Walker Evans (above)

Sebastiao Salgado (below) 

Walker Evans and Sebastiao Salgada both rely on natural light to create the mood of their images. Both photographers wait for the right time of day to portray different lighting. Harsh midday sun (old garage and workers in a field) gives the image a low tonal range while creating extremely contrasting shadows. These dark areas balance out the images' composition while accentuating a sense of hard work and hard times.

Either photography isolates certain subjects by relying on tonal differences. Salgada's shilouettes evoke a sense of mystery, of the unknown while the rule of thirds enhances the image compositionally. On the other hand Evans' frycook dressed in white standing under a lightbulb seems reassuring, safe and certain. The triangular composition directs our eyes to the man then the lightbulb, from where we could image a storyline beginning.

The tight croppings of the last two images really make them what they are. Each photographer uses this to enhance a sense of confinement. This idea invokes a closeness in Evans' work while Salgada portrays a lonely, solitary man.

Dan Winters (above)

Richard Avedon (below)

  

In these circumstances, Richard Avedon uses more traditional lighting while Dan Winters tends to be more creative. The creative lighting acts more as a compostional element itself rather than accentuating lines, like we can see Avedon's photos. In this case light itself is almost being used as a prop. For example, the picture of DiCaprio has beams of light converging in the center of his face. Shadows darken his right eye (left of the frame) and lead our eyes to the other side. However the above portrait uses a more standard pattern which creates good sepereation between the subject and the background. It also darkens most of the right side of the face while allumination only the eye. 

Compositionally, Richard Avedon relies more on the lines of the human body while Winters' plays around with the space around the eyes. For example, the image with the greenish tint has light shining on the right side of the face. This tends to draw our attention to that side of the frame but an overpowering area of black hair balances out the frame. Avedon's portrait of Marilyn Manroe seems to be centered more around a triangular composition created by her dress while the bottom portrait has the same type of composition created by the woman's body. In each case, they are positioned slightly off center, which along with the direction their eyes are looking create a well balanced frame.