Week 2 - Deadpan Photography

Charlotte Cotton's book "The photograph as Contemporary Art"  helped me understand the meaning of 'deadpan photography' She describes "the deadpan aesthetic" as "a cool, detached and keenly sharp type of photography, what can be seen in a glance,  is the seeming emotional detachment and command on the part of the photographer"

Photographers like Rineke Dijkstra's use deadpan in portraiture her subjects are usually posed with them conveying little emotion and the photographer works documenting reality rather than manipulating the subject, lighting or background.

The deadpan aesthetic is not limited to portraits however, Photographers like Andreas Gursky, whom Cotton identifies as the "figurehead of contemporary deadpan photography. Gursky makes wall size photos of interiors, landscapes and cityscapes.

Two of the most influential photographers in deadpan photography were a couple by the name of Bernd and Hilla Becher they helped shape deadpan photography into what it is today.