Photographers at Work – Then and Now
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In the opening essay entitled Colleagues of Robert Adam’s book, Why People Photograph, he discusses the importance of looking at the work of others.
Your own photography is never enough. Every photographer who has lasted has depended on other people’s pictures too – photographs that may be public or private, serious or funny, but that carry with them a reminder of community.
If I like many photographer, and I do, I account for this by noting a quality they share – animation. They may or may not make a living by photography, but they are alive by it.
This sense of a photographic community is vital and imperative to continued development and nurturing of both a photographers’ vision as well as photography itself. As was mentioned in a previous post, The Education of a Photographer, I would propose students of photography embrace it all, the photoblogs, Flickr, websites, galleries, museums, as well as fellow photographers engaged with the medium in a manner similar to your own aspirations, including conceptual concerns, aesthetic approaches and thoughts on the possibilities of photography.
With this in mind, select and consider the work of a photographer from the Photography Now website, which has an extensive archive of online portfolios of both masters and contemporary photographers, to discuss the following questions. In addition to looking at the work, it may be helpful to do research for interviews and/or articles about the photographer to complete your discussion.
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Which photographer’s work are you drawn to and why?
Specifically, address the following:
Interpretation: What concerns, ideas, and/or curiosities is the photographer trying to reveal (emotional, psychological, sociological, cultural)?
Evaluation: Evaluation of the work in terms of communicating the photographer’s intentions and ideas, including their conceptual framework and the visual language used (approach to camera aesthetics, use of materials and sense of technical execution/craftsmanship).
After checking out many different photographers works, I felt compelled to go back to Joel Sternfeld’s photographs. I felt this because he does an exceptional job at making you look back at his photos. At first glance many of his photos have something different about them. This is pretty easy to see. But just as I feel like I am going to look away, his photo’s make me notice something. The main focus of all his photos contain an identity. Whether it be a burning building, or a father and baby on a bike, each has their own distinct character. He does this also without the use a stage. At first I was very interested in Irving Penn because he was able to capture identity in portraits that were on a stage. But Joel Sternfeld was able to do the same, in natural settings.
Sternfeld’s photos create something that I can only describe as a ‘photo with a story.’ All of his photos capture three things that create this story. First is a phycological aspect. Questions such as “what is this person thinking?” or “Why are they staring like that?” begin to pop up in your head. Then comes a second factor of background. All his photos have a frame that contains a background that fits perfectly with the questions that arise from the physcological aspect. But between this mix of background and questioning arises a sense of feeling for this person. This is where the emotional aspect comes in. I felt in one way or another connected to the people being shot. I wanted to know what they were doing, in a way wanting to be in the photo with them seeing what they were seeing that wasn’t taken in the photograph. All three of these aspects thus created a story to me. I began to wonder, knowing what I knew from the photograph, I placed a scene in my mind of how those who were in the photo got there, or the objects paths into the setting they were in.
Because Sternfeld used everyday occurances as his settings it is very hard to give an evaluation of his ideas. It seems he shot what he saw, so his intentions are easy to grade. He wanted to capture something that people see daily and make you look at, and see something else. Because many times before have I seen what is shot in his collection in everyday life, but when I look at them here, I dont just pass them up, I look intently. I analyze and I wonder. In a way his intention is to notice curiosity in this world and emit it onto a piece of photo paper. His visual language is curiosity and his craftsmanship in photo taking is beyond what I see in most other photographers. His use of lighting is always excepcional since all shots are outside and his use of frame is incredible, considerng that each photo has just enough detail to create this curiosity and story.
The photographer’s work I’m most drawn to is the work of Diane Arbus. Perhaps the reason I am initially so drawn to her is because of her life story, in particular her cause of death which was by suicide. Diane states, “What I’m trying to describe is that it’s impossible to get out of your skin into somebody else’s…. That somebody else’s tragedy is not the same as your own.” I feel that Diane had a real understanding of what it is like to have tragedy in life, and therefore was able to show that through her work.
