Carra Roots - Weekly Artist Post 3

Tahir Carl Karmali

Tahir Carl Karmali is a New York based photographer. From his work, I perceive that some of his subjects are what he sees all the time, and also what he experiences. For example, he has done a series on being displaced. New York is a state where you find most people live for their job, so this is something he found himself to be around a lot

In this particular series called “Jua Kali”, he takes head shots of people. They are sometimes painted, marked on and also have different items placed on them. He plays with color a lot. Tahir takes these images and then creates more marks or meaning on them. By doing this, and Africans use face paint as well, he creates identity for his subjects.

It seems as thought I keep finding artist that do a lot of photo manipulations, and that intrigues me so much. Photography can always be taking to another level if you feel that your skill has moved you there. As our teacher says it so much more than taking a photograph, but making one.

Katelyn Curtis Weekly Post 3 1/31/2016

                                                          Rhodri Brooks

                                                         Blog Post by Katelyn Curtis

                                       


                                       


                                       


                                       


1) What are the artist’s technical choices?

    Brooks chose to have the sitter facing the light and showing no anxiety or joy as they sit. They sit with items associated to their past as children and current life as being an adult. Forced to view the sitter head on against a plan background as they gaze out into the world.


2) What are the artist’s conceptual and/or thematic intents?

    This ongoing project plays on the aspects of being a child and having spontaneity versus being an adult and having to live this accomplished life. Brooks wants the viewer to reflect on the journey that we all as individuals go through as we  grow up. The light is being used the represent the "looming transition" that occurs day after day, and eventually to your death. I thought it was interesting how the blog further pointed out that the sitter is forced to sit and wonder about the world they are looking at but yet their current position with the items on their head holds little hope for them to move.


3) How do you respond to these choices and intents? 

    This truly forced myself to reflect on how I myself have transitioned to being an adult and what obstacles and sacrifices I have had to give up from being  a child to becoming an adult. Furthermore, it made me reflect on what it "means" to our society and the standards we are forced to live by as to whether you are an accomplished adult. The silliness seems so strange to reflect upon with items placed on the head and such, but as a child, it would seem normal or fun. This series also echo's for the viewer to remember the original goals as a kid as to what their dreams were to be when grown, and to see where you are now. Most people are far from what they would have ever thought was their future, whether good or bad, but also, where each and everyone of us plan to go.

Yajaida, 3

Weegee

   

Born Ascher Fellig, this photographer emigrated to the US in the infancy of photojournalism.He began his work at the age of 14 and had over a 50 year career encompassing various styles. He is best known for his work in Manhattan during the 30's and 40's, which is what I've chosen to focus on here. Working with no formal training, he operated with a 4x5 large format camera and flash.

Many of his images were taken at scenes he arrived at by listening in on police radio reports. He is the first to have ever done so, and made his name with the sensational images. He did not shy away from brutality and had no thought to decorum. The first name in what we now define as tabloid photography, the artist was not above staging documentary images, or contriving situations.

I personally do not care for him as a person, but think it's important to look at what he did to redefine photography's limits. And looking at his near imaginary ethics, photographers should evaluate and understand where their own ethical boundaries lie. 

This last image is my first introduction to Weegee's work, and it has always struck me.

Behind the subject, hidden in the shadow of the background is a male, crouched down, peering over the shattered glass. The onlooker is almost completely obscured except for his eyes,yet it is he, not the injured boy or his faithful friend playing nurse, that is almost dead center in this shot.

Maybe he's another of the joyriding party who managed to get out of the crash without a scratch and is looking out to see if he can also walk away from the incident without repercussion.It's also just as likely that he is just an onlooker.

Here's the thing that makes this image so successful for me. In a sense, we are more disturbed by the onlooker than the injured boy. We think him at worst to have sinister intent, at best to just have a morbid curiosity. And then we rationalize, of course he should be hiding, he knows it's inappropriate for him to be staring at such a scene. And then we realize, we're doing the same thing. Looking at the crouched figure, his eyes are not pointed at the scene in front of him, but directly at the person taking the photo, and by extension, we, the audience. This third person in the image starts off representing a voyeur and in the end represents our own voyeurism. Just like the injured boy and his injuries are reflected in the side mirror of the stolen, wrecked car, the reflection of the audience is shown peering out behind splintered glass.

