done through the organisation he started in 2012. He is also a Save The Children
Ambassador.
3. This photo shows American Football star Tom Brady with a dog, both Brady
and the Dog look aggressive in this photo. I think the aggressive expression
in this photograph is referencing the aggressive nature of American football.
The dog in this photo is referencing the nickname Tom Brady has which is the
alpha dog of the NFL, he has this name as he is thought to be the best
quarterback in the NFL right now or of all time. This photo is a medium
portrait shot. I think this photo would have been taken with a high shutter
speed. I think this because of the dogs movement, I think it is unlikely that a
dog held that position long enough for a photo to have been taken. Instead I
think the dog barked and a high shutter speed photo was taken, that or this
photo was edited to get the dog to look like that.
4. This photo shows two models posing on a street. The photo is black and
white, meaning that a lot of information is lost about their surroundings.
This photo is a medium longshot taken in landscape. One model is closer
to the camera than the other, that model also has a slightly angry
expression on her face, the other is almost expressionless. I think the use
of an upset/angry expression, lack of expression and the choice to use
black and white with no use of colour is linked, I think Testino is trying to
get this photo to appear depressing and associate it with bad feelings and
negative thoughts. The two models in the photo graph occupy the centre
third of the photo, the other space is left mostly empty. The sky is visible
in the background and appears differently to how we expect it to because
of the photo using black and white.
5. In this photo Prince William and Kate Middleton, the (now) duke and
duchess of Cambridge, appear happy. This was the photo that was used
as their official engagement photo. This photo is landscape. The photo
shows Kate's engagement ring, this is an important part of any royal
engagement as it represents tradition something that royal family follow
very closely and that they have a lot of. The couple are wearing fairly
neutral colours, I think this is due to them trying to remain classy and
dignified. The lack of any colour that stands out makes this photo more
about the expression on the faces of the couple and the couple in
general. The focus on the couple rather than anything else in the shot is
representative of the fame that the royal family has, they are some of
the most famous people in the world and the wedding of Kate and
William was one of the most famous weddings in recent history.
6. This Black and white longshot, taken in landscape shows Kate Moss sitting on
a suitcase. The background is totally black which draws more attention onto
Kate Moss who is the subject of the photo. Attention is drawn to Kate Moss
through colour as she is wearing white shorts, these shorts stand out the
most as they contrast the most with the dead black background. This photo
uses the rule of thirds, Moss takes ups the centre third, and the other two
thirds remain empty, this draws even more attention to the point of interest,
Kate Moss. I think this is similar to the way Kate Moss’ fame has changed her
life, more focus is put onto famous people. I think this photo is similar to
fame in the fact that fame has been described as famous as there are many
negatives to it and many famous people have very few ‘real’ friends.
7. In this photo Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones are
shown hugging, their expressions seem natural and not as though they had
to be forced. The lighting helps this image appear in a positive light also as
there are few shadows and none that obstruct the image in any way. I think
the choice to put this photo in black and white was a good one as I think
colour would give us too much unnecessary detail and it wouldn’t be
needed. This photo shows us that the two have a positive relationship with
one another. I also like the simplicity of this photograph, the point of interest
is clear and unmissable as mick and Keith are the only notable things in the
shot. The use of a medium close up allows us to feel connected with the two
Rolling Stones members.
