Weekly Artist Post - Simone McPhail 7

Dirk Rees

This week I have chosen a photo series by Dirk Rees, which highlights warriors from some of the most feared and respected tribes in the continent of Africa. Dirk seems to stop his shutter speed down to maybe create a certain color scheme in all of these photos. If he had used a digital camera, theres also a possibility he could've used a combination of shutter speed, and white balance settings to create the mood he's achieved in these photos. I like that in two of the three photos he's chosen such a contrasting background to the dark skin of his subjects. 

Dirk uses the color palette of the warrior's garb as well as the sand and the sky to create a beautiful temperature for the photos. The bright colors of the warriors' garbs compared to the muted color of the sky and the sand centralizes our focus on the men wearing the bright colors against the dark browns of their skin. I also love the way Dirk uses the light in the first to pictures to shape and define the bodies of the young men photographed. the creative choices employed here most certainly work together to create a beautiful tone and theme for these pictures.

I enjoy the content of these pictures because, like in previous blog posts, these pictures show Africans as more than just starving children. In a place like Kenya, specifically in this tribe of peoples, the Samburu, gender constructs hold as strong as a constitution. It is interesting for me to see these young men fulfill their family legacy and prophecy as protectors of their tribe. The use of dead animals and skulls was a little primitive for me but I do understand the concept of portraying them as conquerors. 

Holli Turner - Weekly Artist Post

Blake Little

For the images with motion Blake Little used a fast shutter speed to freeze motion.  The shutter speed can be anywhere between 1/250 and 1/1000 of a second.  He placed all of these subjects in front of the same background this sort of gradient gray that fades into a softer white.

Blake Little chose models of varying ages.  His subject was that of “preservation”.  Honey has the effect of encasing the subjects in a semi-permanent yet ever moving substance, which draws interest.  As stated the honey gives this Amber like effect.  This can be compared to when insects are trapped in the honey and made “immortal” in a sense in that they are preserved.  The photographs are attempting to give that same feeling.

I enjoyed viewing these images.  I feel that they all have these harmonious qualities.  The golden yellows and soft browns give this interesting glossy glass like texture over the skin and fur of these subjects.  These photographs are unique and put a new spin on the word preservation.  I noticed here that I focused more on the subject’s placement, movement, and form versus the person and background itself.

Sabrina Brooks- Weekly Post 7

Mark Laita

Mark Laita is amazing when it comes to capturing color and light. He most likely uses fast shutter speeds paired with shallow apertures. This can be deduced because of how he likes to get close-up to focus on his subject or the textures on his subjects body. Laita would need to use quick shutter speeds for his ‘Dangerous Snakes’ series, in order to capture the snakes poses. It is unknown whether or not Laita stages these poses or simply allows the snake to determine the shot.

Laita delves into many different subjects in his photography however, he seems to specialize in animal photography. He focuses on showing the beauty of the most dangerous of creatures. Rarely, does he film motion in his animals but when he does, he does it beautifully. Depicting dogs shaking off their fur or moths surrounding a light bulb. All animals are depicted beautifully and respectfully, giving the viewer a glimpse of the intricacy of nature.

I was attracted to Laita’s portraits of animals because of my interest in capturing beasts and animals with photography. I wonder if I can give the feeling of an inanimate object being alive by using some of the techniques that Laita has used. Laita makes me want to experiment with various colors and textures to help achieve my goal of showing the world in a different light, as one filled with characters and monsters unseen by the human eye.

Cynthia Bowles- Weekly Post 7

Marc Dantan 

1. Marc Dantan uses the stillness of the burned, life like animals to create a abstract feel between the subject and the background. He uses a low ISO to capture the detail in the charred and crumbled pieces in the background as well as the texture on the burned animals. He also uses a mildly closed aperture to get a greater depth of field. I believe he used a long lends as well as walked closer to the subject because in the first image, the background and foreground seem closer together.  

2.Marc Dantan is a French photographer. The pictures above are from his Immortal series. He sought to show the life and beauty that remained in the beautiful 18th century Deyrolle Taxidermy in Paris it was caught fire  in 2008. Even though the life like animals were badly burned, Dantan still positioned each animal so that they seemed alive in each photo. 

3. I like this series because of the realistic and abstract feel that they have. To me, the animals seem to be in a comfortable position but in a horrible environment. I believe he embraced the idea of beauty in destruction. Kind of similar to the end of the world movies. They show the destruction of society or a type of society and then show the process of adaptation of the survivors.  Anything can be rebuilt, just like the Deyrolle Taxidermy building with the help and contributions of the art community. 

Weekly Artist Post - Devin Escalante

Paul Hillier

1.  In this series Structures by Paul Hillier, he really wanted to showcase the beauty of building and structures and how they now just a normal part of every day life.  For the photos taken outdoors and at night, Paul most likely used a long shutter speed to capture all those bright lights, a large aperture to ensure good exposure of the buildings and a large ISO since he probably used no flash.  For the indoor ones, he probably used a quick shutter speed, smaller aperture and a low ISO since all these modern building provide excellent lighting for what he is trying to shoot.

