Bradley Manley Weekly Artist Post 7

Jason Fulford

Jason Fulford is a photographer who does mostly commissioned work. These are portraits of the famous rapper Lil B. These photos are a representation of himself and the city that he dwells in. A portrait has a slice of his personality and piece of his city in the background which seems to be edited into behind him.

The images seem to be a little flat, which may represent Lil B's music, if you ever heard it. With the exception of the last photo, there is not much dynamics to the lighting. The photos seem to be straight forward. The backgrounds are urban areas carefully placed behind Lil B and having a cut off usually around his knees or waist.

The photo themselves hold my attention because I know who he is. It seems these photos, like his music, are not really put well together yet it still is interesting. The certain placement of Lil B in these street backdrops reflects more towards his personality and his personal life, however with commissioned work the true meaning of these photos are really unknown.

Amanda Page Stephens Weekly Post 7

Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin is an American photographer born in 1953.

These photographs are from a book/series titled "I'll be Your Mirror" published in 1996.

Golden captures intimate moments of her subjects that aren't always flattering. The emotions depict anguish and abuse. The subjects are her friends and lovers. The colors are muted or sparse. 

Deborah Schoen_Weekly Post_7

Surrealist photographer, Suzanne Heintz, is known for her images where she documents fake situations with a mannequin family. Her series, Life Once Removed, is a reaction to the ongoing question of being unmarried and not in a “conventional” relationship. Her theme is a spin on the life as a single woman and the fallacy of the American Dream.

Heintz’s compositions provide colorful scenes that capture the illusion of the perfect family. She creates tension by placing herself in awkwardly beside her family, meanwhile overly smiling highlights the expressionless family. She overexposes many of her scenes to place emphasis on the subject matter at hand. She cleverly chooses locations that are stereotypical family sites.

Heintz is successful in her message by providing images of the “perfect family.” Her compositions are stereotypical visions that one would expect to see on social media, where current society posts their “best” life moments. I love Heintz’s decision to convey her ideas in a 1950’s American manner that connects to a post-war mentality.

Carra Roots- Weekly Post 7

Tyler Shields

Tyler Shields is a well known photographer and is known as “Hollywoods favorite photographer.” He has worked with many celerities, but not just to take your ordinary portrait, but to create art and or send a message. All of the experiences he has had, have added to each photograph he has taken. He explores what people consider important, what people people consider to be fame, and how will people see the future. 

The series that I came upon is that of “Sirens.” In these photographs he asked the models to stay in one position for the entirety of the exposure. By doing this not only did he gain more light but also softned the movement. The smoothness of their bodies against the roughness of nature plays well with the texture of the eye. Also the colors of the body and nature create a contrast. Lines are made with the vines and trees in some pictures and intertwine with the lines that the women are making with their bodies.

The luminosity of the pictures is what drew me near. Wondering was there any additional lighting in the mix? It reminds me of 15th century oil paintings, and the use of the long exposure with the water makes me think of Edward Burtwnsky “Water” series.

Diana Macaraeg - Weekly Post 7

Gregory Crewdson

• Gregory Crewdson is known for his dramatic and cinematic photography skills. He uses an 8 X 10 large format camera along with a ton of production, set design, lighting, and subjects. He is best known for his small American homes and neighborhoods as his 'settings'.
• Most, if not all, Crewdson's photos are all elaborately staged. He creates a setting that is highly mysterious and creepy to support his theme of his perspective on the America's suburbs. He chooses to highlight the untold struggles of a 'typical suburbian American' than to shine the life of rich and famous. 
• I am highly influenced by Gregory Crewdson. He shows that not all of photography has to be candid, but it can be elaborately set up in a studio. I greatly appreciate his lighting techniques and hope to appropriate him correctly over time. 

Bri Picone - Weekly Post 6

Michael Massaia

1)  Michael Massaia works in large format black and white film and platinum and silver gelatin.  He also works in digital photography and printmaking.  The images I picked are from two different series of his:  Signals Crossed and No past, No present, No future.  With Signals Crossed Massaia used long exposures and all his images were shot between 11pm and 4am using 8x10" and 4x5" view cameras. With No past, No present, No future, he used 5x7" and 4x5" view cameras and the final prints were toned silver gelatin and platinum.

2)   Both of Massaia's series were shot in New York.  Signals Crossed was an exploration of the effect of LED billboards blanketing urban environments.  The lights combined with the long exposures captured hidden patterns during and between advertisements to represent disorder and overstimulation of the digital age.  No past, No present, No future was a documentation of long sleepless nights that Massaia spent in hotel lobbies.

3)  I love how he uses long exposure to capture patterns in light and I think he is successful in his statement about how the digital age creates disorder and advertisements affect us and are overstimulating.  I also enjoy his hotel lobby photos because they capture quietness and solitude and a place where time does not seem to exist.  Also, his compositions are beautiful.

Nini Norris Weekly post 7

Gina Cholick









Gina Cholick's series, Inquietude, uses light and shadow quite a bit to convey a sense solitude. She uses both self-portraits and portraits of what looks to be her home, playing between what she sees and the viewer seeing her. All of her portraits are tonally in the same range.

Gina Cholick's series is primarily about a common feeling amongst our generation, the generation Y complex I call it. Each one of us is told we can be whatever we want to be and she looks at the feelings involved with that liberation and freedom."Instead of taking action, hours are spent in an internal struggle. I visualize multiple versions of an idealized life. Expectations form, melt and reform. I hold up what I want for my life and weigh it against what others want, to what they have. I question everything and look for perfect answers that never come. There are moments of respite and clarity and moments of darkness. I search for meaning and identity. I want to stay in the magical world where anything is possible, but I know I must face the reality of choice."

