Andre Kertesz I really like Andre Kerteszs work for many different reasons.

I believe that some of his techniques would really benefit within my own work. One of the main reasons for me liking his work is how he uses black and white. When you look at this photo in particular you can see that he uses high contrast as a way of emphasizing the tonality within the image. By using a white background, it really gives the objects a sharp, prominent edge. You can also see that he has used very few lights to light the objects, which cast deep shadows over the white, ultimately helping to show the items three dimensions rather than minimising the shadows and making the items look flat and uninteresting. Here you can clearly see that he has used one light located to the left of the frame. You can tell from the light on the inside of the bowl and how the shadow falls on the right of the bowl. It looks like he could have also used a snoot as the area around the one pair of glasses is a very bright white and the light fades towards the top left and bottom right of the image. By looking at this photo it appears that he has used a medium f stop such as 8 or 11 as most of the photograph is in focus apart from the arms on the spectacles and the top edge of the closer pair of glasses. This next image I also really like because of his use of shadows. The background appears to be a fairly typical white; however by locating a single light from a low angle Kertesz has filled up what would have been dead space had he used another light from the bottom right corner of the frame or even a reflector. You can tell by looking at this image that he has used a fairly powerful setting on the light source as the shadow is very dark and the cutlery in the actual mug is very bright as well. His clever use of shadows I believe could be a real benefit to my work as it could help fill up any dead space if I use them creatively.

The thing that I like most about this image is the tonality he creates from what are plain, simple items. Its interesting to note that the majority of the objects are actually white, however with careful lighting you can make even white on white objects stand out from each other by just using shadows. To do this Kertesz has used a snoot from a single light source. You can tell from the vignetting around the edge of the picture. Its such a simple image but with his use of shadows Andre Kertesz makes the simplest of object interesting to look at. I have also noticed that with the majority of his still life work that he takes his pictures from a high up tilted down onto the subject. This is a fascinating way to take the picture as this technique really captures the shadows so that they fill up more of the frame. By looking at this photograph compared to his others its clear to me that using shadows is key to making a successful black and white portrayal of what are originally colourful objects. This photo for example is made more dramatic by the shadows cast on the walls and on the coat creases. As there is an absence of colour, black and white pictures rely on tonality to make it as eye catching as possible of which Andre Kertesz nails. Overall, I believe that Andre Kertesz would be a huge help to my work, as I want to make adverts in black and white. In order to pull it off successfully I need to have a broad range of tones to make them stand out. By looking at Kerteszs work, this could really aid my photos, especially with his use of high contrast, dark shadows, lower positioned lights and high shooting angles.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=andre+kertesz+still+life&safe=off&nord=1&sour ce=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jqjdUpzJI8eRhQfZy4GIAw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ &biw=1920&bih=893#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=UlFZfeRIwB4ueM%253A%3BVmYTo ySIYsMCjM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F31.media.tumblr.com%252Ftumblr_m3k3iuF noy1qbyk5qo1_500.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fstilllifequickheart.tumblr.com%2 52Fpost%252F22932379780%252Fandre-kertesz-flowers-for-elizabeth-newyork%3B500%3B360 (20/01/14) http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/Andre-Kertesz.html (20/01/14)