Friday, February 13, 2015

Keri Woodard - Weekly Artist Post

Todd Hido (1968)




Hido's photographs of suburban cities and buildings are made to look sort of creepy and dimly lit. The photographer claims that there is never any light added to the scene; he solely relies on the backlights of the streetlights, the moon, random house lights, etc. Hido uses analog film with long exposures to let as much of the light in as he needs. He also explains in an interview that he works in an "archaic" darkroom and feels that it's not really about the tools, but how you use them.
 
Without asking permission from anyone, Todd Hido sets up his camera anywhere he likes. He finds that as soon as he discovers a location he wants to shoot it then and there instead of a preconceived idea. Todd was fascinated with people in their homes which was a little bit creepy, but the pictures speak for themselves. It would spark an interest if he saw that one of the lights was on in a house obviously signifying that someone is in there, and he enjoyed pondering about their life.
 
Personally I think all these photographs are breath taking. It's insane how he captures peoples houses in such a eerie way with the dim lighting and fogginess, but keeping the homes relatable. The observer gets lost in what little light the artist provides, but it is just enough to have a narrative. This is the first color photographer that I have written a blog about because I favor black and white. Although, in these photographs it has a sense of black and white while bringing out beautiful colors and lighting. I figured with our next project being about light and color that this would be useful and inspiring.

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