Week 10 Blog

Paul Strand

http://photography-now.net/paul_strand/index.html

This image captured my attention due to the oddity of its composition. While very good it is more unconventional of a composition. The wood of a building or shack is a frame for the snow and trees in the background. I think he may be using a telephoto lens because the trees and house behind them seem to be smashed together and almost a little flat. The texture and tones of the wood grain really makes the trees in the background pop, and even with the intense amount of light outside of the door it is not blown out. A great print and picture.

Edward Weston
http://photography-now.net/edward_weston/index.html

I am intrigued by the thing itself in this photograph. Weston has a knack for making the viewer really examine the subjects of his photographs. By my eye I would assume that these are rocks that have been decaying from water for hundreds of years. The light tones within the indented rock is very interesting because usually I relate these spaces with dark tones. The lines in this image guide ones eye around the photograph weaving between texture and tones. He also has captured some really great textures as well.

Walker Evans

http://photography-now.net/walker_evans/

The first thing I noticed about this photograph is the repetitive textures against the more subtle background of clouds. Evans still gets a lot of information out of the clouds while getting everything he could want out of the pallets and wooden boxes below. This leads me to believe he burned the sky in or else it may have been blown out. The smoke stacks further the depth of the picture while adding a bit of variety. Still vertical repetitive lines but also diagonal lines cutting through the clouds. Also the subtle reflections in the puddles in the foreground really add a nice touch that may not be noticed from the viewer right away.

Week 9 Blog

Eliot Porter

http://photography-now.net/eliot_porter/portfolio1.html

Porters work reminds me a lot of the thing itself. He creates different variations of what he finds aesthetically pleasing. What he changes about this landscape is the point of view in which he chose to shoot. The added reflection of the water lets the viewer see more of the rock face also in a different light than the direct image. He uses a warm saturated color palette with darker tones in the background. I have been very interested in reflections lately and I think Porter created a successful photograph of a reflection.

Rolfe Horn

http://photography-now.net/rolfe_horn/index.html

Horn's work reminds me of Tokihiro Sato's work. I chose this photograph for that reason and because Horn is using a neutral density filter to obtain this quality in the image. The long exposure makes the water appear as fog because it takes the white caps of the water when the image is exposed due to how bright it is. I will say that Horn has more of a fog effect then Sato's long exposure water pictures. Horn also gets tones from both the water and the sky, the sky is but ten percent darker than the water or "fog." And the emphasis is placed well on the darker group of rocks further back in space.

George Tice

http://photography-now.net/george_tice/index.html

I respect this photograph because Tice goes against the rule of thirds and takes the photograph straight on but still creates asymmetry with the figure in the background. Although he is in a dark space he gets information in the much brighter direct sunlight beyond the bridge/platform. A subtle cityscape framed within the confines of a very design heavy frame. I also chose this picture because it reminds me of a bridge that i shot at this week for Photo II , the long arches on each side of the boards that show structure in the image.

Week 8 Blog

Brassai

http://transversealchemy-raw.blogspot.com/2011/01/brassais-paris-late-night-ramblings.html?zx=fcbbf7177d40ed20

This photo has a great sense of mystery to it due to the unclear depictions of objects from the fog. We know there there is a car stationary on the road shining its light at something possibly out of the frame. The viewer also cannot tell if there is anyone actually in the car. The atmospheric perspective is also magnified by the fog. The silhouetted trees have great definition even though the fog is there adding a more graphic aspect to the photograph.

Joel Meyerowitz

http://www.theoriginators.com/joel-meyerowitz-photography/

This photograph is absolutely amazing and I'll tell you why. One, he captures a firework not only exploding but on its way up to create a "light star" in the sky. Two, he has an amazing tonal range in the middle of the night. Three, the detail he achieved really makes this photo. Okay so enough with the numbers, Joel makes something mundane into something beautiful. The texture of the snow on the car, the tire tracks from a car that was beside it and the tree in the foreground that still has definition while backed up to the row of trees in the background. I think the most amazing aspect of this photograph to me would have to be that is was taken at night and he accomplished a full tonal and detailed photograph.

Fazal Sheikh

http://photography-now.net/fazal_sheikh/index.html

This image really makes me want to go out and take some portrait photographs. Its very dark and yet there are still some very bright whites, and the gaze that the figure has is very engaging even though he is not directly looking at the viewer you can sense he is in deep thought. It is very rare that I want to go out and take some portraits but the lighting in this image is just so concrete. I also want to get into the studio and really start learning the numerous possibilities of lighting.

Week 7 Blog

7Paul Strand

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1987.1100.10

This photograph screams design to me. The repetition of lines with the break of the table against the wall or ground adds a bit of variety. Throwing off the lines and causing them all not to show as well as creating another direction for your eye to follow. The minimal color palette ranging from an off-white-yellow to a dark brown/black is easy on the eyes to allow them to flow up down and around the image. Although this image is very asymmetrical the darks and lights even the weight making it very acceptable to my eye.

Imogen Cunningham

http://www.artnet.com/Galleries/Artwork_Detail.asp?G=&gid=423969340&which=&ViewArtistBy=&aid=4668&wid=424893232&source=artist&rta=http://www.artnet.com

This to me is a very powerful photograph. The emotion captured, which may not be easily seen at first, is almost startling. This man in this setting tells me a story. A story that he once was here chopping this wood, using that sledge hammer and working hard. Now that he has reached 90 (My father at 90 is the title) or an older age in general shows that he cannot do those tasks he once could. He put on his suit and he walks with his cane in a place he is very familiar with. Not as familiar as it used to be but very familiar. He almost has a face of confusion which just makes me further believe he does not know this world as well as he used to. Yes it is a pretty straight on photograph but there are so many subtle details that give such a story and I appreciate that a lot in a photograph.

