Richard Avedon was a well-renowned photographer. He is known for his fashion photography and portraits. Most of Avedon’s work can easily be recognized because he has a very unique style of photography. Most of his work has very similar qualities to them. Avedon’s portraits are usually black and white. They have very high contrast. There is even lighting in most of his portraits. Avedon also shoots against a white background. He does a great job at separating his subject from the background.
Jonathan Mannion had the privilege of assisting Richard Avedon during his career as a photographer. He went on to photograph many famous people in hip-hop as well as other icons. It’s safe to say that Mannion has applied what he’s learned from Avedon to his photography. Mannion photographed Jay-Z in such a way that seems similar to Avedon’s style of portraits. You can see he uses a white background with even lighting. The picture has very high contrast because of Jay-Z’s suit, scarf, and hat. His attire forms the whole shape of the photo. Jay-Z is also looking at the camera. Mannion’s portraits don’t all have the similar styles like Avedon but you can see most of them have the subject looking at the camera. This is something that Avedon’s portraits also have. It seems that Mannion may have also learned the importance of capturing the eyes when shooting.
As you point out Mannion works in a variety of styles but with a real attentiveness to light. In both the portrait work of Avedon and Mannioin, the subject usually looks at the camera as you say but the emotion is so different. In keeping with the hip hop artists he loves, the emotion is more intense in Mannion’s work. There is more rage. In the work of Avedon, everyone has the same level of emotion whether they are the President of the United States or an oil worker.