Photography Blogs

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 ...

 In Ritchen's first paragraph of "Toward a Hyperphotography" he states, "Eventually, digital photography's relationship to space, to time, to light, to authorship, to other media will make it clear the it represents an essentially different approach than does analog photography..." This paragraph is the perfect way to open up this chapter. I appreciate how it gives some background information on what hyperphotography is. I have never heard of this term and this paragraph makes me intrigued to learn more, which is exactly what an opening paragraph should accomplish. I agree strongly with his first sentence. I have experience in both film and digital photography and they are completely different. The images I produced on film versus my digital work express very different meanings. The paragraph on page 142 that starts with "It is also, unlike almost all of analog photography..." is important to note. I believe that this paragraph does a wonderful job...

  Franco Fontana is known for his colorful and painting like aesthetic that he adds to his pictures. Each and every one of his photos are vibrant and highly saturated with color. He accomplishes the flattened look by using a telephoto lens. This takes away the perception of depth that most photographers use as way to add to their images. This is what I find so interesting about his work. He does the opposite of what is taught and it creates a very unique and special form of art. When I first saw his work I didn't even realize that they were digital photos, and I think that is a very common first reaction. The first image is one of my favorite pieces of his. It reminds me of the cover of the Dr Suess book "Oh The Places We Go". It looks like an abstract painting when in reality its just a picture of mountain ranges. The different shades of green and the strip of yellow really add the perfect touch. If it were all one shade of green I don't think he would've been ab...

             Steve McCurrys main focus in most of his work is portraits. Many photographers take portraits but not many are able to do what McCurry does. He is able to tell stories and show the life in his images. A lot of his work is sort of dark and unsettling. He captures images that show the side of life people chose to not see. He shows the hardship and struggle that many people endure. He somehow takes the dark side of these peoples lives and turns it into meaningful art for millions to see.       My favorite image of his is known as "The Afghan Girl". In this image the first thing you notice is the girls bright green eyes. Her eyes show much more than just beauty. You can see that she has endured pain, darkness, and difficulty. In my opinion, her being so young makes this image much more impactful. Not many people her age show that much maturity and wisdom in their appearance. You can see the strength and power that this...

      Photography has a huge impact on my life. Ive always said that I wished my eyes could take pictures and capture moments.  I've loved documenting moments with photography ever since I was young. I got my first camera when I was about 5 years old. Granted, it was just a little kids digital camera but I loved using it. Once I got an iPod, I began taking pictures and videos of everything. I took my first photography class in my freshman year of high school and that's when I started to learn how to use more complex cameras and learn more about the history and evolution of photography. After that class I bought my first real digital camera. I used it for awhile but then slowly fell out of the hobby for a couple years. When I started thinking about college and what I'm passionate about and what I want to learn more about I began thinking about photography again. I took a film class my first semester of college and a film photography class my second. I started rea...

  Antonin Kratochvil is a photojournalist and uses photography to document people. His portrait pictures aren't average, each photo is unique in their own way and tells their own story.  In the first photo, the shadows really take the image to a whole other level. It adds intensity and a very dramatic effect. I personally love how the one shadow frames his eye perfectly. I also think the shadows in the back are a great addition because they give the photo more depth without being too overbearing. The contrast in this photo is perfect. A very intense contrast to add to the intensity of the photo. I really enjoy the second image. It really portrays the subjects emotion. In my opinion, the subject is going through a difficult time and can't get a break from the stress. The cigarette is giving him a few minutes of relief. I love the way the smoke frames the top of this image. It doesn't cover his face too much and adds a beautiful and gentle look to the image. The last image is...