Robert Mapplethorpe and George Platt Lynes

I've been attempting to shoot nudes for my craft final and I'm really just trying to figure it all out so I found these two guys as references.

Robert Mapplethorpe:

George Platt Lynes:

Christoper Cunningham

Christopher Cunningham is a photojournalism senior at the Corcoran College of Art and Design. I went to visit the school this past weekend and saw his work as they were getting ready for their senior thesis show. I just thought I'd put up a few of my favorites.

VII

VII is a photo agency that holds a total of eleven photojournalists (then why isn't it called "XI"?) including James Nachtwey. All of the images I chose are in color (obviously since it's a color photo class) although most of them are muted. I felt that each of those photos found a balance between subject matter and composition that is needed as a photojournalist.

Alexandra Boulat:

Ron Haviv:

Christopher Morris:

Franco Pagetti:

John Stanmeyer:

James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey is an amazing war photographer who has been working for Time Magazine since 1984.


"I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated." -James Nachtwey-

The horizon line connects with the figure in the foreground in a way that creates a great flow through the picture. the negative space and repetition of form draws your eyes attention.

The yellow and the blue become shapes in themselves as they pop out of the image. The shadows almost become figures as they are to scale with the true figure.

The punctuated color of the two girl's dresses draws our attention away from the war helicopter in the background so that it is not the first thing we notice.

ParkeHarrison

So I wanted to do this blog on Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison's "Architect's Brother" after seeing it in person this weekend but then I realized that it's not exactly color photography and this is a color class. So instead I'm going to focus on "Gray Dawn" and "Counterpoint".

This isn't one of their photographs but instead an image of one of the sculptures used in their photographs. I don't know too much about their process with "Counterpoint" and "Gray Dawn" but I know that in "Architect's Brother" they would use sculpture that they created themselves in the photographs.

I think what draws me to the ParkeHarrisons the most is their use of nature based symbolism along with the fact that they create their own sculptures and (in "Architect's Brother") paint on the images. Their use of color is nice too, whether it's muted, punctuated or completely saturated.

Lens Culture Reviews

"My Brother's War"

The concept behind this work is beautiful, the idea of exploring the life of a brother/caretaker who committed suicide do to post-traumatic stress disorder is so intimate (just like buildings!). Unlike some people who shall not be named, the images beauty can stand on it's own and is only enhanced by the concept rather than completely held up by it. The quality of light in these images are simply beautiful and the way she uses refraction is extremely creative. The images where she chooses to hold up an image from her brother's army days sort of reminds me of my final for last semester. The way she lines up elements in the image to the background is flawless.

"Jennifer's Family"

The concept behind this group, once again, is beautiful. The idea behind depicting a family stricken with poverty as a happy normal family can say so much without saying anything at all. It's a new look at a family of this caliber that can almost be related to Robert Frank's,  "The Americans".

"Immortal"

With this series, as the writing says, the cultural references are overflowing. The artist pays homage to renaissance painting and the greek gods of mythology while referencing the use the over use of photoshop in the media to create an unrealistic ideal of perfection (totally my idea!). I only recently noticed that none of them have eyebrows! Which is weird but also reminiscent of the "Mona Lisa".