Something about this series drew me in, both pictures and the ideas behind it, Her artist statement alone spoke numbers and I instantly understood what she was doing in her pictures and the emotions she was calling to. Though they were self-portraits, I felt as though I was peaking into my psyche, I've felt just as she describes in her artist statement. Her portraits evoke feelings of confusion, and melancholy through her use of light and expression. Definitely a great series.

Joseph Colon Weekly post

http://www.featureshoot.com/2016/02/dozens-of-vintage-snapshots-all-with-the-same-creepy-shadow/

These images may seem like just regular pictures of people, but the story behind the pictures is much more interesting than the pictures themselves, and which is why I thought I had to share. The reason why these images are so interesting is because of the shadowed man, that is seen to be taking the picture. Jean-Marie Donat, has made it his job to collect, and hunt down the images of this shadowed man, and put together his findings in a book entitled "Predator". The man appeared in photos in the early 1920s and can been in hundreds of images, wearing the same hat, and giving off a creepy, presence.

Kweku Asafu-Adjaye Weekly Post - Anne Geddes

Anne Geddes

Where does one start with this lady. Anne Geddes was born on September 13, 1956 from Queensland Australia. She has published many books and created many calendars with her work. Speaking of her work, she creates interesting photographs of newborn/babies. One could say her central theme is "baby expressionism" where she takes babies and sometimes dresses them in vegetable clothing, or sometimes where she acts as if a parent is pregnant when in fact the baby is just under the loose shirt. An example of these are shown below:

Geddes has a very intimate, yet funny ideology to her photos. Who would have ever thought of putting a baby in a leaf of lettuce and it actually looking good. She often uses soft backdrops and light to keep the photograph seeming serene and soft.

Anne Geddes as of now has sold millions of books on Amazon and continues to excel in the photography world. Her daughters: Kelly Geddes and Stephanie Geddes are also in the photography field as well.

Hailey Porth weekly post 7

http://www.americansuburbx.com/2011/08/walker-evans-moving-pictures.html

"Walker Evans, pictures taken from a moving automobile or train."

If you knew me you would know how obsessed I am with Raymond Meeks moving landscapes. As I was looking through the photographers trying to deicide which one I wanted to do I came across this article and my mind was blown. I love these moving landscapes and it bring my heart so much joy that I have come across more of these little jewels. 

In every photograph you can find the subject very plainly because its simply the only thing not moving. How these pictures are taken is that while in a moving vehicle as the car is passing you take your camera and move with the subject and this makes the subject look as if it is standing still and everything else in motion. Its incredible! 

I love how much texture is added when the pictures are taken in a moving vehicle I love that I feel like I am moving into the frame and placing myself in the photograph. these photographs have such character and description. In every little detail their is stories written there. Moving pictures capture so much more than just the subject. 

Catherine Meadows Weekly Post 7

Vivian Maier

So I absolutely love Vivian Maier. I remember that there was a time last year when I posted a photograph I had taken (of myself in a glass window) to Facebook and someone had commented on it describing it as "very Vivian Maier". I of course looked her up because I had never heard of her, and fell in love with her work immediately.

Here's the photo I just mentioned:

My personal favorite series that she's known for are her self-portraits. For a Photo 3 project, I wanted to recreate one of her self-portraits. The reason I love these and find them so interesting is because of the many different ways that she finds to include herself into the photo. Sometimes all we see if her shadow, whereas other times she's hidden in the reflection. What I love about her reflection photographs are the fact that you can focus on what's behind the glass and then switch your focus to her on the other side.

Obviously Vivian Maier does much more than these self-portraits though. She's really an amazing street photographer. I highly suggest looking at the site I linked with her name up top and going through her portfolio. Her work is very impressive to me and I think she has a great variety of both color and black and white photographs.

Christina Crespo-Blog 9

Sally Man

Sally Mann is a southern photographer. She is known for her black and white images. She began making pictures of her children and family and then landscapes. 

Mann's photos are have a soft romantic esthetic to them. The pictures of her children and family seem very intimate. Her landscapes have the same romantic feel but seems to express more of the formal qualities of a landscape. 

I really like Mann's photos of her family. They are so personal which makes them so interesting. The lighting in her pictures always seems a little dim with just the perfect highlights. 

Mollie Schaidt Weekly Post 7

Thomas Kiefer

1. Kiefer's technical choices in his work were to document items taken from illegal immigrants by the US border control that were said to be, "non-essential". Displaying the items in a orderly fashion with a background that compliments the object. The images are taken straight on; which I believe shows the details in each item. The collection would sometimes take weeks to make, and a single photo could take hours to capture.
2. El Sueno Americano, or The American Dream by Thomas Kiefer chose to document items confiscated from immigrants trying to seek freedom in American. Kiefer a part-time janitor at the US border control mentioned that these items are deeply valued. These are someones personal items and all that they decided to bring with them. Kiefer strives for people to show empathy and realize how little things like this can be taken for granted. 
3. My reaction to Kiefer's series of images really caused me to think about all that I abuse just because it is so accessible. I also chose these certain images because I found it amazing how immigrants trying to come to America for a better life come with just the shirt on their back. Also with just a simple item such as a spoon to eat, or gloves to work. I feel like it really shows the mindset of the people that come to America illegally--they are here to try and work hard, and possibly make a better life for themselves and their families. These are possessions that they will never see again and it was all they had, and for Americans to say that their items of value are not valuable in their eyes speaks to me a lot.