Breotnie Nichols - Weekly Artist Post

Lise Sarfati

1) French photographer Lise Sarfati manipulates light to create a melancholy mood. This mood is created with the balance of shutter speed and aperture, which affects the exposure of the images.I would assume that in order to achieve this balance Lise Sarfati utilized a faster shutter speed, around 1/60 or above, with a larger aperture, which would attribute to the shallow depth of field.

2) A common theme in Lise Sarfati's work is despair. Her subjects appear to be caught up in their own thoughts and as a result are shut off from the world. It is interesting to note that the people in her photos are alone in the environment she has created. This creates a sense of isolation, which is another theme that is consistent in Lise Sarfati's work.

3) I appreciate the emotion that Lise Sarfati was able to create in her photos. I personally can relate to these images as they make me recall moments in my life where I have been truly depressed and felt as though there was no escape. I enjoy when I find artwork that makes me look inside of myself and is able to evoke strong emotions in me.

Kellen Clarke- Weekly Artist Post 2

Elizabeth Moran

1. Elizabeth Moran uses her camera to document her project Record of Cherry Road. She chooses to use her camera and ghost hunting technology for this project. Elizabeth only uses the camera because she feels it is the only way to capture the truth. She relies on her camera prove these ghost and spirits in a way she can't do so herself. Some of the photographs throughout the collection have a snapshot quality and that is from the flash and color shifts Elizabeth uses. Along with her camera, Elizabeth uses paranormal media.

2. The reason behind Elizabeth's photo's is family. Her family owned a plantation in Memphis that had history behind it. In her search she continuously surfaces the names Cary and George. Those names are of the people who died in Memphis and happen to be, in her findings, the spirits that are at the farmhouse. Elizabeth has her aunt and uncle help her map out patterns and locations using their paranormal activity tools and she uses her camera to record the findings. 

3. My first reaction to the pictures was those are simple, cool and slightly mysterious. Once I learned more about Elizabeth's story I felt as if I was in a crime investigation show. This collection is really cool and the way she uses her family recourses took this to a whole new level of cool. I liked how half the pictures were in black and white and the other half were in color. The color photos made you feel as if you were there on Cherry Road, and the black and white had the creepy/mysterious feel to it.

Laura Austin- Weekly Artist

Elena Shumilova 

1). Elena Shumilova is a Russian photographer who captures the moments between her children and            furry creatures. Unfortunately I do not know the camera she used for these photos, but they are undoubtedly intimate and light plays a major role in these photos. The focus is entirely on the boy and the animals, with nothing to distract you from the bond between the two. 

2). The entire focus in these photos are about the connection between this young boy and the animals he is with. These photos are pure and innocent, with loyal animals (the dog) and young animals who haven't experienced much of life yet. These photos are in a natural setting, on a farm, with no industrial objects or atmosphere to effect the photos differently.

3). I love these photos. To show the curiosity between human and animals, especially a boy; it makes you forget the corrupt minds and "evil". These photos are just focusing on the innocence between man and mammal, on a farm; you can't get more simple than that. Though these photos are simple, the bond that is shown between the two is fascinating and calming. 

Lucas Suarez - Weekly Artist Post #2

Luc Delahaye

1. Luc Delahaye is a French photojournalist who is known for his photographs depicting global conflicts, events, and issues. In the above photographs, Delahaye is in the midst of war and provides the viewer with a chilling scene of what is occurring in different parts of the world. Delahaye uses both a medium and large format camera to capture his images. In the first photograph, Delahaye vantage point is from a distance, and provides the viewer with a eerie skyline with an empty street and black smoke in the distance indicting a gunfight took place. In the second photo, Delahaye takes a haunting photo of a killed Taliban fighter killed moments before the photo was taken. The focus of the photograph is of the fighter that lays dead in a ditch and life taken from him. The last photograph comes from the conflict in Bosnia. It was taken immediately after an explosion in the street that left many dead and injured. The focus is on the injured woman, who is lying in front of perhaps a dead body, while the blast also killed her dog. 

