Galina Karasoy - weekly post #11

Patrick Zachmann

Patrick Zachmann, a member of Magnum Photos,  accents on taking images of the actual characters, people, who is main subjects of his stories. He generally experiments with both, black and white and color photography. Through videos and photographs, he compares his own family history with that of migrants today. He focuses in particular on migrants’ relationships to the sea (mare) they had to cross and to the mother (mater) they left behind.

First image is well balanced and geometrically even on the both sides. It seems that left side is reflection of the right side or otherwise. It creates an impression that all men are posing in the same time unless it was a happy coincedence. Almost all of the them have the same posture and those who sit infront of each other reflect the posture of person against. Source of light in the center of the image far on the back is the most important for this composition. It leads viewer’s eyes towards lighten path and supportive straight lines of lamps on the ceiling. Two men stay on the door, partly back lit, both figures are inclined to opposite sides that creates accomplished sheared rectangles.

Second image is centered again but there is dramatic clue on the down left corner: guard’s hand. Hand is unfocused and small boat in the middle stays in focus. Photographer shoot this image with deep depth of field. Color of the board is blue and white that stands out from the dark water. There are also a lot of people on the boat but from the perspective we see it, it is only barely distinguished red, white and black dots. Because of the series of photographs is about refugees, guard in the image frame plays significantly dramatic role. This tiny boat is almost placed into guard’s hand, that mean those people have almost got caught and don’t have a chance to escape.

Third image is pretty simple and again very thematic according to the series of pictures. Unknown man stays facing the sea and plans to escape from his country. Lacoste jacket gives a hint that he plans to run to France. Few different hints of blue create dark atmosphere of awareness of unclear future, worries of the character, but in the same time blue is color of serenity  and confidence that represents mixed feelings of the man who is certain about leaving for better life. Image is very centered by putting man in the middle of setting and creating contrast with white color of his shoes and Lacoste sign.

Zachmann’s works make me think about how to create portrait's setting and balanced compositions. Even his works are usually something between posed portraits,  street and documentary photography but I think it is still relative for our assignment. Themes of the Mare Mater is very painful, somewhat disturbing and intriguing in the same time. I enjoy the idea that he is lucky enough to shoot in that environment, for example to be on the boat with guards searching for refugees, to be in the center almost movie scene.

Photo Blog 9 Taylor Parnell

CJ Kale

Cj was raised on the Waianae Coast in Hawaii. CJ learned from an early age of his passion for nature by playing in the surf exploring the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. CJ graduated from New York Institute of Photography, he then moved to the Big Island of Hawaii, where his passion for nature photography grew bigger than before. He was called the dare devil of photography in 2011 because when he was shooting the Kilauea Volcano he fell into a 20ft lava tube and shattered his ankle, and even this did not stop him or deter him from his passion of shooting nature photography.

CJ likes to capture the right moments of the waves breaking, or the clouds at the right time and in just the right spot he wants them for a making a great picture such as he does in the third image chosen. In the first picture chosen he waited for just the right time of the waves breaking into the shore of the California Beach, he took multiple images at different times in the day and season to capture the right picture he wanted to make his picture what he wanted it to be, The second image I love because the sky and clouds capture and contrast the coloring in the trees and mountains on the beach he chose to photograph.

I love what CJ chose to do with his passion for nature and how he captures a perfect moment in time showing the viewer what we would love to see if we could be there. In class we had discussed taking pictures at certain times in the day then going back to that same exact spot later or even earlier in the morning or night just as CJ chooses to do making the perfect picture to show his passion. I admire the fact that he chooses to be such a dare devil while exploring what he can and cant do with his camera and the different angles and clouds as well as scenery he captures at varying times of the day and seasons making just the right image.

Megan Wingfield-Weekly Artist Post 11

Harry Callahan

     Harry Callahan takes most of his photographs from a far distance and they are all in black and white. The photographs are all portraits and they only show one to two people in them. They all have very plain backgrounds whether it is black or white. All of Callahan's subjects faces are hidden and unrecognizable. 

        Harry's photos show loneliness in them by how they stand alone in the darkness or emptiness. In the first photo a woman silhouette is in the middle of a picture of tree limbs. This represents how she is trying to reach out to other people. The second photograph shows a naked girl bending over, hiding her identity showing how she's ashamed and wants to stay hidden. The third photo of the mom with her young daughter surrounded by darkness shows how they are alone in the world and are both missing a husband and father. But there is always a light in every picture shining on his subjects, which symbolizes that they will have a bright future. 

     All of Harry Callahan's photos are dark and depressing to look at, but that is what makes all of his photographs interesting. I admire his style because it is dangerous and bold. It is easy to take a picture of something beautiful and colorful. I thought all of his pieces were appealing to my eye. I enjoy looking at them for awhile so I can understand what meaning he was trying to get across to me. 

Ashanti Neverson - Weekly Artist Post 11

Ashly Stohl

1.) Photographer Ashly Stohl picked her son as the subject in these black and white photos. Her distance ranges from four feet to twelve feet. It appears she uses natural lighting with a little bit of manipulation. He os mostly centered in these photos in different positions. 

2.) In the first photo it almost looks like a mirrored image as the young boy mocks the posture of the older man across the barrier. In the second photo he is centered in what looks to be some type of catwalk/bridge but it reminded me of Darth Vader walking down the halls of the Death Star by his strong stance. In this last photo the light shapes out this weird shape that reminded me of a thought bubble or word cloud in comic books. 

3.) These photos showed me a boy trying to figure out his role in the world while finding his strength. His stance in the photos are very strong and stoic for his age which shows that no matter what age a person is we don't know what they have been through or what they are feeling. It's almost as if these photos show he has had to take on a lot and take on the role of someone older. 