Another reason I am drawn to Diane’s work is because it was controversial at the time of its creation and sill is today. I really enjoy eccentric forms of art, and Diane’s work is to me. It deviates away from the norms of society, which is why it stands out so much to me.
Diane’s intentions was to exemplify people as themselves, beautiful for their differences. She chose to work with transvestites, twins, midgets, people on the streets and in their homes, and asylum inmates. She projected their flaws to the world, but in a way that showed it as beauty rather than something to hide. Her approach was having the subjects look directly at the camera, sharply rendered, lit by direct flash or other frontal lighting, hiding nothing. Her work really stands out to me because it is so different than anything of her time and of modern day.
Robert Doisneau spontaneous pictures and characters caught my eye from the first photo and kept me interested until the very last. His theme is fluid throughout the portfolio. Each subject is interesting and un-expecting. You can tell exactly what he wants to look at and how he wants you to feel about the each character or the picture itself.
As I started to critic each picture I found more and more things that I liked. What I liked the most was how I felt I could feel, exactly what both he and the people he captured were feeling at the same time.
His eye for the frame is another aspect I admire of his work. Also they way he conveys each of his French objects in a way that captured their true cultural and social essence with a dash of both playfulness and sophistication. His idea that children will play when the parents are away, along with the idea of the special bond between a person and an environment in witch they are comfortable, are both very apparent in all of this pictures. They’re unrehearsed reactions are clever and in some humorous.
The visual language I get from the people and things he takes pictures of is that of a pedestrian feel. He is in a habitat where he does not stand out leaving him un-alarming to the people he chooses to focus on. Most of the photos are actions shots which leads me to believe that he wants to get across the idea of a busy city full of busy people. His unannounced presence gives the picture an illusion of actually being there because his scenes aren’t choreographed.
Each picture is interesting to look at from every angle. The frame is full from top to bottom. The lighting techniques are amazing. The way he uses natural high lights to draw the eye to exactly where he wants you to focus. Also there is no eye contact between the subject and the camera, in most of his pictures, which in a way pulls your eye to what they are focusing on while the picture was being taken. His vantage points aren’t much different from picture to picture but each is has a focus that is congruent with the others. Even without the eye contact there is still a felling of connection.
His timing is amazing. It is said that his photo “Kiss by the Hotel de Ville” was staged. Either way the timing is what makes that picture extraordinary. Also his creative eye for details within a frame are impeccable.
I review the photographs collections and finally choose one master and one contemporary; I read a few of both artist and choose to talk about both.
Robert Mapplethorpe
I was drawn to his work because each portrait seems to express a feeling or a human reality. They go through desperation, illness, strength, women strength, violence, finally getting to death. He accomplished this by selecting showing parts of the body, the position of the body, the light. It is remarkable the foundation he also founded, which impulses the photography and studies on AIDS and HIV related, since he personally was diagnosed AIDS. This is why I believe you may see fight and strength in his photos, sinces at the end of his life he was forced to accelerate his creative efforts, and fight to leave a mark on art.
Simon Norfolk
I was attracted to his work because of the contrast of seeing nature and zones affected by humans, specially caused by war. He made me thought of what humans are doing on earth, and how wars have affected.
So I believe the author is revealing the idea of how we are leaving our mark, and showing beauty on the natural environments. But the pictures I found most interesting is where you see some remains of humans, on a time of war. I especially like one where you can see a rusty airplane with flat tires, and a person holding a cage with a bird. Showing two flying things, both unable to fly, one limited by a man and the other abandoned by men.
After looking through various photographers’ work, I realized that I was most drawn to the “street scene” type of photograph. I think that Robert Doisneau’s work included excellent street scene photographs because of the spontaneity of the photographs and how each photographs demonstrates some sort of emotion and even though in most of the photographs the subject isn’t looking at the camera, you can still see the subject’s identity at that moment, the identity of the place, and what it is that they are feeling at that moment. I also was drawn to this photographer’s work because of the simplicity of his photographs. Even though the photograph can be interpreted in many ways, all of his images are very simple and focus on a specific moment. For example, there is a photograph with a couple dancing and that is all that is happening in the picture. There is also another photograph where there are two kids walking and they look very small when you compare them to the entire picture but they still come off has being the main subject of the photograph. Also another aspect that I like about his photographs is the framing. In most of his photographs he uses some sort of large buildings to frame the main subject, which forces you to look at the subject but still notice the large buildings in the background.