Dean Chamberlain

http://jasonmelcher.com/LIGHT_GRAFFITI_WEBSITE/Dean_Chamberlain_FS/index.html

I am incorporating "Light Writing" into my book for this first semester of Photo II so I have been looking  up quite a few artist who incorporate it into their work as well. Shelly was so nice as to give me a flyer from a show around Philly so I hopped on there website and found quite a few people. This man stood out to me because what he does is much different than your conventional "Light Writing" rather than adding the light in as its own subject he exposes different areas to give it unconventional tones that seem to be photoshopped in. In his other work it is more prominent but i chose this one because it is a mix of both. The eye of the viewer is brought to the center of the photograph and then dispersed every which way because of the outburst of light he has created. He also gets the blue of the sky in there, most likely from the long exposures he uses.

Week 6 Blog

Michael Bosanko

http://www.michaelbosanko.com/photo6402250.html

Michael Bosanko is a magician with lights. He finds interesting compositions and adds a huge presence of light to the situation. Even if the composition seems mundane or uninteresting it certainly is not after he adds in a bit of light. The light in his photographs creates a world I would like to tap into. It has this undeniable presence. In the shot above he creates a sea of green while accenting the lines of the fence with what may be sparklers. Adding another wavelength of purple above the sea just bringing your eye further and further into the image.

Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe, 2008. At the Canyon's edge: from the foot of the Toroweap to the "Devil's Anvil" overhang with an upstream view of the Colorado River. Inset L to R: William Bell, 1872. (Courtesy National Archives) 

http://www.klettandwolfe.com/

Mark Klett has a great idea going here. Its amazing how time can change so many things and yet when it comes to these canyons they are almost exactly the same from the late 1800's up until a few years ago. It lets us know as photographers we are truly capturing reality it is all up to the vantage point, the execution and our ideas that set us apart from each other. A picture one has taken could possibly be shot again. Of course it is a lot more accessible with something like this rather then Bosanko whom is shown above. 

Andre Kertesz - Arm With Fan 1937

http://blog.ricecracker.net/tag/andre-kertesz/

Andre Kertesz has created an interesting photograph out of almost nothing. By having this arm (which is from a man fixing the fan on a ladder) Kertesz allows the viewer to collect ideas to why this arm would be coming out of this fan. Does the fan work? Is it gonna turn on on him? This juxtaposition of an arm coming out of a fan just sparks the imagination or at least I know it sparks mine. The mans head is just barely visible towards the top of the fan, the slightest bit of gray makes him noticeable. Adding a subtle element to this "in your face" photograph.

Week 5 Blog

Maurizio Polese - Escape

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/06/09/beautiful-black-and-white-photography/

I found this image while looking at another photographer. First recognizing the dark shape one could relate it to a silhouette of a person. Upon further investigation I noticed that the dark shape was actually a shadow and the picture was taken upside down. The juxtaposition of the cobblestone road very well could throw the viewer off. It adds a very nice texture, I accept the fact of the picture being flipped and do not think it would be quite as strong if it were flipped to its original position. The black space in the bottom right of the photograph was also very thought out creating more intensity and tension at the bottom of the photograph.

Stephen Shore - Shoes

http://peoplesforeignexchange.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/stephen-shore-at-the-douglas-hyde-gallery-dublin/stephen-shore_shoes/

I believe this photograph gives us a flash from the past, lounging around watching T.V. The cropping of this square frame was well thought out, the negative space on the right side of the image balances the bright window on the right hand side of the image. The photograph has an old school feel to it in general due to the tube television, suitcase style, pattern on the couch/chair and the iconic "Chuck Taylors" While the image has a very neutral color palette it still catches the eye.

Josef Koudelka

http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/Josef-Koudelka.html

I can relate to this image because I understand the difficulty shooting a black dog in the snow. Trying to get tones or facial features is near impossible. What Koudelka shows here is that you can still get an interesting photograph of a black dog in the snow without getting too much detail. The decisive moment creates this dynamic black shape in the foreground of the picture. Breaking up the snow is a rug underneath the dog also allowing another gray tone into the image. With a few trees in the background breaking up the scene and creating a greater sense of space.

Week 4 Blog

Josef Sudek - Egg

http://5magazine.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/over-the-photographs-by-josef-sudek/

What may seem as such a simple picture is not. This minimal choice of subject matter has, in my eye, created an excellent photograph. It also demonstrates how something simple such as a plate and an egg can make a photograph. The information given in this image is amazing, the scratches on the sill, suttle reflection in the glass, bright whites and dark blacks. All of this information creates a complete pleasing photograph that has a great tonal range and composition.

Emmet Gowin
http://raphaelgianellimeriano.blogspot.com/2011/04/emmet-gowin-photographs.html

The use of a wide angle lens really captured the emotion in this image. The elongation of the body with the same feeling from the room makes both the figure and environment become one. The two windows also add two highlights that really make the image pop. The horse in the left window also makes the viewer ask questions. Is that a decoration? The kids? So is she in the kids room? Gowin uses the curtains and clothing to relate to each other as well with the shadows and ripples.

Lewis Baltz - Park City

http://www.artnet.com/artwork/426108364/title-park-city-1980-a-sequential-work-with-102-elements-element-no-80.html

Here we have another image with simple subject matter. Although there are not many objects in this photograph there are still some very interesting things going on. For starters even though there are only five surface planes there is still a full tonal range. The black rectangle is almost centered in the photograph but not quite. The small creases between the dry-wall and screws add more of a texture breaking up the light gray space in the background. In the foreground we also have debris which adds even more texture, the debris is not over powering in this photo due to the high contrast in the center and to the right side of the photograph.