inspireture

• 2013-01-31

  Alexander Rodchenko

  “Don’t try to capture a man in one synthetic portrait, but rather in lots of snapshots taken at different times and in different circumstances.” - Alexander Rodchenko  

  As one of the founders of ‘Russian Constructivism’ Rodchenko worked across sculpture, graphic design, and photography. At my time of discovering Rodchenko I was working on a photographic portrait assignment, and his statement (quoted above) was influential within my work. 

  I produced a series of black and white portrait images of my partner… Showing him in different expressions and activities that occur in his morning routine. 

  Rodchenko’s image of the trumpet player (below) is taken from an extremely intimate perspective, it has an ability to show the viewer something unseen… We are put into a moment entirely created by the photographer and their subject. 

  

  Rodchenko took images at different angles to shock the viewer and postpone recognition. I like the idea that an image can make us think differently about something. He was quoted as saying “In order to educate man to a new longing, everyday familiar objects must be shown to him with totally unexpected perspectives and in unexpected situations. New objects should be depicted from different sides in order to provide a complete impression of the object.” 

  There is also a fantastic image of a woman carrying a child up stairs… light, shadow, intrigue… Click here to see the Rodchenko image. 

  BP

• 2013-01-22

  Aaron Siskind

  “To me documentary photography means making a picture so that the viewer doesn’t think about the man who made the picture. At its esthetic core is very old tradition in art: naturalism. And its purpose is to document all facets of social relationships.” - Aaron Siskind. 

  Aaron Siskind received his first camera as a honeymoon gift in 1929. This piece of information is mentioned in many photographer biographies, and it always makes me think of my first camera. I remember as a child using my fathers work camera - a Polaroid instant camera he would use to document the streets of Parramatta to be used as evidence  in cases against illegal dumping, or other breeches of council ordinance. 

  I’ve selected an image by Siskind from the series ‘The Divers’ (which is quite well known) as I feel it has a wonderful aesthetic/form quality alongside documentation style. To me I’m instantly thinking about the subject in the image, where they are, how high they are, and what they will be falling into. To quote Siskind “the viewer doesn’t think about the man who made the picture”, I’m thinking about the man in the picture. 

  

  Diver 4, Aaron Siskind Foundation: http://www.aaronsiskind.org

  BP

• 2013-01-20

  The List

  I want to continue to systematically work through The Master Photographer List week by week…

  Since I’ve not been studying Architecture electives I’ve stoped researching and posting here, but It’s something I want to start again. This list was provided to me by my photography tutor, and some I’ve already covered. However, I’ve now sorted alphabetically and will start at the beginning. 

  I will update this list as I go. 

  THE MASTER PHOTOGRAPHER LIST

  Aaron Siskind - DONE 13.01.22
  Alexander Rodchenko - DONE 13.01.31
  Alfred Stieglitz
  Andre Kertesz
  Ansel Adams
  August Sander
  Berenice Abbott - DONE
  Bill Brandt - DONE
  Bill Henson
  Brassai - DONE
  Brett Weston
  Bruce Davidson
  Danny Lyon
  David Moore
  Diane Arbus - DONE
  Dorethea Lange
  Edward Steichen
  Edward Weston
  Elliott Erwitt
  Eugene Atget
  Eugene Smith
  Eve Amold
  Garry Winogrand
  Gordon Parks
  Harry Callahan
  Henri Cartier-Bresson
  Imogen Cunningham
  Irving Penn
  Jacques-Henri Lartigue
  Jeff Carter
  Joseph Koudelka - DONE
  Julia Margaret Cameron
  Lee Friedlander
  Lee Miller
  Lewis Hine
  Man Ray - DONE
  Manuel Alvarez Bravo
  Marc Riboud
  Margaret Bourke-White
  Mario Giacomelli
  Mary Ellen Mark
  Max Dupain
  Mike Parr
  Minor White
  Narelle Autio
  Olive Cotton
  Paul Strand
  Ralph Gibson
  Rene Burri
  Robert Capa
  Robert Doisneau
  Robert Frank
  Roger Scott
  Roy DeCarava
  Sebastian Salgado
  Trent Parke
  Walker Evans
  Weegee
  William Bullock
  William Klein
  Yousuf Karsh

  OTHERS NOT ON THE LIST

  James Nachtwey - DONE

  PROCESS & RESOURCES

  The general process I will follow is to research the photographer at a number of different websites. If I’m at uni, or near the library, I will also search the catalogue for a book of their work. 

  Monograph
  If I’m near uni I will always pop into the Library to try and find a Monograph of the photographers work. It’s a great way to get an idea of their position and style. 

  Masters of Photography
  Often a great way to view a body of work from an individual photographer.
  http://www.masters-of-photography.com 

  Photo Quotes
  Helps me understand how the photographer views the world, their work, and often what they value in photography. 
  http://www.photoquotes.com

  Wikipedia 
  Wikipedia provides a general understanding of their life, relationships, and travel.
  http://www.wikipedia.org

  Photographers Site / Gallery
  It’s also a great idea to view the photographers own site, or the site of the gallery representing them, especially if the photographer is still alive.
   

  I try and avoid Google image searches. 