In each photograph, Doisneau reveals both emotional and cultural interpretations. A majority of the photographs, as mentioned before, are very spontaneous and it seems that the main subject in the photograph is not aware that a picture is being taken. In other words, the photograph shows exactly what that person was feeling at that moment. For example, in the photograph with the kissing couple you see the love and the connection between the couple. Also, in the other photographs you can interpret them different by seeing the cultural aspect. For example, a lot of the photographs involve someone walking down a street. In these photographs you can’t see the subject’s faces but yet you know what it is they are doing. Some of the photographs involve families so the interpreter can see how certain families look like or act in that certain place. You can also what a typical day may be like in that part of a city even if you don’t know what city it is.
I think that the use of the camera and the aesthetics help the viewer be able to interpret the photograph. For example, the photographer uses timing in all of his photographs to catch a specific moment. One of the photographs shows a couple kissing, while the rest of the people in the photograph are just walking along the street. This shows how the photograph knew exactly when to take the photograph. As mentioned before, the photographer also uses the frame to draw attention to the main subject in the photograph. For example, there is a photograph where there is a person walking on a bridge and is surrounded my smoke. This photograph shows a lot of symmetry since the subject is right in the middle and is surrounded by the same thing on both sides. He also uses light to capture a certain moment such as in the photograph with the dancing couple, where the entire street is dark and there is only light shining on the couple.
I was drawn in by the work of Joel Sternfeld, because he has photographs that portray the lives of Americans, and in each photograph it looks as though it could be a normal landscape, but then there is one thing in the picture that doesn’t quite look like it belongs. It’s this one anomaly in his pictures that makes them unique and intriguing.
He tries to capture the idea of curiosity, because at first glance it looks like a normal photo, but when you look more at the photo you realize that there are different layers. One of the major ideas that he addresses is normality; in each photograph of a person they aren’t smiling, in fact some even look as though they are frowning. This element adds a tone of seriousness to the photo.
This photographer uses the idea of the American beauty in a rugged sort of way. For instance he has a man in an american flag t-shirt with a shopping cart behind him and the only thing you can see in the shopping cart is his natural ice beer. As far as his use of materials, he encompasses the portrait aspect in almost each photo, but he combines it with a frame that won’t allow to only focus on the portrait but instead you incorporate the landscape, because it’s this landscape that makes the photo. For example the picture of the pumpkin patch, you see a firefighter picking up a pumpkin and then in the background there is a house that is on fire and there is another firetruck trying to put it out. In the front of the picture you have a normal peaceful garden patch, but in the background there is chaos and destruction.
When seeing the works of various photographers I was very intrigued by the work and images of Diane Arbus. It is her curiosity and intrigue into the abnormal within the normal, rather than it being a separate entity. Her portraits coupled with her street scene images (some photos mix the two simultaneously) capture the candid at its essence. I love the way her frames are so simple yet so interesting, leaving the viewer with question as well as intrigue. They are provocative in their ambiguity, willing the viewer to question not only what but why Arbus chose to include every particular object in her artwork.
Diane Arbus wishes to expose the abnormal that we ignore on an everyday basis. These portraits include a display of emotional and sentimental worth, the value overlooked on the streets each one of us traverses everyday. A frame of the simple face of who we are as people is her intention and that is what is conveyed. For example, her photo of the two boys smoking in the park caught my eye because it is so simple yet it is very revealing. Not only is the image candid and truthful in every sense depicted by the looks on the faces of the kids, but the deeper meaning of rebellion amidst the children penetrates the psyche as well. She managed to capture the youth at the time in its totality: their rebellious nature, their cool demeanor,etc. And that was the beauty of Diane Arbus. Her ability to encapsulate an entire generation within one frame.
