Photography Blogs

  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.

  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 ...

  I personally love Alec Soths work. I think it's such a beautiful thing to capture images of strangers that allow the viewers to really see and interpret the life that person has lived. His images aren't just of people, they tell a story and show personality and life. Most of his work is just of one lonesome person and I love that. He shows the beauty in loneliness and solitude which is very inspiring not only to photographers, but to anyone that sees his work and can learn from it. The first image attached caught my attention. It's extremely eye catching and interesting. You can tell he used flash and that really adds to the composition of the image. Im nit exactly sure what's happening in this, but I notice that one of the hands are bare and the other is wearing gloves. It seems like they are throwing a rock to the other person. I wonder what the thought process was to this image. The second attached image is exactly the type of image that I love. The beautiful color...

  Jeff Mermelstein is mostly a street photographer. His work captures the energy and randomness of a city street. I personally am practicing street photography right now, thats why I chose to write about him. I found a lot of inspiration from his pictures for the simple fact that they are very different than my approach. In my work I was more focused on it being technically and compositionally perfect whereas his work is more energetic and free minded. This is something that I think not only inspires me, but many other photographers.  I personally love the first photo I pasted to this blog. The reflection in her glasses adds so much to the photo. That detail being added to the fact that she is out of focus and the rest of the image is makes this photo stand out and become something really unique and one of a kind. I also believe that the colors are a great touch. The high saturation of the reds and blues makes it very appealing to look at and draws the viewers attention. The s...

  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...

Neil Winokur is a photographer known for turning everyday things into amazing art. His work has been around for a long time and people love it because he makes regular things look special.  Whats unique about Winokurs photos is how he makes simple things, like a bunch of fruits or flower vases, look visually entertaining. He has a great talent for arranging things in a way that tells a story and makes you see the beauty in everyday objects.   One thing that makes Winokur stand out is how he sets up his pictures. He pays a lot of attention to where each item is placed, how the light hits them, and what color will take up the background. This careful arrangement makes these photos not only visually interesting but also tells a story about the objects he's capturing. He doesn't overcomplicate things, he likes to keep his art simple but with a lot of meaning. Even though his pictures might not have a lot of places and subjects to focus your view on, the main and only subject ...

  Adams is widely celebrated for his environmental portraits, a style that goes beyond conventional studio photography. Instead he chooses to immerse his subjects within the backdrop of their natural environment, providing viewers with a more authentic and intimate glimpse into their life. This approach adds layers of complexity to his compositions as the surroundings become elements of the narrative. One of my favorite parts of Adam's work is how he composes his images. Its a lot easier to come up with an effective composition in studio portraits or still lifes, but to be able to pose his models and use unique angles and framing while being in the moment in constantly different environments is beautiful and true talent. He knows exactly how to catch the light just right and use it to his m=best advantage in each image.              What sets Adams apart is his ability to establish a profound connection with his subje...

I love Pierre Cordiers work. His chemical paintings have so much depth and beauty.  The process of chemical paintings involves a great deal of experimentation and chance and due to his little control over the outcome, I find his work even more valuable and impressive.  This specific painting is one of my favorites. It reminds me of a walls of a cave or large rocks or some type of beautiful landscape. The colors created in this piece are beautiful. I love how its a gold color in the back and there is a wide range of darks and lights and shadows. The gold lining around each of the shapes is beautiful and makes this image even more eye catching. I would love to see this painting in person because the detail in every part of this is beautiful.  Pierre Cordiers contribution to the world of camera-less photography is timeless. His art is inspiring, unique, and really push the boundaries of what is possible with this type of art nd photography.

I found a lot of inspiration from Jerry Uelsmann when creating my final project. I love the beauty and surrealism in his work. He makes his images look dreamlike and effortless. I think the idea of taking two negatives and places them on top of each other to create one print is such a beautiful and creative idea that I really enjoyed doing.  I found inspiration from his work because of many reasons. For one, his ability to create such perfect exposures on both negatives used in the image is very impressive. He accomplishes perfect blacks, whites, and grays in both pieces of his print. After attempting this technique I have a great amount of appreciation for his perfection is his double exposures.  I especially love this image and would love to try and recreate something like this. The symbolism of the hands holding this scenery is beautiful and eye catching. I love the composition and how the clouds are perfectly placed in the middle of the hands. I also love how such a simple...

  John Dugdale is a renowned photographer whose work has been celebrated for its unique beauty and technical precision, His use of the cyanotype process has helped him create images that are both visually stunning and emotionally powerful. Dugdales work always portrays such a dreamlike quality and I believe this is what really sets him apart from any other photographer. His work is both beautiful and deeply personal. His work reflects his struggle with his heath and are notable for their intimacy and vulnerability. Dugdale has said that he sees his work as a way of "confronting mortality" and "celebrating the beauty of life".  Another reason why his work is so impressive is the technical precision in all if his prints. He clearly takes great care in the printing process, ensuring that each print is perfectly exposed and developed. The attention to detail helps give his images a sense of depth and texture that is often lacking in digital photography.

  Halsman was known for his innovative techniques that pushed the boundaries of traditional portrait photography. One of his most famous techniques was the when he would ask his subjects to jump while he photographed them mid-air. He believed that the act of jumping revealed a person's true character, and the resulting images were often playful and lighthearted. I personally love this technique and find a lot of inspiration from it. I love that it shows the playful childish side to people that you don't often see that from. The top image is his most famous image. It is accomplished by throwing all the objects in the air while jumping at the same time. This requires a great deal of time and energy to get the perfect shot but he did it perfectly. Not only is this image one of a kind and extremely eye catching, it is also compositionally perfect. The lighting, shadows, and focus in this photo are what takes it to the next level. Halsmans photo of Marilyn Monroe is iconic. In this ...

