Megan Wingfield -weekly artist post 3

Dash Snow

  

1. Dash Snow took all of these photographs during night which he most likely does on purpose to show that darkness brings out the evil in things. All of the photographs taken are polaroids with black backgrounds. All of his shots are candid, which helps bring out the true reality of life. For the most part his photos are center weighed and all were taken at a distance.  

2. The artist wants us to focus on the darker, creepier side of life that we do not see too often on a regular basis. The first photo is just funny and ironic but it somewhat still frightens me because the letters of hell are bright red and planted in the darkness of an isolated gas station. The second photo shows a young man throwing up and his friend pointing it out, which represents the negatives of partying or drinking too much. The last photo is of a man on the ground with people looking down at him. I assume he is either hurt or dead and Im sure that was caused by another person giving harm on him or drugs, because nowadays those are common deaths. 

3. I like how Dash Snow took these photos because he shows his viewers the raw reality of life. I think he took a picture of a Shell with the S burnt out to show that we will end up in hell if we are bad people. A lot of people do not even consider thinking about hell anymore because so many of us sin every day. The second photo is to show that if we party too hard, we get punished... by our bodies. We should all cherish our bodies instead of intoxicating them until we get sick. The last photo shows the words "Fear the Darkness". I believe the artist is trying to scare his viewers with the cold reality that life is not rainbows and butterflies. It is hard work to stay on track and be successful in life. You just can not let the darkness bring you in. 

Megan Wingfield - weekly artist post 2

Paul Kwiatkowski

1. Paul Kwiatkowski uses strong color to enhance his photographs. He also stands close to all of his models, probably not more than five feet away for his farthest photo. All of the photos are center weighed and pictures of a single person by themselves. It seems as though all of his photographs are real life, rather than staged. 

2. All of Paul's photos represent the real hardships in life that teenagers face today. In the first photo a young man is holding up guns and looks proud doing it. Today, many teenagers get ahold of guns and think it is cool to take pictures with them because it will scare their enemies and make them not want to mess with them. The next photo is of a young girl doing drugs in the comfort of her own home. Drugs are a huge problem in todays society because more than half of the people today use some type of drug on a daily basis. The last photo shows a man with a horrible bad bruise on his right eye representing fighting and violence. 

3. I think that Paul is trying to show the viewers that guns, drugs, and violence are what bring this society down. All of the people photographed were young adults, which shows that our generation is going down hill. All of these actions being photographed are negative ones. Paul really opens up my eyes to see the hard core reality of life. I feel as if his motive for taking these real life photographs is to help america understand whats really going on and to start going in the right direction. 

Mayteana Colon Weekly artist post 3

Carlo Mollino

1)      His photos are captured with a polaroid camera. His focal point seems to be women in various states of their natural being. Some captured fully clothed and others in different stages of undress. Very close proximity and intimate. Use of cool and warm colors.

2)      The photos seem to show women as something to be cherished even worshipped maybe. The women are shown in good taste and the photos express their beauty. The first image depicts the women in a strong standing almost queen or goddess like. The second image expresses more of a softer intimate side of women. The last image expresses a sort of realistic, relatable image of women.

3)      I liked his work because even though the subjects are in various stages of undress they are done very artistically and in a way that is appealing and not uncomfortable. I like the meaning that I get from the photos, the expression of women as strong and beautiful individuals. Seems empowering and uplifting. The use of warm and cool colors convey emotion in the photos that capture my interest and makes me examine them more closely. 

Mayteana colon weekly artist post 2

Billy Monk 

1)      He photographed with a Pentax 35mm camera with a small flash. He also used IL ford FP4 film. His photos are close range containing subjects in different stages of merriment. His images are in black and white and they are very intimate.  His pictures are of real life scenes and are not staged.

2)      The work shows the night life of a nightclub called the catacombs. His subjects are doing what is natural, having fun, drinking and living life. His work appears very intimate and up close and personal. His works subject matter seems to be freedom and being alive. His work is active, capturing actual events in a photograph.

3) I like the photos because they were raw and real. They depicted the real world showing the fun and beauty but also the ugly of what is in the world. I also relate to the photos thinking back to my own experiences out and about in the night life and my time spent at clubs and parties capturing the various stages of the night with my cell phone camera

Mayteana colon weekly artist post 1

Arnold Kramer

1)      The work is specifically frontal. He uses a black and white scheme to capture everyday living space. He seems to only be a foot or two from his scenes, capturing images in a close proximity. His pictures are strictly scene with no live people involved.

2)      The work seems to signify the simplicity of everyday living. It gives light to the beauty of the mundane world. The black and white aspects of these photos seem to hint at that as well, giving his work a sense of normality. His work shows that the living spaces are obviously occupied but no subjects are scene maybe symbolizing living but not being present in the world.

