Henri Cartier-Bresson

I chose this artist because I saw his exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Henri Cartier-Bresson is well known for his travels around the world and the pictures he has taken. He specializes in black and white photography, using a Lecia 35mm camera, and enjoys taking pictures in England, India, and Indonesia. Cartier-Bresson is claimed to be pioneer of photography. He took pictures of large social and political upheavals. Cartier-Bresson took pictures of the 1930s Depression, the rise of fascism, and the belief that human progress could only be made in struggles against the old cultural values and political institutions. He was born in France to a wealthy family that owned a textile mill. But instead of joining the family business he went to school in 1927. Cartier-Bresson set out to "paint and change the world" and in his early years took pictures of the political battles happening in France. In his later years he began to travel the world and take pictures that way.

I chose this picture because it was interesting to me and I enjoyed the contrast of it. Like how the person is all black while the puddle beneath him is reflecting the rest of the picture above it. The person is all blurred as if this picture was taken at a low shutter speed. Also it leaves a lot to imagination since what is happening is not explained in the picture. When I look at the picture I see a man walking on water, or the man could have fallen of of the ladder and jumped in order to save himself. The picture is not centered also adding to the interest for me. This picture makes me feel confused but also feel some suspense since I do not know what will happen after. This picture was an interesting and enjoyable picture to look at.

Untitled, Jeremy Dawson

Jeremy Dawson

Untitled. From The series Men in Suits. 1993.

Gelatin-Silver Print.

16x20 inches.

The photo I selected was from Photography Reborn: Image Making in the Digital Era by Johnathan Lipkin. Dawson’s photographs are somewhat humorous because the images combine street photography and surveillance like images together. After Dawson takes a photo he uses digital technology to alter the image or images. Dawson does this by combining two images together, usually one right on top of another image. He used a 35mm camera, but later put both images on a normal piece of photographic paper, so it looked like one image. The best part about his work is that the viewer does not know if the images have been manipulated or if they are real. Jeremy Dawson was known for these kinds of street photography images that have been manipulated.

The photo I selected was of a man with a briefcase walking past a group of business men looking through a fence in the city. The man with the briefcase doesn’t seem to notice what the other men are looking at, nor does he care. At first glance it’s hard to believe that the image is real. The man walking past the others does not seem to fit into the same scene as the other men. All the other men are very similar to one another, they are dressed the same and are all balding, which is actually kind of funny. The image is intriguing because we don’t know if it was manipulated, nor does the viewer know what the men are looking at beyond the fence. It’s a mystery and could even be a crime scene. Another reason it’s mysterious is because of what’s in the briefcase that the man is carrying.

“Retired man and his wife at home in a nudist camp one morning, N.J.”

Diane Arbus

 “Retired man and his wife at home in a nudist
camp one morning, N.J.,”

1963

 

 

Diane Arbus, "the photograpgher of freaks," gained that title by photographing the, well not so very often photographed. She was born in 1923 in New York City. Diane and her husband were both interested in photography and had a commercial phography business called "Diane and Alan Arbus" where she took on the role of art director and he photographer. They contributed to many famous fashion magazines but Diane quit the business in 1956 and began her own photographic journey. In 1971 she committed suicide while living at Wesbeth Artists Community in New York City. AS mentioned before, Arbus is known for photographing the odder folk growing up in society. Not the supermodels or gorgeous people that are slathered on evry page of most popular magazines, but moreso the people in the background, the "weird"-er folk. She found beauty in every single person and documented it throughout her life. The picture I chose of hers stuck out to me the first time I saw it, not so much because it was of a naked older couple in their living room, I wasn't interested in it until it came to my knowledge that the only way they would let her take their picture was if she was naked herself. And obviously, that's how it went down. Then I started to pay more attention to the photograph itself and started making connections with the people and the objects in the room. The first thing I noticed was that they were wearing slippers/sandals. Priceless. Then I noticed the picture of what looks like a 1950's Playboy Pinup girl, that seems to be naked or topless herself. And what also caught my eye is how wide open and welcoming the front door is. Thats how comfortable they feel in their own skin. We as viewers can't tell where the house is located because the bright light from outside but in the title it is mentioned that they are a part of a nudist camp. And the fact that they share such openness with surrounding families in this camp is kind of refreshing to me. Who needs clothes?

Sam Shere, The Hindenburg Disaster

2. Artist: Sam Shere

    Title:  The Hindenburg Disaster

    Date:  1937

    Medium: Silver gelatin print

3. Sam Shere was a news photographer during the 1930's. He was taking part in taking pictures of the Hindenburg landing as a publicity stunt. It was then where the aircraft burst into flames above their heads. At the time it happened he only had 2 images left to be taken on his roll. He was quoted saying "there wasn't time to lift it up to his eye he just shot it from the hip". Although similar photographs were taken of the event his images came to be known as "the most famous news photographs ever taken". On a rather unrelated note, the band Led Zepplin's first album cover featured his photograph on it.

