Monday, October 25, 2010

Adam Fuss- From the series My Ghost:  I believe this image is successful because of how Fuss is dealing with the forms.  He is choosing to reduce these birds down to organic shapes and create relationships between the shapes he creates.  Why he chose to do this is clear because of the title of the series- Fuss creates an image of the birds souls swooping around.  What I love about this image is that he clearly put alot of time and effort into choosing the correct printing process to capture these birds souls
Adam Fuss-From the series My Ghost:  In this image Fuss displays how well he creates and composes organic shapes.  He has a way of making something into nothing in terms of reducing things into organic shapes.  The edge light around the figure suggests a white light that you might see moments before death and I think that works very well with the rest of the series.  I don't know much about the daeggeorotype process but I do know that it's old and probably hard to do.  However, a common thread with Fuss's final prints is that the process is key to convey the meaning of the photograph.  
Adam Fuss- From the series My Ghost:  I appreciate this image for many different reasons such as the organic-ness, the flowing composition, and the detail.  I am inspired by works like this because there is no end to the image.  There is no way to get bored inside this image, and becuase it has a very organic quality your eye flows around the composition as opposed to a geometric image where your eye bounces around 

Monday, October 18, 2010

DcadPhoto 2

Harry Callahan:  These three photographs will share the common theme of simplicity.  In this photograph the relationships and subject are very simple and the composition is elegant.  The lighting in this photograph works two different ways.  On the nude it is soft and I think that fits with and exemplifies the simplicity- but at the same time the hard edge created from the window light reduces some of the space to geomtric shapes which also exemplifies the simplicity.  This is only how I interpret the image- but I think it is pretty apparent, especially the triangle intersecting her head.

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Andre Kertesz- Glasses and Pipe:  Another simple photograph in terms of the subject matter.  This composition consists of multiple traingles.  Three of these triangles are reduced to geometric forms which I like a lot becuase it hammers in the simplicity.  The glasses and the pipe appeal to me because of the relationship between the circles and lines.  Geometry often becomes a complex element in a photograph but Andre does a really nice job of keeping it simple and subtle- which is what I like about this photograph.

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Yousef Karsh- Portrait of Andy Warhol:  I believe this photograph is, like the other 2, very succesfull becuase of it's simplicity.  Andy Warhol is a very complex character but to see him portrayed in a very simplistic manor leaves more room for interpreting the amazing composition of the this photograph.  There is an amazing tilted triangular focal point which really draws attention to the fine detail and quality of the photograph.  I also am very drawn to the relationship between his hair and the paintbrush because of the silvery tone in both.  The dead black background is a key element because it forces our eye to remain in the triangular focal point.

Monday, October 11, 2010

DcadPhoto2

Pete Turner- Starlight Drive in:  Perspective is being used to make this photograph something more than an ad.  As a viewer I feel small and it's not an effect of the neons it's the point of view.  Turner clearly is committed to the editing process which I respect a lot.  I also am mesmerized by the kind of tribute to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.   
Pete Turner- Texascape:  Perspective is key again.  Its almost as if Turner spends his whole life behind the viewfinder becuase you have to have a very trained eye to spot this.  But what I think is more of an important aspect to this photo is the quality of the exposure and the intensive editing process.  Turner gave this image a Fear and Loathing mood which I am really drawn to.

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Pete Turner- Road Song:  I think this photograph is very visually stunning becuase of the point of view that the Turner chose.  He turns a rigid fence into a fluid organic path that our eye follows.  The car is pretty ambigous and I think only Turner could explain why he included the such a recognizable element into this abstraction.  What amazes me is not the possible metaphor about the road not traveled or some shit like that but the commitment to art photography.  Turner has an eye for certain stages like this one and so do a lot of photographers but this image is special.  He not only took the shot but he really went to the next level of editing in terms of color choices and mood.  

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Dcad Photo2


Abbas- My theme with the next three photographs is 100% interpretation.  I feel that these three images have the same amount of striking and raw power- they just deliver in very different ways.  This one is the most blatent, the second image- less blatent, and the third completely subtle.  The power in this photograph is felt immediately.  There's no need for a caption or explanation- we get it.  When I look at it I want to back away- but I still want to see the action go down.  Besides the focus the image is clear not only because it is massive and exploding- but also because the hose, figure, and water draw your eye directly toward it.  

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Rene Burri- I believe this image is powerful but in a much quieter and serene way than the previous.  This image is like an excersise for the mind.  It functions in many different ways such as, an abstraction, a documentation, a dream-like almost surreal image, and an example of a great color image.  I myself am drawn to the shapes- some are organic, some geometric, and some repeated.  This image is just as moving or powerful as the previous, however in a much different way.

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Robert Capa- I never realize how powerful an image is out of context.  This photograph moves me only becuase I read the caption.  This Pilot, Lardner, has marked on the side of his plane how many german fighter planes he has shot down.  With this information the photograph has a whole new meaning. Most likely when Lardner is sitting in the cockpit like he is here he probably just earned another mark or is about to.  I also think it is interesting that Lardner doesn't even have swatzstikas on the side of his plane- since the symbol is not tilted it is actually an ancient hindu peace sign.