Irving Penn research

Irving Penn was an American photographer known for his fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. Penn's career included work at Vogue magazine, and independent advertising work for clients including Issey Miyake and Clinique.

In his earlier work Penn was fond of using a particular device in his portrait work, replacing it with a fresh one from time to time. At one time he placed two backgrounds to form a corner into which his subject was asked to enter. It was, as Penn explains, "a means of closing people in. Some people felt secure in this spot, some felt trapped. Their reaction made them quickly available to the camera." His subjects during this 'corner period' included Noel Coward, the Duchess of Windsor, and Spencer Tracy, most of whom complied readily.

Two series of portraits are especially memorable. One was made during Christmas in Cuzco, Peru, the other in studios in London, Paris, and New York. The first, in 1948 high in the Andes, followed a fashion assignment. With a few days to spend between planes, Penn persuaded the local photographer to rent him his studio. Pushing aside the ancient studio camera and picking up his Rollei, Penn made some 200 portraits in color and in black-and-white, in a studio that had a stone floor, a painted background, a small rug, and an upholstered posing chair similar to a piano stool.

In the 1950s, Penn founded his own studio in New York and continued to develop his fashion, commercial and personal work for the rest of his life. Notably series include Flowers - produced over seven years for Vogue's Christmas editions; Dahomey - taken in 1967 when visiting the kingdom for Vogue; Still Life - modernist compositions formed of objects Penn accumulated, and Cigarettes - shot in the early 1970s and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in his first exhibition in 1975.

Here are some examples of his portraits:

These two images are both portraits of females. He used low key light tones in both of these which are stereotypically suitable tones for female portraits as they have connotations of fun, happiness and fashion. I liked how he has used a contrast in tones for example in the top photo, the nail varnish and eye makeup creates some darker tones which add contrast to her face, just like how in the second one, the dark paint across her face adds this contrast.

These two pictures are both pictures Irving Penn took of Miles Davis. There is a clear use of high key lighting. I think this lighting technique creates a mysterious and more serious effect. Miles Davis is a trumpet player and the top picture, we can see the connotation of his facial expression and how he plays the trumpet.

I think the second picture looks especially mysterious as all of background is negative space and only his facial features are seen. And there are also some high contrasting tones, for example there is a very highlighted area like the bridge of his nose. This makes his contours stand out and look defined, this adds to the mysterious connotation.