Richard Avedon

 

Richard Avedon

By: Amanda Schaeffer

        The first scene that I was drawn to the most was when Richard Avedon took a picture of Nastassja Kinski with a snake. The picture is beautiful with the snake wrapped around the woman. However, the video gave us insights behind the scenes of this extraordinary picture. If someone would just view this image without knowing the back story, they could easily think this shot was easy to take. Nonetheless, Richard Avedon expressed that it took two hours to get this gorgeous shot of the snake and Nastassja. Avedon explained that it wasn't a simple photo shoot where everything went smoothly. He expressed that Nastassja had to lay on a cement floor for two hours while the snake kept leaving the shot or the snake trainer would sometimes get in the shots accidentally. Finally, the snake crept up her body and kissed her ear when Avedon captured that exact moment. 

        I find this special moment as lesson for me. For when I want to be a photographer, I need to realize that it takes time to get the shots right. Also, patience plays a big factor in taking pictures as well. You have to be passionate about capturing a specific moment. In addition, you also have to believe in happy accidents as well. No one could predict that the snake would kiss Nastassja's ear. It just reminds me that happy accidents are key in photography and that it's a powerful thing when you capture something that is almost impossible to recreate.

        This scene in the video captured my eye as well. Richard Avedon explains his commercial shots that he would do. It was fascinating to see and to hear him explain how to throw the models hair, dresses, and props. There was a particular scene in this video that showed a woman turning her face to the camera with leaves flying in the air. Just seeing the video clips, it seems fun to do. I also believe that Avedon mentioned how fun it is shooting commercial photography. After seeing what he captures, I wouldn't mind doing commercial as well. In some way, Avedon captured action shots of the women throwing their dress up or jumping up in the air. I would like to do those types of shots because you ultimately don't know where the dress and hair will go. It could also be another happy accident since you don't know where the clothing and hair will fall. This particular scene made me open up my eyes to what else I may want to pursue in my photography career.