Technicalities and aesthetic qualities of an image

Bieke Depoorter - Agata (2017 - 2019)

Depooter (1986, Belgium) received a master’s degree in 2009 at the photography Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, she was made a nominee for Magnum photos at the age of twenty five and became a member in 2016. The following is taken from her series of images of a young women Depoorter met at a striptease bar in Paris in October 2017 where she explores her interest in collaborative portraiture.

Bieke DepoorterAgata, Paris, France. November, 2017.© Bieke Depoorter | Magnum Photos

In this image, shot in a restaurant or cafe, you can see the subject sitting down on a chair in the corner of the restaurant or cafe looking away from the photographer, the wall has been included in the photo as the background. Depoorter has taken the photo straight on looking at the subject from a couple of metres away with the light coming from the lights in the restaurant or cafe. She is shooting with a wide-angle lens, so the background is including as well as the subject. Her focus is set on the subject and the background around the subject, as a result the subject is not sharp.

Bieke DepoorterAgata. November 4, 2017. Paris. France© Bieke Depoorter | Magnum Photos

In this image, shot in the streets of Paris, you can see the subject walking towards the photographer while looking at the floor at night, the buildings and streetlights have been including as the scenery. Depoorter has taken the photo straight on looking at the subject from far away with the light coming from the streetlights reflection from the wet street floor. She is shooting with a wide-angle lens, so we can see the whole scenery around the subject. Her focus is set on the subject and the scenery around the subject, as a result the subject and scenery are not sharp.

Bieke DepoorterAgata, Paris, France. November 2017.© Bieke Depoorter | Magnum Photos

In this image, shot in a park, you can see the subject walking along the pathway looking at the floor at night, the subject is emerging from the trees surrounding her. Depoorter has taken the photo straight on looking at the subject from far away with the light coming from a speed light attached to her camera. She is shooting with a wide-angle lens, so she can show the scale of how small the subject is next to the trees around her while also including the atmosphere. Her focus is set on subject and the atmosphere around her, as a result the subject and atmosphere are not sharp.

https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/bieke-depoorter/

https://www.biekedepoorter.com/projects/agata/