4. well i was just flipping through that little book that i borrowed with all the random pictures in it and this one caught my eye. Several years ago i visited the air and space museum in Washington DC. while there i learned quite a bit about the Hindenburg. So this photo just kind of reminded me of what i learned and that trip and i thought it was pretty cool. As for the photo itself it is a really great shot for somthing that was not even properly aimed and of an even that happened in split seconds. 

Calla Lily, Robert Mapplethorpe

Image Name: Calla Lily

Creator: Robert Mapplethorpe

Date: 1988

Medium: Platinum Print

A.

Robert Mapplethorpe was significant in photography because of his work with male nude models, floral still images and pictures of children. I think that Robert Mapplethorpe is significant because he not only does not so tame images but also very tame images. I feel as though all of his images are smooth and well shot lighting and all. He specialized in creating all of his photos on fabric and luxurious cloth panels. Originally Mapplethorpe did not want to be a photographer but to create images of men from pornographic magazines from objects and paintings he had to turn to photography. Sam Wagstaff a curator, photography collector, and his eventual lover was very influential in Mapplethorpe’s photography.  Sadly, Robert Mapplethorpe passed away on March 9^th, 1989 from complications to AIDS.

B.

This photograph to me was very appealing to the eye because when you first look at it you can’t really tell exactly what it is, then after staring at it and looking at it for a few minutes you can tell that it is a flower.  I also think this photo is a really strong image because of the contrast between black and white, also because of the negative space that created how close the image is. I selected it because it wasn’t one of his not so tame images and because it was a picture of a flower, not just an ordinary flower that has flaws either it was literally a perfect flower.  When I look at this image I get instantly happy because when I look at flowers I think of love and happiness. It is powerful image because of the negative space and contrast between black and white.

Ophella, Gregory Crewdson

Ophella

Gregory Crewdson

50X60

2000-2001

Gregory Crewdson was born in Brooklyn, NY, he was in a punk rock group called The Speedies. Crewdson studied photography at SUNY Purchase and received his Masters in Fine Arts from Yale University. Crewdson reminds me of Gustave Le Grey (pieced two photos together) and Henry Peach Robinson (pieced multiple photos together). His vision what of the photo is going to look like in the future is what amazes me. Planning the different layers to create an image I think if fascinating and difficult. Most of Crewdson photos represent small town America and depict subtle and disturbing images. He uses a large crew, props, and special lighting to stage his photos. Many of his images are derived from movies and various painters.

The reason I selected this photograph is because of the complexity of the layers and the lighting. I myself tried shooting different photos and layering or cutting the negatives to get a desired affect. This process for me very difficult, trying to match up natural lighting and framing is very much impossible at my skill level. This photo also has an eerie feeling to it; the photo could be interpreted into in so many different things. I feel the photo represents the drowning suburban housewives feel and their entrapment within their homes. Just beyond the reaches is the light that shines so strongly within the house. Much like the rest of his photos there is something surreal and at the same time disturbing in the image. I feel like every photograph is a single frame in a twilight episode.

Shaft Miner at the 2500 Foot Level Station Before Drilling

Artist: Louie Palu

Picture: Shaft Miner at the 2500 Foot Level Station Before Drilling,

Louvicourt Mine, Val d'Or, Quebec,

Book: Cage Call: Life and Death in the Hard Rock Mining Belt, Published in 2007

Louie Palu is an artist who is mostly known in Canada. He held an internship with photographer Mary Ellen Marks in New York. After his internship he moved back to Toronto where he was a staff photographer for Canada’s national newspaper The Globe And Mail. In 1991 he began what would result in 12-years of field-work documenting the working lives of miners collaborating with writer Charlie Angus which would become the critically acclaimed body of work Cage Call: Life and Death in the Hard Rock Mining Belt, which won the Critical Mass Book Award.

The body of work in his book called Cage Call: Life and Death in the Hard Rock Mining Belt, examines life in Canada’s geologically enormous hard rock mining belt. The photographs are documents of the people, land and work involved in underground mining and smelting. Louie’s photos tell the true life story of miners and the dangers and benefits of the life they live. Many of his pictures in the book were of the miners and their families, and neighborhoods. Palu's workers are both tragic and heroic; the world they inhabit is dark and dangerous but it is also beautiful and compelling.

In Shaft Miner at the 2500 Foot Level Station Before Drilling, Louvicourt Mine, Val d'Or, Quebec, we see a solitary figure from behind, bathed in light from above, hands raised in a an empathetic yet unclear gesture. At first glance, without prior knowledge of the picture that is taken in the mines, it seems as though the aliens are coming, and man is welcoming them. The reason I chose this photography book is because, I find mines fascinating and horrible at the same time. I liked this picture because of the contrast and the glow from the above ground. I also like the glow the lone miners hat bounces off around the darkness.  I also find the shapes involved of the mine, vertical, horizontal, and circular shapes to bring depth to the image. The image itself is powerful as it creates a scary notion of being alone in a mine, with only a metal object coming from the light. Because the image is so real looking, I wouldn’t change it because it would take away from the authenticity of the authors work on portraying the real life involved in mines.