       Hiroshi Sugimoto is a film photographer who takes a variety of types of photos. He is most known for his image of the theater but he has many other beautiful images that he has captured in his time and many use his work for inspiration.      The top image is my personal favorite. The composition and lighting of this photo is done perfectly. I love the way the animals are centered with a bit of grass on either side of the photo. It almost creates a frame around the subject. I also love the weather and environment he decided to shoot this in. The fog and grey background really adds the perfect touch to this image and really makes it stand out. I would love to know the technique he used to get all of the animals to look at the camera without scaring them away.     The second photo is such a beautiful image and the technique is perfect. I believe this image is  taken at a long exp...

       Christian Vogt is a portrait photographer.  Most of his images show a lot of skin and emotion. What I find most compelling about his work is the way he chooses to pose his subjects. It is very out of the ordinary and like nothing I've ever seen before. It inspires me to try and think more out of the box when working on my own portraits.      The top image is the first image of his that caught my eye. The pose is so simple yet so satisfying to look at it. The shape the womens body is making is not a usual shape that one puts their body in. The way that Christian Vogt chose to shoot this image with her fully nude and facing away from the camera really gives this image so much more character. With the head and the feet cropped out of the image it creates more of an artistic look rather than an emotional or dramatic look. I  absolutely love the lighting that was created for this image. It adds the pe...

       Irving Penn is such an inspiration to the world of portrait photography. His works main focus is studio portraiture. In most of his photos he uses harsh lighting to create string contrast and a dramatic feel. This is a beautiful technique that many photographers use to create unique and eye catching images.     The first image shown is a portrait a little more out of the ordinary because it doesn't actually include the womens face Most portraits are images that capture a persons face and that's why I find this image so special because it crops the face out of the frame. Most of the time a person can read the look on someones face and know a lot about the emotions and feelings that that person is portraying but the way that Irving Penn was able to show this without using her face is so powerful. To me, I see a strong confident women who doesn't feel the need to use her facial beauty to make an impact.     The...

    I chose Tony Oursler as an inspiration for my photo essay. Although his works appearance is not quite what I did with my series the process he used is definitely something I can find inspiration from. His main focus in his projection series was using sculptures and videos to create art. In the first picture above it is a photo taken while he had a video projecting onto a sculpture. He focuses a lot of his work around using new and different types of technology. I find this a very interesting way to look at photography.            In a lot of his art displays involving projections, he is showing a moving image or video rather than just captured images. His work is also on the dark and creepy side. When I look at videos of his work it almost gives me and unsettling feeling. Although this isn't what I wanted to achieve with my series, it was definitely interesting for me to see all the possibilities that projections ...

 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 im...

Nikos Economopoulos is a very interesting photographer. He portrays a very free spirited feeling when looking at his work. He captures moments in time perfectly and really shows the fun in the simple moments of life. A quote by Economopoulos that I believe really encompasses his work is,  "Being on the road, traveling without a predetermined purpose, looking around me with visual curiosity and being surprised by what I encounter. While shooting, somehow, thinking is suspended. It is like playing a game with reality". This quote also is a great way to word why I personally love photography. He makes it fun and that's what I hope to do when I get the chance to travel and document it all through photography.       The first picture is very messy and chaotic. It looks like children playing in a bunch of newspapers. When I look at this picture I wonder how this moment came to be. But I love the movement that is captured in the hands...

                               Philip Lorca DiCorcia is a huge inspiration to myself and many others in the photography world. He creates unique and interesting images that each have their own story. He doesn’t necessarily create the most lighthearted/ feel-good images, but he does show emotion and experience in each of them.                He is a portrait environmental photographer, meaning he captures photos of people out in their element rather than in a studio. Although, most of his work is posed and planned out. A standout factor of his photos is that they are usually taken at night or just before then sun is all the way down. He does this while also using another artificial light source, which creates a very dreary and intense look with moody shadows. He does a great job of matching the m...

Annie Leibovitz is one of my favorite photographers. I think what she accomplishes in her photos is so unique and original. I am not surprised at all that she has gained such a success in the photography industry. She is mostly known for photographing celebrities. Normally when celebrities get photographed its a simple pose or headshot, but not when it's taken by Annie Leibovitz. She not only captures the outer beauty of these well known people, but she shows their uniqueness and true spirit. I think that's such a great concept because most well known/ famous people are seen as surface level and just "part of the system". Leibovitz gives them the opportunity to really show not only the beauty in the appearance but also the beauty in their spirit. This first image is a great example of that. For starters, the composition of this image is perfect. It follows the rules of thirds and is extremely eye catching. The wind blowing the subjects dress shows the elegance and bea...

  Philip-Lorca DiCarcio is a portrait photographer. As I was looking through his work, I noticed he does both staged and documentary work, and a lot of his images are environmental. I find the setting that he uses in most of his photos very interesting and appealing, especially the lighting. It seems as though he takes most of his pictures at the last few minutes of sunset and either utilizes the little bit of sunlight left, or some sort of artificial lighting.  I love this first image and I think I am going to attempt to recreate it. I think it is a very interesting idea to use the headlights of a car to shine on the subjects face. The empty gas station in the back is the perfect touch. It keeps the background interesting without being too busy or distracting. The time of day that he decided to take this image at was also the perfect touch needed to create a gloomy mood. Personally I find this image a little unsettling, mostly because of the intense stare that the subject is ...