  BP

• 2012-06-18

  vvolare:

  “City of Shadows” was taken during the winter of the collapse of the Soviet Union by Alexey Titarenko

  (via waterlostinthesea)

  Source: alexeytitarenko.com

• 2012-02-02

  

  Diane Arbus

  The life of Diane Arbus is much more complex than I would ever try to explain given the little knowledge I have. So my thoughts here will follow my standard process > Wikipedia, Photo Quotes, followed by Master Of Photographers where I look for an image I find inspiring. However I couldn’t find Arbus on Masters of Photography so I looked at http://diane-arbus-photography.com to find suitable images. This made selecting an image more difficult, but a more rewarding experience as it gave me an opportunity to find something clearly Arbus, but not necessarily an image that would appear on the first page of a Google image search. A member of the New York School and a teacher at Cooper Union, Arbus was quoted as saying; 

  “For me the subject of a picture is always more important than the picture. And more complicated.” - Diane Arbus

  I’ve always been more drawn to images with a story than those with a strong conceptual or technical presence (probably due to my lack of technical or conceptual ability). With this in mid I find the majority of Arbus’s work fascinating.

  The image I’ve selected for this inspireture entry has it all! An unidentified story, strong use of light, and it’s a successful use of situational portraiture. In addition the image shows me something I would never see without photography, which is one of the things I appreciate about the art. This is just one or many many inspiring images by Arbus worth viewing. I hope to show more here in the future. 

  “I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.” - Diane Arbus

  BP

• 2011-12-09

  

  Brassai

  From Brassó in Hungary, Brassai is another great photographer introduced to me while studying Photography electives at UTS.

  Brassai was in Paris between the wars and used, and developed his skills as a photography to capture the beauty of Paris. 

  This photo of a prostitute on the streets of Paris at night even features a Fromagerie, how very French!  

  Without knowing who this person is the image conjures an atmosphere of romance. I’ve never met a prostitute but I can imagine approaching a beautiful woman waiting for you on the street in the light, soft words are spoken, followed by lustful arrangements. I’m not sure if today one could have the same experience… but photography is as much about documenting reality as it is about creating a fictional experience for the viewer, in other words evoking an emotion of what could be… the possibility.  

  “The precise instant of creation is when you choose the subject. (meaning that the essential thing occurs at the moment when he, the photographer, meets the reality he wishes to capture.” - Brassai

  BP

  PS: I must add that I found the Brassai quote after applying my thoughts to this image… I think it’s quite fitting. 

• 2011-11-15

  Berenice Abbot (1898 - 1991) 

  I believe there is no more creative medium than photography to recreate the living world of our time…Photography gladly accepts the challenge because it is at home in its element: namely, realism—real life—the now. - Berenice Abbott

  After returning from Paris, where she assisted Man Ray, Bereniice Abbot began documenting the timeless city of New York. Her images capture a broad set of emotions, from the construction people working tirelessly to grow the city, to the static and overpowering built environment. 

  While I appreciate the images of NYC Streetscape in isolation it is images that show the human interaction with the environment that I enjoy the most. They not only give a sense of scale to the images but they help imagine what it would be like, what activities you would undertake on a daily basis if living in NYC at this time. 

  I’ve also included an image from Abbot’s science series. She believed that photography was the best medium to link science and art…. And I think this photograph provides a strong case for this. 

  BP

• 2011-10-17

  

  Shocking, moving, and unforgettable – many of the images James Nachtwey takes encompass all these attributes. This image taken in a Zimbabwe tuberculosis ward where the great majority of the patients suffer from AIDS is just one of many images that  re-enforces that point. 

  I came across it after watching a video of Nachtwey’s photgraphic essay “Struggle to Live – the Fight against TB”. It shows the story of many people suffering with and fighting against TB. The images are narrated with details of the global yet preventable disease. You can watch it  at YouTube. I must warn that it contains many emotional images > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZZZjiqxCbY

  Photographers have a great opportunity and power to share the world with us. The unseen world beyond our daily commute to and from work. To explore the lives of those people on the other side of the world. And to highlight many of the inequalities inherent with our global development.

  “There is a job to be done…to record the truth. I want to wake people up!” - James Nachtwey 

  I don’t feel I have the strength to produce a body of work like this… I don’t have the strength that these people do and that Nachtwey has in telling their story. 

  More of Nachtwey’s images and information on how you can take action against the global TB epidemic can be viewed at http://www.xdrtb.org/photographs.php 

• 2011-10-10

  

  The photograph that started it all…

  Man Ray is the first ‘famous’ photographer’s name I ever knew… And each time I research another great from the black and white cannon I’m surprised how often his name appears.

  Two I can recall at this moment are; Bill Brandt - Assisted in Man Ray’s Paris studio in 1930. Berenice Abbott - Worked in Man Ray’s darkroom as she knew nothing about photography.

  I remember going to a Man Ray exhibition in Sydney and being amazed at the beauty of the images, and the concepts behind them. This image has stayed with me forever and is the first I think of when discussing Master Photographers.

  I don’t know the surrealist theory of this image, I simply know that I love it.

• 2011-10-06

  

  Image by ‘anonymous Czech photographer’ Josef Koudelka… Showing the moment Soviet Tanks roll into Wenceslas Square in the 1968 Sovient Invasion of Czechoslovakia.

  Capturing a specific moment in time, a life changing moment the negatives were smuggled out and published autonomously to protect Koudelka. It wasn’t until the 80s when his name was attributed to them. 

  This image shows one of the things I admire about photography - the ability to demonstrate a feeling of a previous time… I’ve been to Prague, but never have I seen it like this. Virtually empty streets with the ominous approach of tanks. That is not to say I want to see Prague like that, more that this image can act as a story teller to our history and a reminder of the things we’ve done to each other. 

  It also excites me to think what life was like for Josef at this time… The image, although it will be remain a significant historical artefact, has a sense of the ephemeral…. it passes on the feeling that Josef by being in this position is putting himself in danger and the very moment the shutter closes again he will be off to secure his safety, the safety of the image… or to take another one?