Self-Portraiture: Judy Dater



 Judy Dater is notoriously known for her unique and visually interesting self portraits. Rather than just taking average photos of her face or just posing in front of a backdrop, she uses the environment. The majority of her self portraits seem sort of rough and dirty in my opinion. It almost gives off a very animal-like feel. She is naked and shows her skin in her images which fits the environment that her photos are taken in.

The first image is very eye catching. When I first saw it I thought it was her holding onto some type of rope or fence. I later realized that is it most likely a plate of glass. This is obvious because of the way the plans of her hands are pressed against the glass. This adds a very unique element to this picture and I love it. I also believe that the fact that her hands aren't perfectly manicured and they are rather dry and rugged adds to the story that this photo tells and fits perfectly with the background because the background is also dry. To me this image shows the struggle of hanging on when things feel lonely and hard. The background of this image is open and desolate and she is hanging on by the last of he strength. I also want to point out how perfect the composition is. The line of the glass lands right in the middle and that leaves this photo being very eye catching. 

I love the second image and the story that it tells. This image ties into the first one. The way that I interpret it is that it is showing her pulling the weight of her life and experiences. Everyone has there own weight that they carry on a daily bases and this image shows that feeling and that's very powerful. Her being naked also really adds to the strength of this image because it gives it a very raw feel. The composition is also great. I like how she is right in the edge and that the rock id slightly off to the side. The rock being brighter than the rest of the picture also adds a very visually appealing feel.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Image
  Hiroshi Sugimoto takes the majority of his images of architecture and landscape. What I find the most eye catching about his images is the lighting. He has perfect contrast of whites and blacks in every image and that mixed with his framing and composition techniques makes such beautiful work. This image is one that I remember from multiple lectures. It is an image that has stuck with me for years and I keep in my mind when looking for composition in my own images. If I remember correctly, this is a long exposure image. If that is true that makes this image even more impressive. He was able to master the perfect lighting of the architecture around the screen while keeping his shutter speed open for a long time. The glow from the screen on the surrounding architecture is the perfect touch. It adds a nice glow and detail. When I think to take images I would never think to capture something as simple as a screen at theater, but thats what his work teaches me. It teaches me that its ...
Read more

Abelardo Morell

Image
  I also remember learning about Morells work in lectures. He uses camera obscura. I learned about this technique in high school and ive always found it fascinating. The way that the image of outside get projected onto the wall in live action is so interesting. This is done by simply creating a completely dark room with one small hole that opens up to the outside. It still still love being a part if this art in real life. To be in the room with this happening is so cool. This specific image is so interesting. The green is so vibrant and the way you can still see the buildings in the background as well really adds to the composition. I think the architecture in the wall of the room also add something really unique. The squares separate the image while still keeping it cohesive. I do wonder why he kept that cord on the floor though, I think it would've been better to take it out, but I guess it does add character.
Read more

Julie Blackmon

Image
  I find a lot of inspiration from Julie Blackmon ever since learning about her in class. She creates such unique and beautiful images and I really appreciate her technique and thoughtfulness in every image she creates. Everything she does to make her images what they are is done with purpose. You can see the amount of effort she puts into her work and I think thats beautiful especially considering she is also a mom with many other responsibilities. She still finds time to create art and do what she loves. She incorporates her personal life into her photos by using her children as her subjects and her home/ where she lives as her environment.  As far as composition goes, I think what she does with her skill of creating composited images is amazing. You can clearly tell her images are photoshopped and not exactly natural (clearly shown in the second photo), which I usually don't like images like that, but I actually love that look to her work. It really creates a story and mood...
Read more