2.  His thematic intent in this series is to obviously showcase structures and buildings in different cities and locations.  The outdoor shots show how alive the cities really are at night and that at ay given time there will be some kind of liveliness going on.  And for the indoor photos, a very crisp and clean structure of all the lines that make up the skeleton of the buildings we see in the outdoor pictures.

3.  I really enjoy Paul's photos in this series, I'm usually drawn to long exposures and cityscapes just because of the magnificence that humans built these giant skyscrapers, but also how much the lights at night really bring out how pretty our world is at night.  

Weekly Artist Post - Devin Escalante

Jason Matias

1.  Jason seems to prefer taking pictures in a low light setting with no flash, probably indicating a larger aperture and slower shutter speed with a high ISO.  In this series, he seemed to use a longer shutter speed so that the movement of the water or fog would be blurred to give the boats their eerie feel.

2.  Since the name of this series is Lonely Boats, his obvious thematic intent was to showcase a single, sad lonely boat amidst beautiful surroundings.  Some boats perched on a beach with a beautiful sunrise in the background as they know they are prideful and use, others in the cold fog who have been soaking up the salt below them and cultivating barnacles.

3.  I absolutely loved this series from Jason, not only because each photo holds so much beauty in itself, but also because I have a lot of my own photos that are similar to these Lonely Boats.  Every photograph is so gorgeous, from the sunsets, the reflections of the water, the elegance of the lonely boats, each one has a story to tell and you can get a feel of the lives of the boats just from the pictures.

Weekly Artist Post - Devin Escalante

Ron Jude

1.  All of Jude's photos in this series are taken outdoors which indicates that he most likely used a low ISO, quick shutter speed given that they are all in daylight and some of them snow.  Theres no sign of a flash in his photos since the late afternoon light seemed to provide the gloomy feel he was going for.

2.  Since the series is called The Poetry of Elsewhere, the thematic intents are clearly the rugged outdoors and the actual real world that is out there other than our busy city lives.  All of these photos are of the beauty of nature with a small sign of human interaction.  Given the name, he is really trying to express how just mother nature is so beautiful in itself and that there is a whole other world out there that most people will never experience.

3.  Since I love to always be outdoors, and especially taking photos outside, I really enjoyed the beauty of these simple, yet deep pictures that express what life is like outside our city limits and where our world really began.  The low light adds the feeling of being outside in the cold with him, or down by the water just listening to it flowing by.

Chevon McClenney- Weekly Artist Post

 Damon Cesarez

Los Angeles based photographer Damon Cesarez, was prompted to create a body of work specifically exhibiting the 1 out of 5 young adults, who have returned home because of financial issues or to pursue higher education to reach specific goals. A situation that he is all too familiar with. The Series called Boomerang Kids, was shot solely in the United States, over eight states and fourteen cities, including his own hometown.

After looking at the entire series, it seems as if Cesarez used a mix between documentary style and a bit of staged environmental portraits. Although the photos seem to be lit only by ambient light, there are shadows on walls and faces that would allude to maybe a small strobe or off camera flash. Seeing the subjects looking every bit of capable adults yet in very child-like, juvenile settings is what makes these images interesting. Each of his subjects simultaneously emits on one hand a feeling of hope, while still maintaining this hopelessness. 

The quest to have the American dream, career, family and possessions, has driven this group of young adults into a cycle of wanting to achieve more, all the while willingly putting themselves into financial distress. With the rising cost of education and the 2008 economic slump, this group of "Millennials" has found it the hardest to bounce back. I know because I am one of them. I graduated from VCU with BFA, only when I got into the real world, there were few jobs to be had. I worked in DC for six years in management and could not shake the pull of a more creative career and future. I resigned from my position, forfeited a great salary, benefits and paid vacation because what's more important to me is that I am happy and fulfilled. So here I am, back in school, spending more money to get into a more sought after skill of Graphic Design.

Brianna Ivey: Weekly Artist Post 7

Jacob Maentz

1. Jacob Maentz, photographs of the Philippines indigenous people. While many of the people living in the Philippines decided to live a modern day lifestyle,  the people living on the coastal region of the Philippines continue to live according to their ancestor's traditions and practices.

2. With the Philippines being made out of thousands of different islands, fishing is how many of the indigenous people live. Many of themail fishermen catch enough fish to feed their families.  They use different techniques to catch different marine life. Sometimes they used modern fishing techniques.  The culture and heritage of the indigenous people are being threatened by metropolitan regions and commercial fishing practices.

3. It is sad that we are living in a world that is obsessed with money and selfish and are willing to push people out of their homes, take food out of the mouth of others for themselves.  The people who fish to sell to the masses can easily fish without kicking out the indigenous people, but these people care more about how much money will the fish give them than how lives will be affected if we take over the water and the life in it.

