Photographic Analysis; Irving Penn

Name of the Photographer Irving Penn “Girl Behind Bottle” 1949

Basic Facts

The title of this image is “girl behind bottle” which was created my Irving Penn in 1949.

Description of the Photograph

Describing the photograph in detail will reveal a lot about your interest in the image, so don't be afraid to state the obvious.

What is the subject matter?

A woman having a cigarette behind a wine bottle

Is it black & white or colour? Film or digital?

This image is in black and white and is on film

What type of photograph is it? (Landscape, Fashion, Portrait etc.)

The photograph is a portrait

What is the format? (square, horizontal or vertical)

Square

What is the tonal range if it is black & white? (Low/high/normal contrast, high key or low key)

The image is in low contrast and is it in low high key

What are the colours like? saturated/desaturated, harmonious/discordant.

Do any colours dominate?

The image is in black and white

Visual Analysis

What is your eye drawn to first?

The wine bottle

How is your eye led around the frame?

It goes straight to the bottle

How has the photographer structured the photograph; with lines, shapes or areas of tone? Triangle, to keep your eye in the picture

Which other compositional devices has the photographer used?

Leading lines

How can the photograph be divided into areas; foreground and background?

The bottle is the foreground, the woman is the background and there is no mid ground

Has a dramatic viewpoint been used?

Yes, the view in the bottle

How is the photograph balanced or unbalanced?

Balanced

What type and direction of light has been used? Artificial or natural, bright or diffuse?

Artificial light has been added

What depth of field has been used? How has this affected the picture?

Shallow, it brings your attention to the bottle

What is the importance of film speed or type?

I think the speed in this image is important and you can see the light of the flame

What use has the photographer made of shutter speed?

He made the shutter speed fast to capture the light of the lighter

How has the choice of lens or camera had an effect on the photograph?

Judging by the black and white and the time the photograph was taken in I think the camera was an old camera

What skills must the photographer have used to produce the image?

The skill the photographer would need to take this photo is to be able to handle his depth of field and be able to change it.

Personal Analysis

What were your feelings when you first looked at the photograph?

I didn’t really feel anything when I looked at this image

How did your reaction to the image change after looking at it for a while?

After looking at it for a while I thought it started to look better, I was looking deeper into the image and I saw more

How does the photograph capture a mood or feeling?

This photograph feels sophisticated as she is getting her cigarette lit for her, but her cigarette is on a stick making her seem high class and posh

What are the hidden meanings in the photograph?

I don’t think there are any hidden meanings in this photograph and if there is, I cannot find them

Does the photograph tell a story, or is it more like a poem?

I feel like this photograph would be a poem

What message was the photographer trying to communicate?

I think it could be that sophisticated women drink wine

Has text been used in any way? Does this affect your response to the photograph?

No it has not been used

Why did you choose this particular photograph?

I thought this was a pretty interesting photograph to use

Context

What events (social/economic/political/cultural) were occurring at the time the photograph was taken? Was the photograph a reaction to any of these events?

1949 was after the depression and ww2 this was where tv became bigger and things started to get better.

How does the photograph look dated, how can you tell when it was taken?

Other than knowing when the photo was taken, it being in black and white, the wine bottle shape and the stick the cigarette all hint that it was an old photograph

Influences

What was the photographer influenced by whilst producing this image?

I think post war antics influenced the photographer with this image

How has the photographer been an influence to other photographers?

I think with the way the photographer has taken this image would influence other photographers to be as outgoing with taking their images as he is as taking it through a wine glass is different.

Comparisons

How does the photograph compare to the rest of the photographer's work?

This photograph is only similar to some of his work, that being the black and white ones, I think he could only do a image like this so many time before it gets repetitive.

How does the photograph compare to the work of other photographers?

This photograph is very different to that of other photographers, as I said this image is very out there, most photographers work doesn’t look planned or thought out, you could argue that, that is what makes it thought out so they seem like they weren’t, but this one you can tell it is thought out.