In terms of camera aesthetics, Diane Arbus’ work is quite the contrary. Her images lack in intriguing viewpoints or amazing visuals but this was the intention. Her artwork centralizes on the subject and not the surrounding. The lack of aesthetics and materials illustrates her focus on the image she wants the eye to meet and that is what makes each of her frames extraordinary in that her expertise as a photographer is seen through her simplistic images. She guides your eyes, and eliminates free will. And in her lack of aesthetics is her brilliance, her craftsmanship.
1. I am drawn to Adam Ansel. This photographer makes a lot of photos of scenery which really draws me in. The various places that he has shot are very professionally captured and makes me want to see more of his photos. I think that I am drawn to his photos because he takes photos of things that I would take photos of, or at least that i would try to take photos of.
2. It seems to me that Ansel is trying to reveal the beauty & serenity of the outdoors. It´s hard to capture the awe and beauty of the outdoors sometimes and he has really been able to make great pictures with it. He takes pictures of the untouched land in the forest and the mountains. He also catches the sunsets and sunrises. His pictures are very calming and make you think about life in a different way when you see them.
3. Ansel does not take photos of the exact same scenery. He uses the lighting from the sky to make different effects. Sometimes he will shoot at night and other times in the day. His photos at night look very calming especially when caught in black and white because even though they´re not in color, you can still see the contrast and beauty of the environment. One photo that really stood out to me was the photo that was on pg. 47 of a mountain. He took this photo from the ground up, which is a point of view that I truly love. The view from the rocks into the mountain then into the clouds is just amazing. He really utilized his surroundings to make a fantastic photo.
I am drawn to the work of the photographer Yousuf Karsh. I went through many photographers’ albums and I was particularly drawn to Karsh’s work, because the subjects he photographed were very recognizable, like Fidel Castro, Helen Keller, Dwight Eisenhower, and Albert Einstein, and in all of them he brings out the raw emotion in many of our favorite artists, leaders, and everyday people.
He really brings out the emotion of the subject by using the aesthetic considerations. Mainly his use of light and contrast of it brings attention to the subjects’ face. Most of the portraits are focused and framed close to the individual. The subject itself that is looking into the camera shows their personality, such as President Eisenhower looking the camera down showing his strong inner character. By looking into the eyes, you really get how the subject is looking, very stern or very kind, either way it gives everyone a peak into the person’s being and that is moving. But I am more drawn to those who are not looking into the camera because they seem to be more pensive and mysterious. One of my all time favorite actors, Humphrey Bogart, has an amazing portrait. The motion created by his hands and the path the smoke is traveling, is followed by his eyes and we can see a protruding vein in his temple area; all of these details build on the emotions of famous persons that Karsh is trying to portray. The vantage point in which Karsh uses is directly in front of the person, most of the time being eye level with the person to really capture there body and their body language. With the faces being so clear in many pictures, the audience can really feel the emotion of the person; say if his eyes are being closed as hard as they could coupled with a grimace as one of the later photos shows, the viewer can really feel the pain involved with that person. I also like that the backgrounds of this series of photos is basic and dark, as to bring our focus to the subject who is lit, or partially lit in some cases. Yousuf Karsh’s collection is a great example of how to properly do a portrait and he utilizes the eight aesthetic considerations very well in order to make the audience see how the subject feels.
Which photographer’s work are you drawn to and why?
I am most drawn towards Robert Mapplethorpe’s work because I find his photos very provocative and pain-filled. After reading a basic biography of Mapplethorpe, most people appear to focus on the homoeroticism of his work. However, although homoeroticism is definitely a prominent theme in several of his photos, I feel a dark sense of pain is the theme most universal theme in his work. Furthermore his ability to capture that pain in his photos is brilliant, and something that caught my eye. On a personal note, while studying abroad last semester I saw one of his photography exhibits at the Lourve in Paris, and since he is featured on the Photography Now website I decided to explore him further. From a technical aspect, the fact that he prints predominantly in black and white obviously translates to our class, being that we also are printing in black and white. Mapplethorpe’s technical expertise will be discussed further in the 3rd question, but trying to learn from his use of grey tones was definitely a factor in why I was drawn to his work.
