Somerside Photography Ltd

I get asked about style and influence, particularly with my twilight 'WoW' shots. Who have I copied? What I am trying to create? 

My answer of 'Renaissance and Baroque painters and sculptures from 1500 - 1800' sometimes takes people a little by surprise.

A couple of years ago I spent a week studying photography with a Russian photographer who persuaded me to go away and study two styles of artists from 1500 onwards (Renaissance and Baroque) and look at how their styles were pretty distinctive and deliberate in their chosen art forms, and more importantly how they can be copied, their styles incorporated in today's photography.

For information, Renaissance is typically calm, linear, clear whilst Baroque is more dynamic, more darker backgrounds, less linear.

The latter Ive started to incorporate more, recently with more swishing more turning more action posing. Im liking the mixture this is adding to the images.

Consider the sculpture on the left, Michelangelo's David, classic renaissance from early sixteen century, Calm, still, effortless, relaxing. David right leg is the main support and is vertical, this is not thought to be accidental, Michelangelo as a renaissance artists loved horizontal and vertical lines.David is reflective with no sense of time, no urgency, you feel he could stand like this for quite a while.Consider now, the same subject matter depicted more than a century later by Bernini, David is now engaged in battle with the giant. More dynamic, less linear, the pose can't be held for long.

Consider this image, its classic Renaissance, straight horizons, calming, timeless posing, leading lines.  

There are even triangles created in the pose and dress. All classic Renaissance traits.

This image has more than a hint of Baroque style influence. There's tension in the pose, the lines are not vertical or horizontal, even the richness of the colours has more than a hat tilt towards  Baroque. 

Again, Baroque style influence with the colours, darken background, dynamic pose depicting movement.

Triangle type central characters, straight lines calm expressions and posing shout out classic Renaissance.

Although theres a little action in the pose, the horizon line, be it only just visible, the bright clear background and the leading lines, along with the feeling of no immediate movement being necessary lends to a touch renaissance, maybe ? 

Certainly Baroque in the swishing, posing, dynamic feel and the lines aren't quite vertical. though there are some triangles and its a little renaissance with its symmetry and horizon line. A blend of both maybe.... Does it work?