MARIO TESTINO

ABOUT “Born in Lima in 1954 to a traditional Catholic family, remote from the worlds of fashion and Hollywood, Testino moved from Peru to London in It was during apprenticeships at the studios of John Vickers and Paul Nugent that he made his first attempts as a photographer, inspired by how photography masters documented the society of their times: “I tried to emulate the English – the Mitford sisters, Stephen Tennant and Cecil Beaton.” His career began tentatively with a commission to photograph a girl’s haircut for British Vogue. The girl in the picture was stylist Lucinda Chambers and the shoot sparked a personal friendship and professional partnership that has lasted to this day. During the early nineties, Testino looked to his experience growing up in Peru and his long teenage summers in Brazil for inspiration, which helped him to create a unique and personal photographic language. “I noticed an evolution in my work…when I tried to recreate my youth in pictures.” Testino’s is an artistic vocabulary that transgresses genders, mixes masculinity and femininity and suggests sensuality rather than sexuality. Suzy Menkes, Vogue’s International Editor explains, “Testino’s skill is first and foremost to catch the moment and to bring out the humanity in his subjects.”[3] Testino’s subjects appear confidently alive; he captures their energy by creating an openness and intimacy with them. Known for the extraordinary way in which he can capture the most private of moments, Testino’s spontaneous, intimate portraits offer the viewer new perspectives on famous faces, often establishing new fashion icons. He has documented subjects from A-list stars, muses, supermodels and artists, to subjects that he has encountered throughout his travels, from magnificent cities by night to mysterious landscapes and private soirees.” Source of information

This photograph is a portrait, mid-shot as Tom Brady only been captured from the waist up. We can see that this was taken with a fast shutter speed to catch the fast movement of the dog and Tom Brady. This image also has a broad depth of field as the entire photograph is in focus for us to see. This picture will have been taken in a studio and therefore was most likely taken with artificial lighting. This will have been done to brighten up the shot and create some shadows behind the image for some depth. The point of interest for this image photograph is Tom Brady’s face as the dog’s neck, his arm and tie all act as leading lines up to his face. A plain grey/blue background has been used to emphasise the dark colours in the picture and make Tom Brady and the dog the central focus. Direct address has been used here too as he is looking directly at the camera and drawing the audience’s eyes to his, this is further emphasised by the fact that his eyes match the background. This image has a high contrast as the dark shades are a deep dark black and the lighter shades are very bright and pure.

This photograph is a landscape, mid-shot as it doesn’t capture the women entire bodies, just from above the knee. We can see it was taken with a fast shutter speed as the women within the shot have been suspended in their action. The point of interest in this image is the models faces as their arms, legs and even stands of light hair act as leading lines. The image also uses direct address as they are looking right at the camera so the audiences eyes are automatically drawn to their faces. You are also draw to eyes because of the make up used here. The rest of the makeup appears very minimalistic however the eyes makeup is dark, bold and striking. This picture looks as though it has been taken with artificial light as although they are out in natural light it looks as though a flash has been used to brighten up and draw more attention to the center of the image. This is because the image is centralised as opposed to being tilted or following the rule of thirds and therefore needs something more to draw interest to the image. This is also done by the costume used. The image is mostly dark (black and grey) therefore the large chunks of white fur in the center of the image draws your immediate attention. This photograph has a high contrast as the dark shades are a deep black and the lighter shades in the image are a pure white, this helps to again define what's important in the frame. The image also has a broad depth of field as the entire image is in focus for us to see. The dark, grungy setting of this picture is important as it helps to almost create a story behind the image and lets us learn a little bit more about who the women are supposed to be portraying.

This photograph is a portrait, mid-shot as it has been taken from the waist up. It looks as though this picture has been taken with natural lighting as its very bright but isn’t creating any very harsh shadows and we can see bright light coming in from the window behind them, therefore leading me to believe it’s all natural lighting. This is centralised image as Kate and William are positioned exactly in the center of the frame as opposed to being off to the left or right. The photograph has a narrow depth of field as the background is out of focus, this also helps to single of the point of interest within this image. Kate and William’s arms act as leading lines up to there faces making that the point of interest and what your eyes are immediately drawn to, this is helped further by the fact that they are using direct address and looking directly at the audience. This picture will have been taken with a relatively normal shutter speed as there is no fast action to capture here.

This photograph is a portrait, mid-shot as Lana Del Rey has only been featured from the waist up. The image also seems to have a broad depth of field as the background behind Lana Del Rey is not easily visible, it is not blurred out. It is a centralised image as Lana is directly in the middle of the frame. The point of interest in this image is Lana’s face as her arm acts as a leading line drawing your eyes up to her face. This photograph also features direct address as she is looking directly at the audience making us again naturally drawn up to her face. This is a centralised image as Lana is in the center of the frame as opposed to it being a tilted shot or following the rule of thirds. The picture has been taken with artificial lighting as it has been taken in a studio and it helps to brighten the image up a lot. Her make up in this image is very simple as the majority of the colour here comes from the outfit and headpiece. This then leads me on to contrast. The colours in this picture (red, green and pink) are incredibly vivid and the white background is very harsh and bright, therefore is has a high contrast. As much as they are bright the colours used also give a light, floral and girly theme to the image, which is further emphasised by the vivid flower head piece.

This photograph is a portrait, mid-shot as Natalie Portman has only been featured from the waist up. This image follows the rule of thirds as Natalie is positioned off to the right side of the image and is resting on two golden points. The point of interest in this shot is her face as a high contrast has been used to make her very pale skin and outfit standout against the dark and harsh background as even her hair has blended into the bushes. The setting and makeup are almost joint in this image as the red rose in the bushes match the dark red lipstick she is wearing, this helps to create a overall complete look to the photo and also helps to draw attention to her face. Natalie is also using direct address by looking right at the camera, again drawing the audience up to her face and reaffirming that, that is the point of interest. It also looks as though this was taken with low key natural lighting as it is too dull to have been captured with a flash/artificial lighting. This image has a broad depth of field as the entire background is in focus for us to see. This would have also been taken with a normal shutter speed as there is no action to capture.