Abelardo Morell

I'm going to focus on Morell's camera obscura and tent camera work because I fell in love with it when we visited the gallery NY. When I first walked in, I thought they were paintings because the textures looked like brush strokes. Then I looked on the back of the gallery card and it explained the process and I was amazed! He sets up a tent with a lens on top so that whatever the lens is pointed at is projected onto the ground inside the tent. The he photographs the ground. So that's why I'm focusing on these works specifically. You can find more of his work on his blog.

This image sort of explains how a camera obscura works. Morell most likely made this camera himself seeing as it's just a cardboard box with a lens. The repetition of the light bulb is interesting especially because the one inside the box is upside-down and a little bit larger. The overall tonal range of the image is amazing as well.

This was one of my favorite images from the exhibit! I love the texture of whatever material the image was projected on. I also love the fact that in all of these images, he uses what is actually on the ground rather than bringing his own textures into it which helps both the textures and and the image relate to each other. The one flaw I find in this image is the tripod leg. Why is it there?! It bothers the hell outta me! I don't know if he actually wanted it there or not but I don't see why he would! It's only in one of the others. I feel like if he really wanted it there he should've put a hint of it in all of them so it doesn't look so out of place.

This is also one of my favorite images in the series (the quality of this one is really crappy though). Once again, I love how the textures relate to the image itself. I also love how pretty much everything around the building is out of focus while the building is in focus. It really brings your attention to the building and allows for your eye to focus more on the textures around it.

Tom Hussey

I found this photographer using stumble upon. I was hoping to find something that relates to the work I'm doing now with my final project and I believe the concept behind these images come the closest. The images depict elderly people looking into a mirror and seeing their youth instead of their reality. I really love this concept (although it made me even more scared to grow old). Tom Hussey's Blog

This first image depicts an elderly man staring into his bathroom mirror and smiling at his younger self in an army uniform. It's interesting how the colors of the younger man are more muted, making it look sort of like one of those old army photos. The bathroom itself is plain black and white for the most part which brings more attention to the two figures.

This next image depicts another elderly man staring at his younger firefighter self. It's interesting how everyone's eyes lead to the man in the mirror while that man looks back towards the elderly man. This draws the viewers eyes towards the mirror and then back and forth between the two men.

This last image depicts a woman sitting next to a mirror with a reflection of her younger self. I do not like the placement of the mirror (just because I feel like no one would put a mirror there in real life, but that's just me). Other than that, I love how consistent the photographer was with the lighting. both the figure and the reflection have the same lighting. Also the patterns from the window in the reflection are exactly where I would expect the pattern to be on the wall.

Erik Reis

I have to admit, I picked this photographer only because we have the same name (we even have the same middle initial)! Honestly, I found his site, Erik Reis, one day when I was googling myself (everyone does it so don't judge!). I don't particularly like most of his work but he does have some pretty decent stuff.

This is my least favorite image out of the three I have chosen so I chose to show it first. When I look for his work on google images (his site doesn't let you take the images) this was the image that came up the most. I don't know why exactly because he has better but whatever. I'm not saying it's bad because there are some redeeming qualities such as the repeating triangles (the road in the background and the negative space in-between the legs) and the overall tonal range of the image. I'm not sure exactly why I'm not fond of this image I just don't particularly like it.

The site that I found this image on cropped it for but I kind of like this cropping better. I love the contrast of this image (I normally don't really like high contrast). There is still so much detail in the darkness of the image. It gives a sense of being trapped or hope for "escape". The horizontal lines have a very organic feel as they mold to the form of his face.

This is my favorite image (that i've found) from this photographer. The elongated light pattern is at just the right angle in the image. The repetition bounces your eye between the window and the light pattern. The figure adds a feeling of loneliness to this image while also adding a trapped feeling resembling the previous image.

James Nachtwey

I came across this photographer using Stumble Upon and I was instantly inspired by the intense imagery he displays. His blog, Witness, depicts a history of events that most will choose to either not see or just completely forget. The first thing you see when you come upon the blog is this quote by the photographer himself:

"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."

This reminded me of the artist statement I wrote for Craft where I stated that  if we continue to ignore the issues depicted in these photos, how will they ever be resolved. These scenes need to be documented and set as a constant reminder of our the mistakes of the past, so those mistakes can remain only in the past.

This first image is from a series on AIDS in Africa. It depicts a frightfully skinny man walking the halls of a tuberculosis ward in Zimbabwe. Not only is the subject matter enough to grab the viewer's attention but the strong composition just makes it all the more powerful. The tight space gives a feeling of being trapped as this man is trapped by his disease. The curving pathway creates a sort of interest as to where we are being led. The negative space is being broken down into geometric figures around the figure.

This next image shocked me even more than the last. It depicts a famine victim in Sudan crawling on the ground as he probably does not have the strength to stand. It is easy for any photographer to become so distracted with the subject matter that they forget about the rest of the composition, I don't think that's the case here. Seeing as this situation was obviously not set up the photographer probably had to act fast, making it all the more difficult to gain the intended composition. This photographer was able to act fast while still gaining a powerful composition and depicting the scene he wanted to depict.

