This studio portrait of rapper, Snoop Dogg shot by Steven Taylor captures the musician in very personal and true moment. The composition of just him tells us he is a solo singer and not part of a band. The simplicity of the framing again captures the intimacy of the photo as nothing detracts from the connection Snoop Dogg is making with the lens. The shot is very close to the artist and it creates the feeling that we are seeing behind the facade of the fame and fortune to the real person behind it all. The simple black and white style also supports this and the strong contrast levels highlight the smoke coming from the cigarette and his mouth. This is a recognisable symbol related to rap music and we can straight away tell what genre of music he is from. The lighting is quite strong, focused and harsh which allows the contrast levels to have the best effect and really exaggerates the contours of his body. The main attention of the photo is the artist himself, with his “gangster” style and image coming across in the photo rather than his musical talent. I think the image is very effective as it’s visually striking but also tells the story of the artist which is imperative in a musician’s portrait as it connects the talent, such as Snoop Dogg, with their audience. For example, if he was photographed sat behind a piano smiling, we would have a very different view of him as an artist.
 |
| Snoop Dogg portrait by Steven Taylor |
No comments:
Post a Comment