Interpretation: What concerns, ideas, and/or curiosities is the photographer trying to reveal (emotional, psychological, sociological, cultural)?
One idea or curiosity trying to be revealed is the question of gender roles in Mapplethorpe’s work. In his gallery on the Photography Now website, there are several pictures of women with traditionally masculine qualities such as shorter hair, strong hands, and muscular upper bodies, specifically, muscular arms. These pictures reveal a message Mapplethorpe is trying to send on what it means to be a women and the rigidity of gender lines. Furthermore, when portraits of women such as these are juxtaposed with those of Mapplethorpe’s male subjects or rather, pictures of body parts that appeal to be male, the viewer begins to second-guess his own views of male and female. This confusion is blurred further with Mapplethorpe’s portraits of men in softer, possibly more feminine poses, again leading to further questions.
Likewise, this confusing of gender roles leads to homoeroticism. By portraying females as masculine and males as feminine, Mapplethorpe is asking if sexuality or sexual preference affect one’s gender status. In a more direct way, in Mapplethorpe’s exhibit which I saw in the Lourve, he seemed to have an affinity for setting up muscular men in extremely provocative, homosexual poses, bringing homosexuality out into the public sphere through art. Physically, these male subjects seem to be the epitomy of heterosexual masculinity, but when positioned nude with each other in a sexual way, it challenges are traditional views of sexuality and becomes very erotic and taboo. Mapplethorpe obviously enjoyed ruffling a view feathers, and wanted to create a dialogue about gender and sexuality.
Thirdly, I see a subtle dark sense of pain in all of Mapplethorpe’s photographs. In every one of his photos on Photography Now, there is a large portion of the photograph that is completely black. Additionally, many of the poses of his human subjects seem to suggest bondage, but in a less sexual manner. Even his photos of flowers, which traditionally symbolize life and beginning, tend to have an inexplicable sadness about them. This could reflect Mapplethorpe’s fast paced lifestyle, and I believe he is expressing an inner sadness through his photos.
Evaluation: Evaluation of the work in terms of communicating the photographer’s intentions and ideas, including their conceptual framework and the visual language used (approach to camera aesthetics, use of materials and sense of technical execution/craftsmanship).
Mapplethorpe appears to be a very technically skilled photographer. Since most of his photos appear to be staged, it shows his awareness for the eight aesthetic considerations, specifically framing and light. Several of his photos are specific body parts of his subjects rather than full body or portraits. Obviously he had some fascination with the human body, be it sexual or otherwise. Also, in his framing he often leaves out the subject’s face, or at least part of their face, clearly an intentional decision.
In his use of light, he tends to use side lighting in order to keep a large portion of the photo in pitch black. I think he does this to add some mystery to his photos being that complete identity of the subject is unknown, especially since the subject’s face is often hidden.
As far as the other aesthetics, his subjects themselves tend to either be muscular people or flowers (there is also one of a skull). When paired together they provide a nice contrast between power and delicacy. The detail in his photos tends to be rather simple since the majority of his photos only have a singular object in them. However, I do believe he wanted his viewers to pay close attention to his use of light and his framing. His vantage points tend to be within the range that humans normally view things aside from instances where he is shooting mid sections of people. Being that most of his photos are staged and static, I don’t feel timing had a huge impact on his photos aside from capturing the right expression of his subjects. The focus in his photos tends to be very sharp since they do not have a large depth of field. I think this allows complete focus on the subject. Finally, color is not a predominant aesthetic since he prints in black and white, but he does do a good job of getting a full range of grey tones.
The photographer i liked the most was Ansel Adams, the pictures of him are just very good, i could say they are very close to what we call perfect, most of his pictures he shows are landscape, it would be interesting that the pictures taken would come with a name given by the photographer and also the place were the picture was taken, because if we have not been were the picture was taken at least we can imagine what the place looks like.
