Research: studio Portraiture
Steve Pyke

Pyke's early work was sold to magazines and the music press and exhibited from 1982. This helped him to define the growing visual signature icons in 1980s magazine, 'The Face'. I have chosen this photographer as my influence to help towards ideas of my final prints as he has focused on Rembrandt lighting and the posing is quite similar as in way they look chilled to show their personality through emotion and hand gestures.  The only difference is that I didn't do close ups as I wanted to show clothing and accessories to show full character and get what the person is about and into like the clothing can show their interests and activities etc.  Pyke using a black backdrop is to create  the effect that these subjects are blending into the shadows made from the position of lighting. His independent mind attracted a film director Peter Greenaway where Pyke created photographic work used in Peter's films, stills and the poster shots for A Zed and Two Noughts. Pyke established his trademark portrait style on the close-lenses that is placed on his Rolleiflex camera that allowed him to make incisive and direct images within a 6x6cm negative.