Kailyn Dickason weekly artist post

Heather Evans Smith










This artist focuses mainly on dramatic lighting and incredibly clear photos. I feel like these photos are on handheld speeds, with an iso of 800. I feel like the aperture is big so she can capture all the details.I also feel like these images may be touched up in Photoshop afterwards because of the lighting.
                          I feel like the artist was trying to catch an imaginary world her daughter only has access to because of how little she is. These photos are imaginative and magical with a hint of mystery, The artist wants totell a story I feel, and she is doing  great job at it.
                     I really like these photos because of how expressive they are, and how they really do tell a story. I appreciate the lighting and the sense of mystery in these as well. I like not knowing the intentions and also having my own ideas of their meaning. I am looking forward to seeing more from this artist.

Kailyn DIckason Weekly artist post

Barbara Ciurej & Lindsay Lochman 






I think that these artists probably did these photos on a hand holding level, with lights set up for lighting. I feel like the ISO was probably about 800, and that the aperture was a bigger size. I appreciate the boldness of colors, and the way the artists use food to make landscapes.
        These artists made these photos because they wanted to mimic Carleton Watkins landscapes and show how foods industrial production is like industrial productions in the earlier years, I feel like this is probably a comparison as to how both are dangerous now a days and back then.
        I appreciate these works because they're very interesting, and they have so much color. I also like that they're sort of spoof s of another artists work. In general these artists were ok, and I look forward to seeing more from them.

Jennifer Maddox Weekly post

Sharon Lee Hart

What are the artist's technical choices?

Harts' photos are of rescued abused animals. Her decision of keeping them black and white brings more feelings into the photos. Color can distract a person from what they are really meant to see. She also focuses only on the animal instead of having the background in focus. 

What are the artist's conceptual and/or thematic intents?

Hart wanted to display that every animal is an individual as well. She wanted to focus this project on the relationships between humans and animals. She explained that leaving the photos black and white help us focus on the animals expression. She wanted to find a way to display that animals feel as well. 

How do you respond to these choices and intents?

When I first looked at these pictures I was taken back because I could see the expressions. Some have pain in their eyes and some aniamls look like they are smiling. These photos capture the way animals should be represented, not as objects but living creatures. I also enjoy how she photographed the animals in a portrait way, just as a human would have been.  

Jennifer Maddox weekly post

Clary Estes

What are the artist's technical choices?

Clary Estes photographed families that have stayed in the rural areas in China. Estes She seems to have underexposed some of her photos maybe to display the hardships that these families must endure while they have been left behind.

What are the artist's conceptual and/or thematic intents?

She explained that she wanted to photograph the families that have been left behind by their other families members who had traveled to the city for more opportunities. These photos display the struggles that the families must endure once they have been left. She used these photos for ask the question, "what does it mean to be left behind?" 

How do you respond to these choices and intents?

I enjoy her photos because they do show the struggles that the families go through. Usually when I think of China, I imagine the cities and all the people. However, I rarely stop to think about the rural areas and the people living there. These photos help people remember what others are going through. 

Kellen Clarke- Extra Artist Post

Ian Ruther 

1. Ian Ruther is well known for his photography style. He does not care for the newest technology that is provided for photography and resorts to making photos the old fashion way. He is a creative man and designed a truck around his whole concept at one point. The world of photography he feels as gone so far off track that he brings it back. He decided to use a 19th century process called wet plate collodion to take his art to a higher place.

2. These photos are form the gallery, When Dreams Collide. He shoots a person or place and then distorts the image to look dark and mysterious. This gives the vibe of possible tragedy and darkness. Most of Ian's work is black, white and silver. Any yellow or brightness is from the amount of light that he has allowed in. This is also because of the type go photo media Ian has chosen to work with.

3. Ian was brave to take a truck and turn it into his home/work place and creative zone. This is a man who is serious about the art and media but doesn't want to be distracted b the newest technologies. He has a key eye for the blacks, whites and grey that are in his pictures. Knowing that he prefers to work that way it stamps his own style in the photography world. I like how each pictures has a smokey or a sense of fear aspect to it, as if one was in the dream with them.

Grace Herion - weekly artist post

Kentaro Takahashi

Kentaro Takahashi uses digital photography. Based on the above images, I would guess that he is using a short lens, with a high-quality ISO, and a very open aperture. The pictures also look a little under exposed, so perhaps he is using a faster shutter speed to create that.

In the interview, Takahashi says that he uses photography as a way to express his discontent with the political participation and awareness of Japanese citizens. He says that they have a "disgusting" culture that seems to ignore politics, stunting the progress of the country. He creates images that focus on this idea... that people are blind to what is going on around them.

As the U.S. faces a similar problem of political participation and awareness, these images are easy to relate to. As Takahashi mentioned, people rely too heavily on the media to form their opinions. The media is just not reliable enough to base something so important off that information. I appreciate Takahashi's goal and message with these photos. I think an informed political opinion is one of the most important roles of a contributing citizen.