This last image depicts Hutu refugees being buried in mass graves after being struck by an outbreak of cholera. What is seen here is the completely inhumane treatment of these people after their death. The bodies are being carried by bulldozers and lumped together in "graves". One body hangs limply from the front of the bulldozer while a man in the background directs the bulldozer. The photographer handles the position of his subjects very well, adding more focus to the body by not depicting the entire bulldozer.

These are the type of images I hope to create some day. Photos that cause the viewers to think about what is going on in the world and make a difference rather than sit comfortably on their couches, getting fat and watching cartoons.

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. The first time I heard about Bresson was during the Decisive Moment project in Photo I. He was, as you'll see in two of my examples, was a master at choosing the exact moment to release the shutter.

This is the most popularly known photo created by Bresson. The way he created that tension between the front foot and the body of water by capturing that exact moment before it touches. The slight motion blur gives it a sense of action while the clarity of the rest of the image allows the eye to focus on the figure. I'm not 100% sure as to how he could have such an amazing composition in such short notice but my only guess would be that he found the spot and waited for a situation to occur.

Once again, Bresson has captured the perfect "Decisive Moment". The figure is perfectly framed between the wall, stairs and sidewalk. The blurred figure along with the clarity of the rest of the image creates the same effect as it did in the last. The viewer's eye is lead down to the figure with the winding lines of the stairs. I would assume that Bresson obtained this amazing composition through the same method I guessed for the previous image but I can not be certain.

This last image does not contain the same quality of "Decisive Moment" as the last two but still contains a very attractive quality. Your eye is drawn into the image through the spiraling effect, causing the photo to become three dimensional. The repetition of the faces adds an extra spiraling effect as well as stopping the image from becoming abstract. The hard vertical lines at the end of the spiral stops the eye and allows it to fall back down the spiral. This almost creates a hypnotizing effect.

Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison

"My photographs tell stories of loss, human struggle, and personal exploration within landscapes scarred by technology and over-use…. [I] strive to metaphorically and poetically link laborious actions, idiosyncratic rituals and strangely crude machines into tales about our modern experience."- Robert ParkeHarrison.

I truly admire the work of Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison. The fact that they merge photography with both sculpture and painting is ingenious in my opinion. This couple's photography has a clear and valid statement just waiting to be absorbed by the masses. The following work is from "Architect's Brother"; check out their blog, ParkeHarrison, to see work from "Gray Dawn" and "Counterpoint" as well.

This first image, "Forestbed", depicts a man sleeping on a mattress held up by branches. I feel as though this image is meant to show the relationship between man and nature. The composition is impeccable in the sense that your eye is constantly drawn up towards the sleeping man. My theory on how this image was achieved is as follows: the mattress is attached to the wall behind the man which is painted over on the image to appear as though it is an empty/barren plain and the rest is all prop. The realistic appearance of the paint truly adds to the surreal quality of this image.

"Suspension" is my favorite image in the "Architect's Brother" series. The repetition of the clouds allows the eye to move slowly into the background, causing the viewer to become absorbed with the image's surreal quality. The man is desperately attempting to tie down these clouds, possibly trying to replenish the almost barren plains depicted. I believe this image was achieved through mostly painting the photograph. It looks to me that the man, rope and hills are the only real part of the image. The background along with the clouds and ropes are most likely painted. The paint is, once again, so realistic that it creates this intense surreal quality.

This last image, "Flying Lesson", can be seen in two ways: either the man is teaching these birds how to fly, or the birds are teaching the man. I'm not 100% sure but I see it as the first option. I believe this image was achieved mostly through sculpture. The background may have been painted but not necessarily. Your eye is constantly drawn up through either of the two groups of birds while the bird in the cage acts as a steady anchor that always brings you back. The repetition is also key in keeping the viewer interested.

Marc Bijl

In response to the three week project on "Windows/Mirrors" I have decided to portray the side of "Windows" through what I call, "Visual Pollution". With this, I am trying to expose the ugliest sides of urban culture and hopefully cause my viewers to notice the effects of these run-down houses and garbage covering the streets.

In my search for a photographer with similar work I came across Marc Bijl's blog, New Oceans. I was particularly fond of his work involving Camp Pirotte in Aachen (Germany). He really captured the aftermath of an abandoned building as it slowly becomes ruins. 

"It's always fascinating to see how abandoned buildings change into a ruins."- Marc Bijl

The dim lighting indoors in contrast to the bright sunlight outside of the windows really adds to the effect of abandonment. The repetition in the broken glass windows keeps your eyes constantly moving throughout the composition. The composition would not be as strong without the graffiti under the window and would definitely not be the same without the abandoned bricks on the window sill.

Here's a closer look at the windows from the previous image. Once again, the soft light compared to the harsh sunlight from outside gives the image an abandoned effect. This image gives a sort of comparison between nature and man-made objects by depicting the grass through the broken window. The repetition of the light tannish color in the brick wall and the grass outside gives the image a great sense of unity.

This image is the final close up on the broken window shards. Bijl uses a tilted perspective to add to the sharp effect of the broken glass. The minimal depth of field allows the viewer to focus mainly on the decay of this building. The bright sunlight really illuminates the glass shards and gives them a fierce glow.