Richard Avedon - Darkness and Light

After viewing this film, answer the following questions:

1. Richard Avedon talks about how compelling people's face are to photograph. He mentions his interest in the face being about reading people's faces and how fascinating they are to him. He uses the words contradiction, complexity and connected when he refers to taking portraits. What do you think he means? How do you think those words apply to portrait photography? Discuss each of the words

2. After he leaves the world of fashion photography, Avedon moves towards portraits that are simple, clean, without props and on a white background. What do you think he achieved in doing this? What does a white background do for the subject being photographed?

3. Photography literally stops something dead. Unlike painting, the creation of a photograph stops an actual moment in time. That moment is gone forever, yet it remains frozen forever in the photograph. Reflect on the contradiction of this statement.

4. Any other comments you might have about the film itself or about Richard Avedon.

Write your reflection in a google docs and share it with me at lisa.silverman@tdsb.on.ca, or print and submit by Monday. We will finish watching the film on Friday.

If the embedded video doesn't work, go to THIS site.