3)      I liked these photos because they show the real. The simplicity and straight forwardness s interesting. He doesn’t photograph a pretty picture, his work has substance. I also liked the black and white theme, it added depth the photos that I don’t think would have been there if they had been in color.

Ashanti Neverson - Weekly Artist Post 3

Slim Aarons

1.) The photographer uses color on an analog camera. The photographer seems to six feet or more away from the subjects getting very wide shots. The colors are very clear with either green or blue being the dominant colors. It seems he used the natural light of the sun during the day. His subjects are very far away but centered surrounded by great structures.

2.) These subjects seem to live a very affluent lifestyle. The distance from the photographer gives us an outsider looking in vibe. The subjects seem so isolated from everything else as they might be from the rest of the world. It shows how the "1%" can roam around with ease but maybe a lonely spot to have. Everything in the picture is rich in nature as the blues and greens are so dominant in the photos, reinforcing how rich the subjects live.

3.) For me it shows that people can have so much money and wealth that it can isolate them from the rest of the world. It seems lonely and elitist but still a certain easiness in their living. It reminds me of a song by Frank Ocean called "Sweet Life" where he says "Why see the world, when you've got the beach"? The photos show how much they have at their feet but what little they might actually see when living so lavish.

Deja Thompson - Weekly Artist Post 3

Bill Owens

1) Owens uses black and white. His medium appears to be film. His shots are both candid and posed. In the first and last shot Owens is standing near his subject while in the second shot the view is aerial.

2) The theme of these picture are suburbia. The first picture is of a family which indicates the suburban lifestyle and this idea of the American Dream. The second picture of the coveted suburban neighborhood in which everyone wanted to live in at the time, especially when they were starting a family. The last picture shows a stay at home mom taking care of a newborn and a older son.

3) I think these photos show how times used to be with the idea of the American Lifestyle. In the middle you have the lovely neighborhood that everyone wants. Up top you have the dream family with their boat, that just screams perfect. Lastly there is the stay at home mom who's only job is to take care of the kids, keep the house clean and have dinner ready when her husband gets home from work.

Ashanti Neverson - Weekly Artist Post 2

Philip-Lorca diCorcia

1.) The photos are in color and I would assume the camera used are analog. The subjects are centered but none of them are facing the camera directly. The colors in the photos are complimentary with what seems to be more than just natural lighting to enhance focus on the subjects. 

2.) The article mentioned that the subjects sold themselves in order to survive. In the first photo the subject is behind bars from the railings. We could think that the subject feels as though he is a prisoner of his conditions and circumstances. In the last photo the man is standing in the middle of a super market parking lot. This plays on the idea of trading something for money as the subject sells his body for money.

3.) For me the photos showed the idea of goods and services. It showed what we are willing to sell and buy in order to get ourselves in a better situation. The man in the first photo shows me a struggle but if we look at the shadow it looks like someone who overcome something with his hands held up strong. To me the people want more for themselves but are in an internal and external battle.

Ashanti Neverson - Weekly Artist Post 1

Vivian Maier

1.) The photographer, Vivian Maier, uses black and white photos taken from a film camera. These photos are of everyday people on the streets of cities the photographer traveled, so the subjects are about four to six feet away in their natural state. There are multiple subjects in the photos that are mostly centered but also show other subjects off centered. In the last photo shown she seemed to use a glass reflection of herself while capturing the people behind the other side of the glass.

2.) These photos are not staged and she has captured everyday people in their everyday life. In the first picture the girls seem to be skeptical of taking the picture as most of them are hiding in a shy nature. In society girls were taught to be modest and discreet. On the next photo the young boy is the opposite as he is urinating out in public as possibly his mother overlooks him. Her photos may have just been an unintentional hobby but they show life in the urban city areas at the time.

3.) For me I can see the behavioral norms or acceptances at the time. The ladies are being very meek and proper while the boy is comfortable in what most would call an embarrassing moment. Her self portrait also shows me how she sees other people within herself. As I learned she spent most of her life serving others as a nanny, I feel these photos can represent how as photographer we can live vicariously through our photos. 

Galina Karasoy - weekly post #3

Wim Wenders

 Written in the West, Revisited is a collection of photographs by the director Wim Wenders, shot across the American Southwest in 1983 during the location scouting for Wender’s 1984 film, Paris Texas. He primarily works with color and landscape of American West compositions. For this project, he used  Fuji 6x4.5 camera as well as Plaubel Makina 6×7.

