Strands 1: Hendrik Kertens
Analysis
Hendrik Kertens is a Dutch photographer and visual artist. He is known for his portraits of his daughter Paula.
After the birth of his daughter Paula he took up photography to record the changes and events in his child's life. As Paula grew older, he developed himself from a documentary photographer into a visual artist specializing in staged photography.
Kerstens creates carefully composed portraits that refer to the works of the Dutch Old Masters and the Italian Renaissance. These images use everyday items as props, such as a dishtowel or cream standing in for a maiden’s cloth and wig. A Dutch critic stated that Kerstens turned his portrait Bag into a modern masterpiece in a similar way Frans Hals did before him. The photograph of Paula with a red turban on her head has been compared with the portraits of Jan van Eyck.
Hendrik Kertens is a Dutch photographer and visual artist. He is known for his portraits of his daughter Paula.
After the birth of his daughter Paula he took up photography to record the changes and events in his child's life. As Paula grew older, he developed himself from a documentary photographer into a visual artist specializing in staged photography.
Kerstens creates carefully composed portraits that refer to the works of the Dutch Old Masters and the Italian Renaissance. These images use everyday items as props, such as a dishtowel or cream standing in for a maiden’s cloth and wig. A Dutch critic stated that Kerstens turned his portrait Bag into a modern masterpiece in a similar way Frans Hals did before him. The photograph of Paula with a red turban on her head has been compared with the portraits of Jan van Eyck.
My Response
I photographed my Dad at home and tried to get the pictures to look like Kertens' pictures. I got him to wear a dark dressing gown and hung a dark purple blanket over a door to use as a background. The camera didn't have a flash so I used a camping lantern to light up the picture. I found different items around the home to use as props. These included a bucket, a saucepan, a cat's play tunnel and a book. I edited my three favourite photos in Photoshop.
Below is a slideshow of all the photos I took.
I photographed my Dad at home and tried to get the pictures to look like Kertens' pictures. I got him to wear a dark dressing gown and hung a dark purple blanket over a door to use as a background. The camera didn't have a flash so I used a camping lantern to light up the picture. I found different items around the home to use as props. These included a bucket, a saucepan, a cat's play tunnel and a book. I edited my three favourite photos in Photoshop.
Below is a slideshow of all the photos I took.
What Went Well
Using the torch to sidelight the pictures was very effective. The purple blanket worked well for the background as it looked nice and dark. The final photos look quite similar to Kertens' work but also don't look too much like I've copied the them. Photoshopping the pictures using desaturation and contrast made them look more like the work of old Dutch master portrait painters like Brembrandt.
Even Better If
I think I could have used better props for the final three images. The work of Kertens is still quite serious and using saucepans and buckets has changed the pictures to look too silly and comical.
Final Image
Below are the final three images.
Using the torch to sidelight the pictures was very effective. The purple blanket worked well for the background as it looked nice and dark. The final photos look quite similar to Kertens' work but also don't look too much like I've copied the them. Photoshopping the pictures using desaturation and contrast made them look more like the work of old Dutch master portrait painters like Brembrandt.
Even Better If
I think I could have used better props for the final three images. The work of Kertens is still quite serious and using saucepans and buckets has changed the pictures to look too silly and comical.
Final Image
Below are the final three images.