The pictures taken by Ansel are inspiring, and also lets me know that i suck in taking pictures, and that i could improve by trying to take pictures like him, i could say that Ansel for example takes million of pictures and takes the very best of them, i don`t think he gets the pictures he wants or al least the ones he shows us at the first time.
I think that Ansel work is great and tells us how pictures can say a lot and that pictures gets us to know different cultures and places around the world, and it is great to always have a camera by your side and keep improving the quality of the pictures.
Richard Avedon
I choose Richard Avedon becaues his Pictures are very cool, he didn`t conform to the technique of taking fashion pictures instead he want to show emotion in his Pictures. I think that richard in this Photo album wants to transmit from the phsychological, emotional portrait until the cultural of one specific area, it seems htat it`s like the west. Also I think that he was interested in how portraiture captures the personality and soul of the person.
His photos are very simple but with a lot to say, a person beyond the camera against a White backgroung. I guess he wanted the World saw beyond the physical as the eye Could not see another type of america like poor people with dirty clothes and stuff like that. I liked her work a lot for being very minimalistic.
I am drawn to Ansel Adam’s work because I like how he shoots environments, both man made and natural. Many of his photographs have a large portion of the frame focused on the sky. This is an interesting technique because it shows how small humans are in the big picture. Filling the frame on people, instead of their environments often glorifies humans. However, with his work we see individuals are small and insignificant relative to their greater environments. Instead of glorifying humans his work celebrates our surroundings.
He does not focus on the destruction that we cause to the environment, which would be an interesting topic. Instead he focuses mostly on undisturbed land. Some of his photographs do include man made environments, however, they seem to be old, simple buildings that are in harmony with the land.
Everyone will have a different interpretation of his photographs so it is hard to say exactly what he is trying to suggest in his work. I interpret it as celebrating the beauty and size of the world in which we live. The third photograph in his portfolio of the city under the moon there is remarkable. It has a small town surrounded by a great amount of the nature and then shows the sky with another planet thousands of miles away. The photo shows just how small this little town is. He also photographs a lot of churches with the sky in the background. This may suggest how some people a use religion to find peace and meaning in such a large universe.
The artist whose photos spoke to me the clearest was Lewis Hine. Having done research and taken classes on 19th and early 20th century America, it was fascinating for me to see portraits of early industrial, middle class workers. His black and white photos caputre, in vivid detail, the human aspect of the industiral explosion in the US in the timing leading up to progressivism. Some of the more compelling photos are those he made of poverty, especially children, such as the young girl working in the dairy factory.
One of the more interesting aspects of his work, to me, is that while his pictures show people in abject poverty or in dismal working conditions, the expressions on the faces of his subjects are not of devistation or depravity. They seem exhausted, but almost content. The man pouring molten metal into a cast, for example, almost has a subtle smile on his face while he works. In fact, there seems to be a relationship between the photographer and the people in nearly all of the images. It is clear that he inteded to make portraits rather than journalistic, candid shots of working conditions. For the most part, his subjects are posing for the pictures.
Beyond simply “The Thing Itself,” it is his use of frame and lighting that struck me the most about the images I viewed. His subjects are either purposefully in the center of the frame, or artistically set to one side with seemingly natural lighting that beautifully compliments the gritty nature of his subject matter: namely the working class in the early 20th century. While color is not an issue in black and white film, his attention to details makes up for it. I find it to be purposefully minimal. The background is out of focus and it looks to me as though he chose few details to highlight, such as the milk bottles behind the young girl in the factory. Overall, his intentional simplicity served him well and I found his work to be masterful, to say the least. Beautiful images of American history from an unbiased, artistic perspective.