First image explores red and green complementary colors. Because of three stores are sitting right next to each other, and the middle building is painted with bright colors, it immediately takes viewer attention. The second shot presents absolute stillness and the old man figure seems to be more like a part of the landscape than human being. Peeling off old sign on the wall brings us back to the past like a time-machine. Third picture is based on contrast of bright blue and red colors, and cloudy dark sky helps to emphasize on central still composition.

I really enjoy Wenders works because he has got a great ability to “freeze” or preserve the context of the image. Besides, I personally like to observe old signs of the wall, to learn how they are designed and those detailed photographs allow me to do it.  

Karissa Gilbertson Natalie Grono Weekly Artist Post # 3 8/30/15

 Photographer Natalie Grono did these photos in black and white of her children.  She uses still shots and moving shots to show emotion and her intent on keeping memories.

The intent behind these is to relive memories and treasure the old ones as she plays with her children on the beach.  The set is calls this "Sea Dreaming."  She was also trying to capture the wonder and magic of being and child. She wanted the emotion and wonderment to be the focal point of the photos.

I didn't feel what she feels in these pictures.  The art is very nice but it's not something that touches me personally and I would have preferred color shots. Her style is great it's just not something that particularly moves me but if you like these three, then check her out she has plenty more.

Weekly Artist Blog 3- Giovann Collazo

Giovann Collazo
Old Dominion University


http://www.vivianmaier.com/gallery/color-1/#slide-17

 These photos were taken by an American photographer named Vivian Maier. I would assume that she used a series of Rolleiflex cameras which were each different models. In the first photo we have a man with a neck brace sitting in a booth or vendor. He is looking down so Maier probably took the photo without him realizing it. Maier could have easily taken this photo from five feet away. The second photo shows three people wearing yellow in their outfits at a busy intersection.None of these people are looking in the camera, but it could be staged for Maier's portfolio. The third photograph shows a newspaper of Nixon speaking of bombs saving lives. She probably was standing three to four feet away from the paper at the time.

  The first photo shows that this man, who is sitting at a newspaper stand, looks exhausted and maybe in a little bit of pain due to his neck brace. The hat and jacket could imply that it is cold outside and that this man maybe freezing as well. The first photo shows three people, and a fourth person very far back, wearing the color yellow. They all seem to be in and/or around their sixties. I don't know the significance of geriatrics wearing the color yellow, but maybe it has something to do with a holiday only held in Chicago? The last photo shows a newspaper with President Nixon's photo, his mouth agape, with the headline with the headline "Bombs saved lives".


  The first photo gives me that daunting feeling of not being in the best condition of doing your job but having to do it because of having to pay bills and for food. The second photo of the elderly people wearing bright yellow in their outfits makes me laugh a little bit, almost as if it was supposed to be from a movie. However I am also interested as to why they are wearing this color and what the significance is. The third photo of the newspaper shows me that there was a very important, non-laughable issue that was going on during the 70's. I feel that Maier is trying to show how bad of a leader Nixon is and how ridiculous his comments are.

Galina Karasoy - Weekly post #2

Nikolay Bakharev

Nikolay Bakharev in Conversation with Luca Desienna of Gomma Magazine

1. Nikolay Bakharev is Russian photographer from Siberia. He created a series of emotional and controversial portraits in the 70’s, during Soviet society. Because of provoking context of his works, the distribution of nudity in photographs, has been banned.

2. As Nikolay says : “I expose the nature which people do not want to admit to”. This statement just repeats itself in every single shot he has taken. For example, on the first image we see naked man and woman that seem to be caught on camera just by accident. They turned to the viewer, starring toward the camera. But in the same time they do not ashamed to be viewed, they judge the observer. Settings of every image is created very thoughtfully. For those who does not know, carpet on the wall is traditional decoration in regular Russian apartment in soviet time. Blanket on the bed, funny looking slippers on the floor, wallpaper on the other wall is ALL regular settings in the regular apartment during soviet union. Everybody was “united”… seem to be cloned, nobody is unique, sameness is happiness. Where am I going with this? Those pictures are painfully familiar at least because of backgrounds.

Second photo is getting even more hilarious and organized with aesthetical brutality. Homemade “paradise” topped with “having-no-a-clue-what-is-going-on” white cat in the center of it and few american magazines that the hero of the photograph had access to. And again: the same carpets and old dialing phone on the table accomplishing perfect shot. The last portrait adds a little more innocence in Bakharev’s works. She was caught by surprise, surrounded by fashion magazines and having a little tea party on her own.

3.Honestly, the first time when I have looked at those portraits I had uncertain feelings: disgust and respect. Artist questioned and fought prejudice of that time when most things were prohibited, banned and negatively criticized by society and government. His works nothing else but posed beautiful ugliness and ugly beauty.