Jean Harlow at home, by George Hurrell, 1934, publ. January 1935.
Prince William of Wales, by Mario Testino, 2003, publ. September 2003.
How does the subjects' body language, facial expression, gaze etc. influence the way we "read" their personality?
Both subjects give a sense of importance, this is strongly present in their clothing being quite upper class and neat Their gaze, body language and facial expressions accompany a sense of posh relaxed natures and highlife, particularly pronounced around the lips of each sitters smiles displaying much confidence.
Compare the photographic strategies for portraiture (technique, lighting etc.) in the two eras of Vanity Fair.
Mario Testino's image of Prince William in 2003 is more appealing to myself with its simplicity. Rembrandt lighting, clean lines and shadows within the suit he's wearing & a clean plain background that doesn't distract away from the subject himself. George Hurrell's image of Jean Harlow in 1934, I think, in comparison to Prince William... is nicely lit on Jean's face and the bears head but the harsh shadows that cut across her torso and lap are distracting to the eye, she is not addressing the camera, as they seemed to have done a lot back then, not much thought seemed to have been put into the background and to me the props used don't say much about Jean Harlow and her identity.
How does the photographer contribute to the construction of identity?
In both photographs Ive chosen I think photographers have approached their subjects in such way that they comfortable within their surroundings bring a sense of truth to their expressions recorded.
Is portraiture of "celebrities" truthful in any way, or is it just portraying the "character" or "mask" they inhabit?
What is truth? Unless you know someone personally, how are you to know when and if their true self is absent or not? I think it is possible to capture a celebrities truth but with them having to live much more complex lives then the general person, them under constant surveillance makes them very wary of what they let out. 1 image will never able a viewer to give full insight into a single persons self, the decisive moment is made within fractions of seconds and will only ever give just a taste of the sitters identity.
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