The photographer I am most drawn to is Richard Avedon because his photographs capture a true essence of the people in them. I find his focus on portraits and a realistic portrayal of human life to be intriguing. Most of the subjects seem to exhibit a wide range of strong emotions. Some of the portrayals are disturbing, but convey a feeling of reality nontheless. Each photo shows an aspect of the subject´s personality that can be interpreted freely by the viewer. The subjects are very present in the photographs; whether it be through the placement of an obscure object, scars or skin imperfections, or through the subject´s engaged eyes, there is a story to be told. It is evident that Avedon has a comfortable relationship with his subjects because the photos are so natural, the subjects are not afraid to be vulnerable in front of the camera. The simplicity in these photographs holds such a captivating beauty and triggers a curiosity that makes me want to continuously examine them.
As stated previously, the photos often depict the subjects in a vulnerable state. Their posture, eye contact, or general state of being portray interesting ideas. For example, a shocking image of a man covered with bees, or an image of only a scar-covered stomach may leave the viewer feeling uncomfortable or with questions as to the deeper meaning of the image. Also, some of the subjects seem mentally disturbed. There is a feeling of intimacy in the photgraphs that allow the subjects to be fully expressive. I think Avedon allows for his subjects to have a lot of power in each photo because they are posed in such odd ways, yet seem completely at ease in their state of being. Although his presence is subtle, it is there and powerful nontheless. There is also a lot of raw emotion in the photos. There are similar emotions felt throughout the different pictures, but they are conveyed in very different ways. Avedon captures both the beauty and ugliness of his subjects. As with any art, the final interpretation of the photographs is left to the imagination of the viewer. After reading a short piece of Avedon´s biography, I discovered that Avedon started out as a photographer for magazines. While he was very successful at this particular avenue of photography, his passion for photography is most evident in his photographs of more common people. In these photographs, he depicts the reality of their lives. His subjects wear simple clothing, have contemplative or even saddened expressions, and may be holding obscure objects such as a snake or a gun; also, many of them are dirty, covered in mud or what looks like blood. There are young and old subjects, and many of his photos often capture people in relationship to one another. Although he captured a lot of people that were influential during his time period, such as political figures or celebrities, it was also important that he captured the nameless people that comprise our country. The vulnerability captured in many of his photos may be linked to the vulnerability of this population of people within the greater whole of society. These people, imperfect and some marginalized, made up the greater existence of the United States at the time. An exception to this idea is a photograph of Marilyn Monroe in which she looks so broken and lost. A possible social idea tied to this image is that even though she had beauty, fame, and a glamorous life, she was plagued by the same troubles, if not greater troubles, than a common person. The contrast between the famous, priviledged, “perfect” image of the U.S. that Avedon often photographed, and the reality of society is so dramatic and powerful.
Avedon´s photgraphs are very minimalistic.The photos contain very little in terms of props and background, so the focus is solely on the person or persons in the photo. Avedon avoids inserting his own opinion in many ways and allows for the photos to speak for themselves. The angle used in the portraits of the portfolio I viewed is always straight-on. The frame is the same for almost all of the portraits, but each subject fills it differently. One could imagine Avedon sitting behind the camera and telling each person to simply come stand or pose in the frame, and then each subject comes through in a continuous succession. Due to the different nature of each subject, this direction will obviously be executed differently. Some subjects timidly stand close to the edges, while others stand boldly in the center. It seems like the main purpose of Avedon´s photos is to serve as a medium of expression for his subjects. The moment existing in that photo captures only an element of the subject´s being. There is a lack of context for each photo, so it is up to the imagination of the viewer to interpret the meaning of the photo.
I found myself most attracted to the work of Ansel Adams. I think I was most drawn to his work because I enjoy the beauty that nature has to offer. And Adams has an uncanny ability to capture all the beauty that nature has to offer. I think his use of shadowing, depth of field, and focus are amazing and add so much to the beauty of his photographs. Adams also demonstrates both close-ups of nature, such as of leaves, as well as large mountain ranges and valleys.
Being that the majority of his pictures show the beauty of nature, I believe that one of his main concerns could be the destroying of nature by humans. And his work could be used to show mankind the beauty that we will destroy if none of our current habits change. Adams could be playing with the ideas of culture. He could be trying to show that although all of mankind believes that we may have nothing in common, we can all appreciate the beauty that nature has to offer. We can all appreciate the vastness of nature. We can all appreciate our need for nature and our reliance on nature.
