Elvis Presleys Photography - Essay Example

The word portrait in its historical context meant a vivid picture in great detail of a person in historic times and medieval period portraiture was restricted solely to royalty, rich people and artists. An artist had to depend upon largess of the monarch. General members of the society were not the subject matter of portraits. In the advent of better means of communication and consequent influence of one part of the world over the other and vice versa, portraits became more and more general, i.e. to say, public at large could get themselves portrayed. It was also common for artists to portray themselves. But these works of exquisite art were in the custody of the very people portrayed. As a result, it was uncommon for even a titled or rich man or even for an artist to be recognized beyond his limited local area and nearby places. However, photography changed all that. It is only photography which makes us see the portraits of important and influential people of the past. Photography in its current form became possible because of the invention of Kodak and candid photos. From a formal and solemn affair in a dusty studio, it became more a personal and at the same time universal activity like radio. The listener listened to the radio in the comfort of his home, and so could others, the medium being the same. With photography, it was restricted to time and space. Now, with the facilities of internet and cameras in mobile phones, anybody can access photos of their near and dear ones. Portraits of popular figures are more interesting to see than the stale photographs of oneself. You can keep on looking at a particular photo of your favorite sportsperson, maybe frame it on your wall, but you don’t usually keep the photo of your wedding in the bedroom. There’s also a section of society which exhibits family photographs in their offices for all to see. But the charm of a wall paper of Jane Seymour or Marilyn Monroe did a lot of good to boost the morale of the U. S. Army in Vietnam. But the beauty of portraits lies in the fact that they are meant more for entertainment than information, more for titillation than for satisfaction. The subjects of portraits know that the photographs are meant for public consumption and the public knows that the subjects know which makes the circles complete. However, informal portraits differ a great deal from formal ones for the simple reason that formal portraits are a bit boring. Thus the subjects of the portrait show obvious signs of unease. Except for a rare Lady Diana with her grace and charm, most of the subjects of portraits are awkward and uneasy, which impression leaps out of the photo to say, “I am doing this only because I have to be polite,” whereas informal portraits show people happy about just being themselves. This essay will discuss the portraits one of the most famous men ever, Elvis Presley, the King. He started performing in 1954. His first single was released. Most of his portraits of the period show him as a handsome young man happy with being himself. The later portraits show him as a very cocky star, sure of his status as such. He was one of the most photographed men ever. His most famous informal portrait is arguably, if as record cover can be called that, was the self titled debut album Elvis Presley. The said portrait shows Elvis singing earnestly his guitar forming a big part of the photo. This is the Elvis Presley that got famous. He matured into a star legendary for his performances of which one was the Aloha concerts. One of his photos of that concert, with a Hawaiian flower necklace around his neck is suggestive of a mature star for whom adulation is a routine, and the photographer, to his credit, does full justice to the man, right down to capturing him in profile rather than in full frontal mode. It is also necessary to note that almost all of Elvis’s portraits are in profile so as to favorably show his nose, which plays a decisive factor in anybody’s look. The similarity in Elvis’s formal and informal portraits is remarkable. Portraits of his performances, where girls reportedly swooned are depictive of his vitality and his charm as a star. His covers and his formal portraits on the other hand show his swagger with his elaborate hairstyles of the particular time which in themselves were trendsetters. These portraits seem intentionally so as to enhance the image that the studios wanted to project to the public at large. Even otherwise, there were diverse groups of his fans. The youth of the era, the biggest audience for any recording star wanted him to be as they wanted themselves to be, cocky, always sure of himself and most likely boy in the room to get a dance with beauty of the day. Even the philosopher Schopenhauer appreciated the importance of photography as a means of satisfaction denied to the person who is looking at the picture. “That the outer man is a picture of the inner, and the and the face an expression and revelation of the whole character, is a presumption likely enough in itself, and therefore a safe one to go on; borne out as it is by the fact that people are always anxious to see anyone who has made himself famous…… Photography…. offers the most complete satisfaction of our curiosity.”1 The main similarity between the formal and informal portraits of Elvis’s is obviously the charm that he exudes, apart from the glow in his eyes. The wild movements that made him famous as Elvis the Pelvis are not obviously to be captured in camera, even photography has its limitations. However, both the formal and the informal portraits reveal the essential loneliness, which the formal photographer tries unsuccessfully to hide. What the photographer does to enhance the character portrait is to hide any part of his body except the face, which was the biggest charm that Elvis had, the medium being more than the message. The main difference between the two types of portraits is the fact that the smirk that he intentionally puts on is as much a make-up as his elaborate hairdo in the later days. The record covers were intended for the youth, and till at least 1957, when Jailhouse was released, he is shown as performing, audience of the record covers being the main draw for the youth to purchase the record. The portraits of Elvis in concert were obviously intended for the better class, so to speak, the discerning public, who have the time to read newspapers. Elvis Presley was a loner, who died a lonely man, trapped in his own world. The most essential picture of Elvis is the one on his debut album, a person earnest in doing his own job, without pleasure or pain, the sign of a truly solitary man. Works Cited 1. Schopenhauer, cited in On Photography by Susan Sontag Published by Penguin 1977.pp 83-84 Read More