Lauren Reynard ~Weekly Artist post 11

Rich McCor

1. Rich McCor is a London based Photographer that uses paper mediums in his work to heighten the compositions. He travels the city and finds creative spots to use his paper cut outs with. He photographs well known places and uses his cut outs to make them into something new. 

2. In the first photo, the photograph is slightly blurry but he keeps his hand in focus as well as the Lego man cutout. He mimics this again in the other two pictures and keeps his hands in focus with the cut out being the main attraction, The background/place is important but he keeps most of the focus on the cutout and it makes for a beautiful shot. 

3. The photographs appealed to me because of how different and interesting they are. I was looking through the feature shots but this series really caught my eye because of the paper cut outs. Its innovative and new which is refreshing after doing posts on similar styles of photography.  

Max Goossens - Weekly Artist Post 11

Wim Wenders
(2014, 1978, 2001)

   Wim Wenders takes very interesting landscape photographs that captures the views attention because of several different technical choices. In the top photograph Wenders captures the light coming through the woods at the perfect time to put the shadows exactly where Wim wants them to be. In the Second photograph, Wenders sets up the image so that the you get an unleveled horizon. This creates interest for the viewers eyes. In the last Image, the buildings are not particularly interesting however because we have the negative space to the left of the building it gives our minds the ability to think about what could be on the other side.
   Wim Wenders landscape imagery gives the viewer the ability to almost travel with the photographer to these places. Wenders has a way of capturing beautiful places that the average person may not realize have any interest at all. Further more,Wim says that the landscapes are not about the land rather more about the people. Its a funny statement to make when no humans are found in this series of pictures but it gives you a opportunity to go into the pictures.
   I really enjoy Wim Wenders work in this series of photographs. I think that the ideas behind the images really allow you to travel into new spaces that you might not ever have the opportunity to do. The monotone, less vibrant aspects to the images make them feel almost surreal. They don't look hyper real like a lot of photographs can. As we work on our portrait and landscape assignments, I will be sure to take Wim Wenders style into account.

Brandon Harrell- Weekly Artist Post #11

Wolfgang Hildebrand

Hildebrand is most likely using a digital format in his set of photographs. He is also using a color format for them as well. It appears that he is using a long exposure setting on his camera, as well as a tripod, as evidenced by the long streaks of headlights and taillights that are left behind from the cars in the cityscape. All of his shots are made in the daytime, and pointing back to the long exposures, the images come across as very bright.

Hildebrand is capturing in his photographs the urban landscape and the liveliness of urban living in major cities around the world. His overall goal of this collection is reflected on Hildebrand’s view of urban life, being someone who was born and raised in the city of Hamburg, Germany. He also is capturing the “existence of people” in these urban settings, and the hustle and bustle of these cities, as places that are so alive with energy.

Hildebrand’s work is very interesting, showing a different perspective of urban living, viewed through the eyes of someone who has lived in the suburbs their whole life. With his long exposures in his shots, the cityscape seems almost empty with the exception of people and cars coming in and out of the frame. This almost provides a sense of serenity in the pictures, something that is rarely seen in city life. Also with his use of long exposures, it brightens the images to make the cities seem more inviting, rather than being in a place that is overrun by shadows cast by skyscrapers.

Mayteana colon weekly post 11

Philip-Lorca Dicorcia

1) Philip uses friends and family to stage candid like scenes. He uses artificial lighting and vibrant colors in these images. He appears to be a few feet from his subjects and he also uses a range of focal length in his images. He focuses on portraits and city scenes.

2) The first image is interesting. You can see someone is sitting on the bed but you can see a reflection in the mirror of an unknown subject. The second image shows a lone male shirtless standing in the parking lot of some kind of store. He appears to be stunned in shock or lost giving his expression. The last image shows a male in a window making a phone call. Again he wears an odd expression on his face and he is showered in blue light.

3) I chose these images because they are saturated in color and that is what I try to go for in my own work personally. His subjects are very interesting and draw my eye. It makes me ask the question what are they doing in their scenes and why are they wearing such expressions of for-longing. His subject matter is dynamic and appealing to me personally.

Logan Willis - Weekly Artist Post #11

Rich McCor

1) Technically, Rich McCor uses Instagram as his main platform. He also uses squares primarily for his frame. Rich also uses a deep depth of field to entertain his paper cut outs. He frames them just so that the paper cutouts come to life and start to interact with the background. He uses color photos mainly but some are in black and white. He also focuses on including his hand in these photos as he needs to hold the paper cut out.

2) Rich McCor's main themes are using famous monuments throughout the world and incorporating them into his work. His other major theme is including the paper cut outs and using them in just a way that fits each monument individually. For example, the cutout used in photo 3 would not fit with photos 1 or 2. This also goes for the cut outs used in each picture as he creates them knowing what the frame is going to include and which monument, scene, or background will be used. He uses black cut outs to give a silhouette look rather than using outlines, colored cutouts, etc.

3) I found Rich McCor's idea to use cut outs with major monuments to be a very clever and creative idea. He is clearly making photos not just taking them. I also enjoy the fact that he is truly a digital photographer as Instagram is his platform, however, he still maintains the same theme in all of his photos regardless of where he is traveling in the world. I also enjoy that he travels in different places but still continues to use the black cutouts and also takes into account the best angle to use for each place, cutout, and frame that is being chosen. At first glance, I did not like the fact that his hand was in each photo but now I have come to understand this is on purpose and his intentional decision to include his hand holding the cutouts in most of his photographs. I really enjoyed looking at all of his photographs, especially as they are mainly landscapes but he stays consistent by adding the black cutouts to his photographs.