Adams could also use his pictures to show humanity the natural beauty that occurs worldwide. His pictures show deserts, mountains, forests and everything in between. Adams could be trying to demonstrate how all of mankind is connect through our need for nature.
The vast differences between his close-ups and large landscapes show the viewer both the “big pictures” with his stunning pictures of mountains and valleys as well as close-ups of leaves and trees. This shows the contrast that can occur between what we see and what is actually happening. This could be Adams critique on society. He might believe that humanity simply looks at the big picture and if everything appears to be all right, on the surface, then we do nothing to help or do not try to make a difference in potential problems. And since the changing environment is a huge problem currently, Adams could be trying to suggest that we really need to take a closer look at the environment and all the damage that is being done and we need to make a change so that the environment will last for generations to come. And so that every generation can enjoy all the beauty that nature has to offer, not just through photographs but also enjoy the real thing.
I believe that Adams does a very good job communicating his message to his viewers. I believe that one of the strongest things he did with his pictures was change them into black and white. Although you loose the color when you do this, the sharp contrasts that are a result more than make up for the lack of color. Being that the images are black and white allows the viewer to notice more subtle details that would have been missed had the image been printed in color. For example, his close-ups of leaves, being in black and white, allow the viewer to notice every curve in the leaf, every minute detail in the plant itself. And the shadowing that results completely blacks out certain portions of the picture, which serves as a kind of black hole, which allows the viewer to solely concentrate on what he wants you to be concentrating on.
I believe that Adams use of framing also allows his pictures to stand out. Some of his photos encapsulate the entire mountain or the entire valley while other limit your view to a single tree or a single plant. By doing this, Adams is allowing the viewer to not only appreciate the grandness of nature but also the subtle beauty that nature has to offer. The beauty that a single tree or a single plant has to offer. It is visually stunning.
Adams point of view is also very important in his making of pictures. In most every picture that he makes his point of view is lower than the thing itself. This conveys a sense of empowerment of nature. By being smaller than nature, humans realize that although we believe that we are the most powerful things in the universe, we are in fact dwarfed by nature.
The body of work I am most drawn to is the work by photographers Robert and Shana Parkeharrison. Most of the photographs exhibited on the Photography Now show the world as it is. While this is a very important and common aspect of photography, what I enjoy most about the Parkeharrison´s work is the surrealism themes that are evident in the pictures. These photographs open a fantasy world of which we have never seen. It is a novelty and also sends a deeper message. The use of men in suits throughout every photograph creates a unity connecting the collection through these small details. It also speaks to the lack of individuality that a suit brings. It is conventional and lacks personality. However my favorite Robert and Shana Parkeharrison photograph displayed on the website is number 20/21. It shows hundreds, possibly thousands of rectangular boxes where men in suits are crouched in the fetal position and look asleep. Using a vantage point from above looking down we can seen just how vast the background is, making it appear as though their are an endless stream on sleeping men in their individual boxes. But the best part of the photograph is the one lone man that has awakened from his slumber and is sittting up. The psychology behind this photo shows how everyone is going through the motions and doing exactly what society tells them to do. They are not thinking for themselves. But one man has seen the world for what it really is. He will be able to form his own thoughts and not be compliant like everyone else. Hopefully he will be able to share his awakening with the rest of mankind. This is a modern day version of Plato´s allegory of the cave where Plato urges mankind to search for deeper truth instead of living in a ¨shadow world¨.
Other themes found in the photographs are mankind´s attempts to dominate over nature. With the surrealistic elements of the photographs, it makes this quest for domination look ridiculous and absurd. Also, the use of black and white with lots of gray makes the pictures feel sad and gloomy, as though these attempts are futile. The photographer´s framing makes the audience´s eyes go right to the man in the suit everytime and only after does the audience notice all of the strange, surrealistic details within the shot.