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| Hollywood Style Glamor Lighting |
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| Victorian Style Portrait Painting: Portrait of a lady |
What differentiates portraits in the early days of photography and portraits today would be the social class in which 'entitles' the sole domain of portraits itself; aristocracy would often be the center piece to portrait production in the early days. However in today's society, anyone in any given social class at any age group can be the main focus in portrait development. "By having one's portrait done an individual of the ascending classes could visually affirm his new social status both to himself and to the world at large." The value at which these portraits assessed at the time of the early days could have been tangible or intangible amounts. In other words, portraits would have a significant impact on economical and political powers. Though valued differently from earlier days to present day, portraits of today's world have many similarities to those presented in the past. When it comes to international popularity, at both segments in time, portraits possess the ability to stretch one's status for better or for worst throughout the world at large. In terms of artistic style, earlier days would adopt to the artistic conventions favored by the nobility (i.e. Victorian style portrait painting, Vintage Style Character Portrait, Medieval Art Portrait and Heritage Portrait) whereas today's world would use digital enhanced tools to favor what the public sees as trendy (i.e. Corporate Style Portrait, Hollywood Style Glamor).
In earlier days, painters, miniaturists, skilled craftsmen, devoted photographers & physionotracists were the 'photographers' and the subjects were the nobility or even the rising classes that had not found a characteristic means of artistic expression because they had not yet formed a clear self-image. Today, however, consists on various professional and non-professional photographers at which simple artistic views may be expressed. The subjects can range from animals to professionals, from landscapes to nature (etc.). The impact on technology on the portraits in the past was highly progressive due to the process development such as the Daguerreotype process, the Calotype Process or Stereo photography. The Daguerreotype process would assist with sharp definitions of photos; the Calotype Process would provide the means of making an unlimited number of prints from one negative; "Just as stereo music adds depth and realism to the sounds we are hearing, stereo photography adds depth and dimension to images we are viewing". Technology today is endured by the digital world thus making it easier to effectively manipulate portrait images making them defined, finer and polished enough to capture the imagination of the public.
Works Cited:
http://portrait-photographer.blogspot.com/2009/07/hollywood-style-glamour-lighting.html
http://art-portrait.niagaraartcollection.com/
http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/calotype.htm
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dagu/hd_dagu.htm
Learning Activities: Module 2 -2_PrecursorsOfThePhotoPortraitGiseleFreundPhotographyAndSociety.rtf
