Night Photography
(And Black and White Photography)
By Ellie Race
Keffer
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Keffer is an established French photographer who is known for his work during the Paris nightlife. He has taken on numerous occasions’ images that can only be described as erotic/risqué. However I am not focusing on that part of his work, more on the great contrast of black and white that he creates in his images. Above are a few examples of his wok and as you can see all are black and white and have different compositions throughout. Some images are portrait, others are not, and some are focused around a subject others are not. By changing up styles it keeps the images interesting. Unique.
I have recently found a quote from Keffer saying:
“When I started making photos backstage in clubs, the girls would really let themselves go. I wouldn’t often take photos of this sort at after- hours parties in private homes, while people were still finishing their night out. So I got to document this kind of public erotic downfall, which they were completely cool with”. This kind of thinking has allowed him to photograph different situations as well as a huge range of totally distinctive people. But as I have said I wont be focused on the party side of his images, more the calm and retro-style side.
The image I have chosen to look at further and base my photo-shoot around is shown above. This image looks iconic and is very beautiful to look at. The relaxed and almost smirking model in the image creates a great atmosphere. An atmosphere of mystery but also romance and enticement is shown very clearly. I love the way that the white smoke looks against the black background and it is almost translucent so that the subjects face is still image. I am going to experiment with different objects in front of the smoke with the totally black background. Something I really enjoy about the image above is the use of aperture, the darkness surrounding the subject slightly covers up places like her hands and arm and hair. The use of aperture makes the images contrasting colours all the more interesting to look at., and the tonality of the image just adds to it. Again there is a retro feel to the image that really makes you think of the concept of the image and how it came around to be taken. Something else that I will take from the image is the movement within the image. The smoke moves upwards and is beautiful to look at. I hope to create an atmosphere are strong as Keffer has in his pictures and experiment with a range of different objects and smoke. The reason I won’t be analysing any other pieces of Keffer’s work is because I think this one image says everything I need it to and it doesn’t hold anything back. This image above is the sole reason for experimenting with smoke in the dark and It stands alone as the inspiration that I have taken from this artist.