Nadav Kander Photo Analysis

During the process of taking this photo, the photographer could get the model to pose by a tree (under certain lighting circumstances) to get the tree's silhouette onto her body. To enhance this, the process could also involve Photoshop, or maybe even the merging of two photo's he had taken separately.The lighting used in this photo uses a light source from the left, and a light source from the back. This highlights the hairline, and presents the main features of her face. I don't quite think this is three point lighting because there are still some contrasts that show cheekbones and give her contouring on her face.  I am not aware if Nadav intended to portray this message, but I feel as though this photo reflects naturalism. She is not wearing clothes, and little to no makeup, showing her natural body, a woman in natural form. I think the tree branches on her body are to emphasise this as, of course, tree's are part of nature and found in natural environments. The mood of this photo has very neutral tone to it; her face doesn't display a happy nor sad expression. The high contrasts and dark tones, with a slight tint of colour really bring out the features of the photo and show the depths of a person.

 

Again, with the recurring theme of nature, this photo experiments with a different, more vast environment. From what I know, the process of this photo would include taking the two photo's separately, and then merging the two via Photoshop and taking the opacity down on the photo of the man. The contrast on this photo is not high, due to the merging. In the photo, before it was photo shopped, I can see that the light source is artificial and is angled to the upper left, as that is where the model is facing.  left The formal clothes contribute to the mood of relaxation, I feel as though his formality with such an environment is almost like a juxtaposition. The props involved are just a pair of glasses.Whilst he looks as though he should be in an office, his thoughts are in a place elsewhere. He feels more at home and relaxed when he can clear his thoughts in a place that is vast and open, unlike a closed and confined office space. That is simply my interpretation, though. I believe the photo is of a famous person, so this could therefore change the meaning; it could perhaps not be about escaping an office environment but more a famous environment.

Due to the blur, which suggests fast movement, the mood of this photo is energetic, which is unlike the other two photo's I have analysed. I think the lighting used was artificial, and that it was angled above him, creating shadows on his face (e.g. under his nose and eyes). If Nadav used a white sheet to project the light underneath the model, these shadows would appear less harsh, or not appear at all but, in this context, the dramatic effect works better and makes the photo less typical. Colour wise, the photo is very stripped back. The simple splash of blue across his face, highlights his eyes and defines his features. This needed otherwise the model in the photo would not stand out due to the background being pale. I think the blur effect has been enhanced during the process of this photo via photo shop. The man is not wearing any visible clothing in this image, nor are any props in the background. There is no specific/ obvious expression portrayed in tis photo, but due to the cold tones and colours used in the photo, I'm sensing a melancholy vibe. I could take inspiration from this photo by adding colour to the my model's face and using a similar background instead of a contrasting one and play around with that.  

Nadav Kander Biography

Sources: https://www.nadavkander.com/biography and Wikipedia (in my own words)

Nadav Kander  is a London-based photographer, artist and director, known for his portraiture and landscapes. He has produced a number of books, and his work has been recognised and exhibited widely across the world, his work included in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Société Générale, Paris, Pictet & Cie’s Art Collection and other museums / galleries. Nadav has received the Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society in 2015. Just some of the awards he has won include: the Prix Pictet and a World Press Photo award.



Adam Ant photographed in his usual 'highway attire' by Nadav Kander

Born on December 1st 1961 in Israel, Nadav Kander grew up in South Africa; he recalls memories of him flying there at the age of three due to the fact that his parents wanted live closer to his grandfather. He stayed there, in South Africa until the age of 21, where he set off for England, inspired by seeing a television for the first time and viewing all the different buildings at aged 14 during his time on a visit.

Eddie Redmayne captured by Nadav Kander

Despite moving away from South Africa, it was there that he was first introduced into photography at around the age of ten. Nadav's father would often make slide shows of the photographs he'd taken throughout the year with transparent film. Three years later, at age thirteen, Nadav himself began taking photo's after receiving a camera from his Bar Mitzvah and was inspired by photographers like 'Strand, Stieglitz, Weston and Atget' and began admiring the way that they  had depth in their photographs, they weren't just photographs that would simply be momentums within years to come; he appreciated that in their photographs, they captured true art. "...All (the photographers previously mentioned) of which resonated the feeling that each artist was exploring their respective lives. They made work about both their outer surroundings and their inner landscapes and their art clearly showed their individual and consistent authorship.".


After a motorbike accident when he was seventeen, he decided to quit riding and once more got back into photography; partaking in the National Service (in South Africa), he began printing aerial pictures for two years. Through this experience, Nadav discovered he wanted to become a lens based artist. From there he began working for  Harry De Zitter and went to England, only to return again in 1985 with his future wife Nicole and get married t her in 1991. In the present day, Nadav Kander lives in London with his wife, and three children:  Oren, Ella and Talia.

His publications include:

Nadav Kander - Night. 2000.

Beauty's Nothing. Arena Editions, 2001.

Obama's People. London: Flowers Gallery, 2010.

Yangtze - The Long River. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2010.

Bodies. 6 Women, 1 Man. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2013.

Dust. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2014.

“I think there’s probably more truth about myself in my portraits than there is about the person,” he says. “When you are presented with a person you talk to them and react to their body language and those are the things that inform you as to the darkness, the lightness, the direction and all the tools you have to photograph them. That’s often very correct for the person and it’s often quite correct for you and it’s that triangle I find very interesting.
“The triangle being myself and the sitter and the viewer and the viewer is equally important because I’ve managed to cause them an emotion by the way that I have my sitter positioned or the way they’re looking. How much of that is me and how much of that is the sitter? Who knows, but that’s the beautiful kind of dance.” - an interview from the website: http://www.itsnicethat.com/features/the-shadow-and-the-dance-an-interview-with-nadav-kander

Good Photography Includes These Elemnts / How to go about analysing photo's.

1. Genre - subject, theme & why?


2. Light - good photographers use good lighting; find creative light sources! Natural / artificial,   harsh / soft / exaggerated.


3. Science - burning photo's (etc.)


4. Unique / start blank


5. Framing / focus


6. Formal elements: colour, composition, tone & shape.


7. Accident - allow them to happen; you only use about 5% of the photo's you take.


8. Meanings.


9. Ideology; you can show what you want to show; make others see what you want them to see & twist meanings


10. Warped meanings / symbols.