Diana Macaraeg - Weekly Post 3

Sean Stewart 

1. Sean Stewart's technical choices were to showcase vibrant colors and aged subjects/buildings. Stewart chose to use a view camera in an attempt to slow down his picture taking. He stated that allowing a camera to be on a tripod, that it will reveal and create meditation in the scene, unlike a hand held camera.
2. Sean's Rivertown setting, was placed along the Monongahela River Valley in Pittsburgh. Stewart being a native of Pittsburgh, one of the hardest places in America, he wanted to showcase a lower-working class nearby. His main focus was to offer an observation towards the life of north-eastern America that is often ignored, when it was seen in the past as "America's strength." 
3. Beyond Sean Stewart's visualizes, I throughly enjoy the content behind it. Knowing that in history that the North East of America was usually depicted as "Real America," it was interesting to see that there is progress slowly developing. To see that some buildings are torn down or tattered, older cars and traditional convenience stores still being used, gives an uncertainty towards this towns future. It's content can either give a perspective that this town will soon diminish into an industrial land, or remain in it's static slow developing lifestyle. 

Brandon Mabrouk Weekly Post #3

Serge Najjar

Serge Najjar is Lebanese photographer who began publishing his photos on Instagram in May of 2011. He has an abstract style that is made up of different shapes, materials, colors, and shadows. To capture a great photo he waits until he has a human figure is added into the reality and it makes the photo perfect. Above is a combination from his exhibit "The Architecture of Light" and "Réalités Abstraites." 

In " The Architecture of Light" he focuses on the world we live in and how beautiful shapes and contrasts can be captured with photography. This series focuses on angular shadows and reflections in  Beruit, Lebanon. This beautiful concept is something that is not thought about often. I was intrigued when Najjar said he had no particular strategy when capturing photos he would basically find a structure with a beautiful shape, color, or shadow and photograph it. Najjar states "It is important to me that if we looked closer at things around us, we may discover a new world we would have otherwise totally missed."

In "Réalités Abstraites." he goes towards a certain piece of architecture that is appealing to him and captures it. "if it doesn't happen naturally, I start a conversation with a passerby." It seems that Najjar is trying to find peace in his photography. There is a great amount of negativity that is torturing our world and he rediscovers his city and country to prove you can find tranquility.

Christian Moll Artist Post 3 2/1/2016

Camille Seaman

Camille Seaman mainly works in a documentary/fine art tradition and since 2003 has concentrated on the fragile environment of the Polar Regions. Which she has become well known with her stunning images of the polar regions. But her new project, The Big Cloud, is equally breathtaking and a continuing look at natural phenomenon of nature and weather. This project documents the unique clouds called “supercells” that are capable of producing tornadoes in the central United States.The following images were made during the Storm Season during the months of May and June of 2008 through 2012. 

Camille was born in 1969 to a Native American father and African American mother. She graduated from the State University of New York at Purchase, where she studied photography. Her photographs have been published in National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times, Newsweek, Men’s Journal, Camera Arts, Issues, PDN, and American Photo among many others, She frequently leads photographic and self-publishing workshops. Her photographs have received many awards including: a National Geographic Award, 2006; and the Critical Mass Top Monograph Award, 2007.

Camille Seaman's work is astounding with all the raw vibrant color within each photo. Her photographs are beautiful works of art that almost look like paintings, there unreal. I love the amount of light and contrast in each or her series. I think she is a fantastic photographer, i have always enjoyed the fascination of nature and how small it can make you feel. She did a really good job of capturing that in this series. 

Catherine Meadows Weekly Post 3

Thilde Jensen

1) what are the artist’s technical choices?

Jensen, in my opinion, has an amazing eye for light and contrast. She shoots in color and often in her work, she seems to include things that have a pop of color in them. Some of the models in her photos look posed, while other shots look candid. I'm unsure whether this was on purpose, or if she simply told the subjects to do whatever felt comfortable.

2) what are the artist’s conceptual and/or thematic intents?

Thilde Jensen suffers with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). After she got this illness in 2003, she moved to New York, where she discovered that there were so many others with the same condition. This series examines those people who also share this "invisible" condition. Her photos are very powerful, as they show personal, difficult moments of people's every day lives with MCS. She seems to alienate the subjects from their surroundings, furthermore showing the severity of this condition.

3) how do you respond to these choices and intents?  

