Thomas Struth's family portraits focus on position and character. Struth tries to bring out the characteristics of each individual, without posing them in a way that would be an obvious statement of their personality. I've tried to capture his same spirit in this photograph of my uncle, grandmother, and her dog.
Personally, I didn't like Thomas Struth's work. There is a hostile atmosphere in many of his photographs that I tried to create within my own, but struggled. Many of his subjects hold a gaze that almost seems robotic and lifeless. I couldn't make my family replicate this gaze, because to put it simply, they do what they want. I think Struth's portraits lack life and and story. When I look at his family portraits, I don't see what they might have been doing before, nor can I picture what they are going to do after. It seems as though the family has been put into a background they are unfamiliar with, and the only familiarity they can find is behind the camera.
I think I will try this assignment again, with strangers. That way, it will be easier to obtain a feeling of hostility, because they won't know me, or my story.
I really like this photo, it looks like a really genuine family portrait. I agree that photographing strangers might give a more Struth-like effect if that's what you'd like to capture. A note about the composition: I really like that the book in the foreground leads the eye into the scene. Well done!
ReplyDeleteHeather Cummings
There's something very touching about this. I don't think you need to copy the seriousness in Struth's work; you've captured family dynamics in an original way, and you should be proud of that.
ReplyDelete-Alexa Phillips