American Poet- Jim Morrison
Joel Brodsky
Background history
Thought Process
When Joel Brodsky took this picture of Jim Morrison he had one goal, and that was to immortalize Jim Morrison. In other words, he wanted to make Jim Morrison look Christ-like and powerful. That is how the iconic photo above came to be.
Story
This photo of Jim Morrison was taken in New York City in 1967. Joel Brodsky took a series of photos for the band called The Doors. Jim Morrison was the lead singer of The Doors and Joel Brodsky was taking his picture for the band's first album cover. During the photo shoot, Jim Morrison was very intoxicated which helped create the personality shown in this photo and the others from that day.
Who is Jim Morrison??
Jim Morrison was a singer, songwriter, and poet in the 1960s. He is best remembered as the lead singer of The Doors, which was a rock band that began in 1965. The Doors were a very popular band and Jim Morrison was known as a heartthrob to many female fans. He portrayed a rebellious image throughout his career. He spent 6 years of his life living the typical "Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll" life until his death in 1971. The final cause of death was heart failure, but no autopsy was ever done because he was living in Paris at the time.
What can we learn??
Style:
Brodsky took photos in portraiture style. Even though color printing was invented, it is unclear whether Brodsky chose to have the picture in black and white or if he was limited to that option. This picture is very contrasted and I think that adds a lot to the photo. When taking the photo Brodsky wanted to make Morrison look magnificent, however, he wanted Morrison to be himself and let loose. I don't think that there is an over-use of an element. If I had to choose one, it would probably be to darken the white background so that it wasn't as distracting. Howver, the white background also adds to the contrast of the photo so overall I believe this photo is fine.