Landscape Photography - Part Two

This is a continuation of the previous blog post, in which I examined the very dissimilar, but equally interesting, work of two photographers.  The first photograph I have chosen to include today obviously has deep roots in the conceptual movement in art.

From The Garden 1 by Pipo Nguyen-duy

This is an interesting twist on the landscape genre - the created, simulated, or adapted landscape.  It looks as though the landscape Nguyen-duy created is inside of a broken, abandoned old greenhouse.  This is but one in a series of photographs he took in this location, each displaying signs of different seasons.  There is a strange juxtaposition of growth and decay in the image - and indeed a subversion of the imagery one would expect to see in a greenhouse.  It is as though nature is taking back over the scene, even if it is artificially arranged to some degree (which it must have been, given some of the features of the other shots in the series).  For all the skeletal elements, there is still nature and vegetation.  The artist managed to create a very intriguing series, one which I would like to research further in the future.

Terre Rouge, Esch-Alzette, Luxembourg 1979 by Bernd and Hilla Becher

 

In keeping with the theme of non-traditional landscapes, this photograph caught my attention.  What first drew me to the piece was the geometry it contains.  I have an affinity for interesting composition and arrangement, and often find that there are either vaguely or entirely geometric elements in most of my best photographs.  So, the way that the photograph reveals the geometry of this structure speaks to me.  However, if it did not seem to be an organic structure, I would not find it nearly as interesting (or necessarily call it a landscape).  Yet it does seem to swell and twist like vines or some strange shrub, growing up towards a sky that is barely visible behind it.  In this photograph the artists did a wonderful job of comparing the industrial scene to the landscape which may have been destroyed by it.  Such conceptual work, where something inorganic serves as a landscape, often makes for an interesting work.

-Kelly F.

Lanscape Photography - Part One

Once again, the Digital Photography class has been asked to work in a series - this time, in conjunction with our own exploration of landscape photography we will be reviewing the work of those working in the genre.

Winter Sunrise, from Lone Pine by Ansel Adams

What can one say about Ansel Adams that has not been said before?  The man was a master of landscape photography, and is probably the best known photographer of our times.  It is easy to see where his fame comes from, as his images are simply gorgeous.  His Zone System ensured that he got the best tonal ranges possible, which is one of my favorite things to see in a black and white image.  Granted, I do tend to like contrasty images... However, I like to have small areas where grey tones make themselves known.  Also, I like the peaceful, very still feeling that most of Ansel Adams' work evokes.  It is very beautiful and calming to observe.

Bernheim Arboretum, Kentucky (4-08-24c-8), 2008 by Lynn Geesaman

I find this work, like much of Lynn Geesaman's photographs, incredibly inspirational.  The technique gives the photograph a very painterly feel, lending the landscape a very romantic air.  It honestly reminds me of some of my favorite paintings by Waterhouse.  The whole scene seems to glow from within, making this a vibrant and captivating piece.  I would like to try something similar with my own landscape photographs, but I would like to find a process that is original.  I know that this is a difficult task, but I have the right to dream.

-Kelly F.

Placing Products on Pedastals - Product Photography

For all the evil that is ascribed by some to the world of advertising, it is good to remember that there are honest people doing honest work in the industry.  Everyone has to make a living... Some photographers work in a studio setting with various products, creating images that will eventually find their way into advertisements or some such arena.  Indeed, product photography can be a fun and challenging field, especially if there is a concept behind the shots of the product.  The following are some good examples of product photography done well.

Without wanting to get into the problems surrounding the diamond trade, I decided that the above was a good example for this blog.  Some might find my choice of the Tacori diamond ring ad above strange, but there are a variety of reasons that this is a good product photograph.  Granted, it looks like it was manipulated at least to some degree in Photoshop.  However, diamonds are incredibly hard to photograph well.  Anything reflective, really, has the potential to send your studio lights everywhere and just generally not look this brilliant.

I would not ever call myself a car person - all I have ever wanted was a nice, four-door Volvo sedan... And as this photograph clearly shows, a Volvo sedan can be a gorgeous car.  The lighting on the car is wonderful, and it does not suffer the toy-car syndrome that seems to afflict some car pictures (due to the removal of anything giving a sense of scale.)  On the whole, this is a really good photograph of a large product.

Normally I would say that a product picture fails if a viewer is not entirely clear as to what the product is, but for these things I just do not care.  They look incredible - I think they are some designer vase design from what I could tell, but I could be wrong.  The important thing about this photograph is that it is dramatic - it draws the viewer in, and makes the product incredibly interesting.  Sometimes, drama is the best way to makes sure that people will investigate and eventually buy a product.

-Kelly F.

Still Life Photography - Part Three

There are two more artists to look at in this, the final installment of my exploration of still life photography.  The styles examined previously are varied and interesting, and those of the following artists continue the trend.

Ruth Thorne Thomsen:

Duet, Wisconsin

 

Turrita Mater

 

Sandy Skoglund:

From The Power of Imagination

 

From The Power of Imagination

From The Power of Imagination

 

These imaginative, creative photographs - as well as those in the two previous segments of this blog series - are truly inspiring to anyone thinking of working in the still life genre.  It shows that the possibilities of what one can do with objects are limitless.  The photographer's job is to sort out the best style and arrangement for a given concept.

 

-Kelly F. 

Still Life Photography - Part Two

This is the second installment of my Digital Photography class assignment to post picture created by well-known still life artists.  When the previous blog left off, I was examining the work of Jan Groover.  Therefore, this is a perfect place to pick things back up.

Jan Groover:

Untitled, 1979

Untitled

 

Olivia Parker:

Replication

 

 From Visual Truths Series

Zeke Berman:

Maple Branch, 1983

Fog Lamp, 2004

Patrick Nagatani:

Bentley, Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, 1987

 

Trinitrite Tempest, 1988

-Kelly F.

Still Life Photography - Part One

In this three-part blog, our class has been asked to post 18 Still Life images over the course of three weeks, all from the work of the following photographers: Irving Penn, Edward Weston, Jan Groover, Olivia Parker, Zeke Berman, Patrick Nagatani, Ruth Thorne Thomsen, and Sandy Skoglund.  As far as I can tell, we were not asked to write aout why we chose them, but rather to simply post them.  Going along with the theory that a picture is worth a thousand words, I will allow these photographer's works to speak for themselves.

Irving Penn:

Ballet Theater, New York 1947

Ballet Society, New York 1948

Edward Weston:

Lake Tenaya, 1937

Nude

 

 Oceano, 1936

Jan Groover:

Untitled, 1987

More from Jan Groover next time...

-Kelly F.

Shutter Speed Images

What?  I could not for the life of me come up with a witty, creative title for this particular blog post.  The following are examples of what manipulating the shutter speed of the camera will do to a photograph. 

This is an excellent example of using a high shutter speed to freeze motion, in this case of water splashing when an ice cube is dropped into it.  The reason I chose this photograph is that the color scheme shows off the power of freezing motion.  It is a simple black and white image, yet this only seems to make the elegant stream of water more poignant.

This photograph was created by using a slow shutter speed, and then twirling around some source of fire or light.  I chose to include this in my blog because it communicates such a vital energy.  The sense of motion is understandable given the technique, but it is still powerful.

Tracking shots, where one follows the movement of an object or a person, are far more difficult than one might think.  I have tried it several times, and therefore can truly appreciate this particular photograph.  It is an excellent example of a tracking shot.

-Kelly F.