Herb Ritts

 Herb Ritts

By: Amanda Schaeffer

During this blog week, I picked Herb Ritts out of Arnold Newman and Duane Michals since Ritts photographs attracted me the most. The two other photographers had amazing work, but Ritts stood out to me since his photos were more commercial based by capturing celebrities or huge fashion brands. I was in awe of what fashion businesses he shot for and what celebrities he captured. I know I want to do more senior, wedding, and family photos but by looking at Ritts's work I am drawn to commercial photography. Ritts's images make me passionate and want to succeed in photography since his work is breathtaking and outstanding. Even though shooting for Chanel, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Levi's would be terribly difficult, Ritts gave me some inspiration to look into commercial photography as part of my career.

Herb Ritts' above image draws me in with the Spanish woman's beauty and accessories. The definition of the black lace fan and hair piece plus her dark hair and makeup really makes the image stand out. The blurred background seems like a beach. However, the background on the left seems more exposed than the right side. Although, maybe Ritts couldn't reduce the exposure since the woman might loose her detail. I also admire that she doesn't have any clothes on since Ritts was more of a body and race photographer. His images had different types of people to showcase that everybody is different. In this image, Ritts captures this woman naked but with her black fan covering her. I love that Ritts was open to take pictures of anyone no matter the color of their skin and body size. This image is beautiful with the black accessories and the Spanish woman's beauty and confidence in her own skin.