Hiroshi Sugimoto

 Hiroshi Sugimoto

By: Amanda Schaeffer

        Hiroshi Sugimoto has a good amount of still life photographs but he also has some portraits. When I went to look for his work, I didn't really see any faces but instead objects he was capturing. I saw incredible photos of buildings, wildlife, and some images I can't even explain what I was looking at. Sugimoto's photography seems elegant and raw with the lighting he uses and what he captures in his images. I picked the above photograph of Dianne, Princess of Wales, since it's a beautiful portrait of her. I believe the lighting that was used for this piece was a soft box. For me, I see lots of details, with the top that she is wearing, to her hair and facial features. Sugimoto captures Dianne being very modest and proper with her outfit that she is wearing and also the pose that she is doing. By using the soft box, you can tell that she is receiving soft lighting and not really any harsh shadows. The soft box really ties into this piece and I enjoy it. By not having any shadow on Dianne's face, it really captures her beauty.

        I chose this image because this portrait is different than other portraits I have seen from photographers. They usually use some sort of studio lighting from the side or behind the model. However, I enjoy this piece because I got to express my enjoyment of an image using a soft box. I personally would want to use a soft box for when I do portraits because it leaves the model with even skin tone with a good lighting balance. I used the soft box for my studio portrait assignment since I was drawn to a natural lighting and having that soft look on my model's face. I love Hiroshi Sugimoto's photographs that he has taken. From his landscapes, random objects, and portraits, they were all images that caught my eye due to his beautiful lighting and creativity.