August Bradley style is inspired by
not other photographers but authors such as Thomas Pynchon and David Foster
Wallace which explains the mysterious and eerie nature of all of his pieces.
His methods include taking portraits with shallow apertures and under exposing
pieces to enhance the details lighter portions of the figures. This brings all
of the lighted features down to a dark and eerie level by reveling shadowed
crevices and natural grooves. Bradley most likely uses slow shutter speeds in
order to capture all of the color and minimal light in the dramatic scenes,
which only enhances the uniqueness of his subjects.
In his collection titled, “A
Theater of Darkness,” Bradley takes already fantastical subjects and emphasizes
their out of the ordinary features. By photographing and introducing this
underground circus that seems everything like Cirque De Soliel’s illegitimate
brother exemplifies Bradley’s love for the dramatic and mysterious. Women with
antlers and large nose piercings, winged birdmen and painted skin come alive
because Bradley paid careful attention to the lighting of his subjects. This
can be seen in his other portraits as well.
I enjoy his dark and dramatic style
as well as how he draws inspiration from literature as I do. However, I want to
see him take on more unique subjects that don’t fall into the realm of fashion photography.
Interesting concepts are depicted using the same thin, pretty-faced women that
swarm the modeling industry even to date. The “Theater of Darkness” series is
unique and tells of a little known, underground circus filled with individuals
with different body types whereas his other photos seem more about what wealthy
women could be wearing. These pictures are not all bad in that some of them
tell their own stories and makes the viewer ask questions. Why is that woman hammering a nail into an
egg?
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