Our next shooting assignment should be an interesting, thought-provoking change of pace. The theme is After Gordon Parks.

Your goal for this assignment is to recreate images by the legendary photographer. Your first concern should be to match the framing and composition of the photographs that you choose. Try to also match the light of Parks’ pictures (in the camera – not in Lightroom or Photoshop!) Also pay close attention to small details that might be distinctive features of the original photographs. Think about the tone and meaning of the pictures you choose. 

Be creative in the ways that you re-make the images. A portrait might be recreated as a still-life tableaux. A street scene might be composed (safely and socially distanced!) by a group of friends. Perhaps small details could be altered so the picture speaks to our world in 2021. 

Select 2-3 photographs by Gordon Parks. You should have no problem shooting 40-50 images to properly re-imagine the selected works. 

You can go directly to the Gordon Parks Foundation Website to view images.

The Foundation has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to create powerful slideshows of his work. 

Or, better yet, go see the current MoMA exhibition centered around Parks’ work.

Remember to have Parks’ images with you as a reference point while you shoot!