I thoroughly enjoyed Thilde's series. I actually couldn't choose just 3 photos to include in this post. I found with her photos, that I could stare at them for a long time and not get uninterested. I've always been a huge lover of light and contrast in photography and find that Thilde Jensen has a great talent for finding those. I also really enjoyed her concept behind this series, photographing an "invisible" condition that should be, in my opinion, more commonly known.

Anna Luker Blog 3

Jo Ann Callis

Jo Ann struck out to me as I was doing my research for this week for her themes in her photography. Her photos are so compelling and make you feel some sorts of weird emotions I felt like I needed to share. 

 

from: Early Color

from: Early Black & White

from: Animal / Food

The lines leading our eyes all over the space seemed very intentional. The randomness of the subject matter leaves the viewer in some sort of array. Like why the goldfish? So odd! The reflections in the glassware is also a great compositional element.  

Her images are compelling and random but that is what makes them so striking. The angles and lighting she uses are very different. At least something I would not consider making but they are very inspiring. "Callis’s photographs depart from these conventions, both in the plurality of their subjects, the anonymity of their relationships, and the insistently theatrical setting of the work." 

Jo Ann was born in Ohio in 1940 and relocated to California for her education. She originally started off studying graphic design and one of her professors encouraged her to move towards more experimental photography. She currently is working at the California Institute of Arts where she has been working since before obtaining her MFA in 1975. 

Victoria Garnett, Weekly Artist Post 3, 1/31/2016

Steve McCurry





                                            The Afghan Girl
                                    

  

                                     

Steve McCurry's work focuses on individuals he encounters during his travels in a documentary style. He studied film at Pennsylvania State University, worked for a newspaper for a few years, and moved to India. After reading about his adventures, I learned that his career began when disguised himself in native garb and crossed the Pakistan border into Afghanistan, before the Russian invasion. I've always been interested and amazed by his famous photograph "The Afghan Girl" that he had taken of a very striking young woman in 1984 and many years later finds her again and photographs her and her family.

 McCurry is dedicated to his passion and captures a moment perfecting, as he waits patently for the right thing to shoot. He stated, "If you wait people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up in to view".   His quote makes perfect sense because I had figured that out during our last assignment. He loves vibrant colors and I am pretty sure that is was drew him to the Afghan girls piercing green eyes. In other photos like the one one with the boy running and the blue walls and red hand prints is a great example of one of his works of color. I've noticed that in a lot of his work he has the individual he is focusing on, is in the center of his composition.

His photography makes me feel alive and in the moment with him. I can understand why he chooses to take a photograph of the subjects that he makes photographs of.

Hailey Porth Weekly Posts 3

Nicholas Nixon

http://www.moma.org/collection/artists/4315

http://www.massart.edu/nick_nixon.html

Nicholas Nixon uses a 8X10 view camera. His documentary style of work is reminisce of Edward Weston and Walker Evans. Nixon's documentary photos range from street style to up close and personal photographs that are so close you can only see one portion of the body. He also has done a long term project of photographing his wife and her sisters every year.

https://vimeo.com/71999587

His ability to go from documenting people to photographing large scale buildings is amazing! It is almost like going from one medium to another and he is able to capture both subjects incredibly well. In his photographs of buildings I am reminded of his photographs of people that are up close and personal and it gives off the persona of almost being there in both the portraits of the people and of the buildings.


    


Nixon's compositions in his photographs are tight and crammed. Even in his photographs that are not up close the photograph makes me feel as if I am missing part of the story but keeps me wanting to find out more. Throughout his photographs the underlying feeling of pain and suffering reoccurs. The loneliness of what a disease can do to a family leaves a mark on not only the family but everyone your around. Nixon's photographs do the same thing. They leave an emotional mark on you that is not easily removed.

Bradley Manley Weekly Artist Post 3

Ben Huff

Ben Huff is able to tell a narrative through landscape and straight forward pictures. The specific photos tell a narrative through his travels in the north.

Through these photos Huff is able to take us through his adventures through the north. He takes these snowy landscape photos and also other photos of his journey. Along with this collection are portraits of the people who live here and deal with the chilly winters  the north faces. This pictures tell a narrative through both daylight and night time.

I always love a good journey. I can see myself along for the ride. The snowy vast landscape photos give me a eerie yet curious feeling which is a feeling I get going to places I never been before. I admire the use of lighting. Huff does a great job making a photo in every given situation and lighting that he's faced with.