Week 14

WeeGee

http://www.americansuburbx.com/2011/11/weegee-mass-hysteria-1998.html

This image stood out to me because it made me ask many questions. Why are these kids here? Where is "here"? How did he get the vantage point he has? Did he use a flash? Either way this is a very interesting photograph. WeeGee shows a great sense of depth by having the object in the foreground blurry and very close to the camera while the children are laying on the floor several feet below. There is a lot of action going on in this photograph which is hard to accomplish without the use of movement. The boy on the left is looking across to what I would assume is another child while the kids are laying on the floor half asleep and very crammed.

Horoshi Sugimoto

http://www.pdnphotooftheday.com/2009/09/2060

Hiroshi Sugimoto is part genius. Yes genius. I say this because this photograph is a mixture of things, very amazing feat's in the form of photography. Atleast I think so. He has here what seems to be an animal skin appearing as both the sky and the ground of this photograph. While doing so he has electrical charges sprouting much like a tree without leaves on a winter day. The background is also very dark but seems to portray a great sense of depth within the photograph. The trees are emphasized due to the large contrast between pure white and almost pure black.

Bruce Davidson

http://standardmint.com/?p=1144

What caught my eye with this photograph was the juxtaposition of the children playing in this body of water. They are all hanging from branches almost all the way out of the water. This is not something I as a viewer would recognize as children playing in a body of water just because I would start to assume the children would be in the water or splashing around. This photograph seems more posed or as if they were scared to go in the water. Their dark bodys and loss of information of the body seems to further the notion of fear almost in this photograph. Contrasting the common idea of children playing in a body of water for fun on a hot summer day.

Week 11, 12 and 13 Blog

Jacob Riis

http://famousartistsbirthdays2.blogspot.com/2011/05/jacob-riis.html

This photograph shouted RULE OF THIRDS to me right away, although the mid-point of the boys is almost centered. The composition is also very triangular like many paintings you would find in the 1900's.  The lines on the wall also mimic the lines from the steps with subtle variations within each form. I am not sure whether or not this photograph is staged but I have a feeling it isn't. They actually look like they are sleeping or at least resting.

Karl Blosfeldt

http://karlblossfeldtphotos.com/photos_details.asp?id=14&Photo_ID=120

When I was scrolling through the images of Blosfeldt I started to notice that the organic plants that he was photographing often had a relation with other objects. This imparticular reminded me of skyscrapers in New York. The Empire State Building to be exact. Due to the several "levels" if you will and the point at the top. Each photograph another side of the building. I find this quite interesting and I may try something of this nature for myself in the future.

Nicholas Nixon

http://froglyspeaking.blogspot.com/2010/11/picture-is-worth-thousand-words.html

This picture says a lot to me. It shows the durability and frailty of the human body at the same time. It shows the age of the elderly person which means that he/she has been here for quite a few years, enough to go there and back. While this person has been through a lot already they are facing their hardest experience now. The hand almost looks as if there is no muscle, as if they wouldn't be able to move it if they tried. The sweater is also falling off of the table as if there isn't even an arm in the sleeve. This picture tells me struggle, pain and near death. It is an overall powerful image and very well executed.

Richard Misrach

http://www.utata.org/salon/20487.php

I think this photograph is beautiful. The subtleties are what make it. The faint horizon line, the faint telephone wire, the gradients within the water and sky along with the slightly out of focus reflections really make this image work. It is completely balanced although at first glance it may seem like a grouping of random objects. Another thing that makes this photograph so interesting to me would be how this situation is most likely not a good one. This picture is of a flooded street or field. Something no one wants, excess water means destruction in most cases. Yet Misrach creates a beautiful composition and moment in time.

Bruce Davidson

http://graememitchell.com/blog/bruce-davidson

Bruce has a great deal of things working for him in this photograph. For starters we have the use of a wide angle lens to give the viewer a feeling of distance from the shadowy figure within the frame. The fact that he chose to get closer to the wall also contributes to the depth of the room. Again we have a great use of rim light on the figure as well as the ominous posture. The figure has his hands behind his back which makes the viewer wonder whether or not he has something in his hands that he is hiding or if he is just standing with good posture. The curtain over the window also gives a nice diffused light within the room.

Carleton Watkins

http://emmewest.hubpages.com/hub/Carleton-Watkins-Documentary-Photographer

I realize this is not the most interesting of photographs but what I found most engaging was the odd resemblance of a high heeled shoe from far away. Yes, this may be a stretch but if you get farther away from the image and even squint a little the highlights in the photograph make-up the silhouette of a high heeled shoe. The water fall would be where your foot would go in and the decaying tree trunk would be the heel. Other than that I am not the most intrigued by this photograph. Which is ok because Watkins mainly did documentary photography.

August Sander

http://oriannalavie.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/photographer-of-the-month-august-sander/

This photograph appears to be a bit surreal to me. I am not sure whether it is the tonal range or the thing itself (the bridge). I suppose it is a combination of both. I find it very interesting that Sander's could get those blacks under the bridge while the field on the right hand side has a haze over it and is not very contrasted. A very well executed depiction of atmospheric perspective. Along with a surrealistic quality that is not easily obtained by a straight photograph.

Andreas Gursky

http://mastergram.tumblr.com/post/9577305804/andreas-gursky-bahrain-1-2005-modified-using

I appreciate this photograph in many ways. The first being the flowing earthy feeling it emits even though it is a composite of roads. This contrasting perspective allows me as the viewer to start thinking outside of the box. Gursky has a great way of creating something out of nothing. Merging and deleting parts of images to create a design friendly photograph. At first glance I would assume this was an image of oil on a surface of some kind but with further examination I realized it is nothing of that sort. This is part of the  of Gursky. His ability to make the roads seamlessly intertwine to make a whole.

Mark Klett

http://crashinglybeautiful.tumblr.com/post/1121346619/mark-klett-from-strange-eyes

Design is a huge factor to why I appreciate this photograph. Klett uses the huge rock faces to create a wonderful composition. The figure within the sliver of light only adds to the composition as well as the mountain of rock in the distance. It is a very distinct photograph which is what I aim for as a photographer. It also reminds me of DCAD's two dimensional design class. By using negative space as well as unity and variety Klett creates a very interesting image. The rock mountain in the background also mimics the bottom portion of the grouped rocks in the foreground. Without the view point of Klett this image would not be where it is compositionally. The use of light is spot on and very interesting.