2. The intentions of Delahaye's photographs show the viewer a firsthand look at global conflicts that are occurring almost daily. Delahaye, who is a photojournalist, gives a close up perspective at the results of war. In the first photo, Delahaye uses a wide shot to show an empty Baghdad with smoke rising to the sky. Next, he uses a sharp image of a lifeless body, lying in a ditch following being killed at the scene. Lastly, the focus and color of the woman who is covered in blood, shows the brutality of war and how civilians are largely effected by war.

3.  When I look at these three images, I am immediately drawn to the fact that Delahaye is documenting the scenes of war. All three images come from a firsthand experience of what is occurring in global conflicts. These images are not typically shown to the public, however Delahaye does a fantastic job of taking these photographs for how they are and does not alter them in any way. It is also haunting to see the empty streets of Baghdad, a once populated city in Iraq, but is now war torn. Also, the lifeless body of a human being, lying in a ditch. As well as, the color of blood that is covering the woman lying in shock in the street at the death of her dog and the injuries she is sustaining. 

Matt Thyssen - Weekly Artist Post 2

Allan Grant

(1) In this collection it seems that Allan Grant's technical decisions include using black and white film to capture the scale of the wilderness to his(?) small family and the symbiotic relationship that humans can have with the wild.  The collection is from the 1940's, and I'm not very fluent with photo-graphical technology from that period, so it's hard to tell exactly what his technical decisions were.  I can tell, however, that he wanted to add touches of humanity and technology against these great landscape pictures.

(2) His conceptual and thematic intents were definitely to show the symbiotic relationships that man can have with nature.  I've noticed how many people are terrified of nature and would never be willing to spend time in the wilderness like the family in these pictures.  These pictures are very leisurely, and relaxing.  He tries to capture the serenity and joy of getting away from society and out among the pines. I think his message is to show people who may be afraid to get out in the wilderness that it's really not that bad.

(3) I completely sympathize with his message here.  I love nature and the wilderness and would be eager to drop everything and just spend time outdoors.  I think his attempt to show the leisure of a family camping trip is very convincing, and could convince somebody who is wasting there life in a rat race to take some time to slow down and appreciate the beauty of the world around them.  I think that this is a great collection.

Larissa Castillo - Weekly Artist Post #2

Nguan

This set of photos is from a series called How Loneliness Goes from a project called Singapore. He used people walking around a big city portraying loneliness. In almost each photo there is a person who is the main focus. The backgrounds are out of focus. 

I believe the artist put everything else around each person out of focus to really emphasize what loneliness is. I read about this series that he wanted to show the loneliness some people feel even in a big city like Singapore. The natural lighting in the city add an off feeling. I believe they add this feeling because of the series title, you would thinking the photos will be dark and sad, but they are pretty bright and clear. 

I enjoy the message that could be interpreted with Nguan's photos in the series. Because even in a  room of people nobody truly knows who feels lonely and who doesn't in their lives. Also, we can often feel it ourselves just living everyday life like the people in the photos. The background being unfocused really makes the picture and messages clear. 

Grace Herion - Weekly Artist Post 2

Jo Ann Callis

I don't think I can tell any information about the equipment Jo Ann Callis used for these photos but she seems to use spot lights to accentuate the focal point of the photographs. She uses a straight-on view leaving nothing to distract the viewer from what they are supposed to see. 

Callis uses her art to question the bonds of domesticity. And by bonds, she means like bondage. Callis questions why women who so often strive to break out of the molds of domestic life turn to sexual bondage for empowerment. It doesn't really seems to make sense to tie yourself up in order to gain control, does it? But she says they must do it if they feel some sort of pleasure from it... but the question then is why do they feel pleasure?

These pictures intrigue me and make me think about my role as a woman as I get older and how I want to live. I don't want to be one of them women in these photos trapped by their own domestic duties and questionable attempts at control and freedom.