Iconic Imagery… Who? What? Where? When? Why?

 

Thomas Mednikov Artist Post 2

Photographer Beth Moon has spent more than 10 years perfecting her craft at landscape photography. The main focus of most of her photos are large african trees in largely barren landscapes. Using very long exposures she is able to capture the starry sky in the background of them.

What attracted me to Beth more than any other photographer was the creation of such an original idea out of something that already had a large cache of photos. Many people have taken photos of trees but not so many have done so at night and are able to catch a beautiful night sky as well. I also feel as if these photos express the barren and lonely plains of Africa.

Beth began this photography project after she learned about the connections between trees and stars. She would also immerse herself in the trees staying with them most of the night capturing these photos. It would also be a largely guessing game doing this as you would need to know exact exposure or waste hours for a meaningless photo.

Georgia Cipriani - Artist Post 2

Pasquale Abbattista

Photography has never been something that I've researched, studied or taken seriously. Before this class I used my iPhone for all my photography needs. This is not to say that I haven't noticed photographers or great photographs in one of the many magazines or books I've read. My recent trip to Milan sparked the reason why I took this class. One of the many photographers I heard about while I was there was Pasquale Abbattista.

Abbattista lives and works in Milan, Italy. I am very interested in fashion so it is no surprise why I seem to like the photos he makes so much. He IS a fashion photographer who has worked with many top magazines and designers but this is not why I chose him. He makes a very specific type of photo. No, it is not film but he uses light in the best way.

I don't know if I will ever be a high fashion photographer but I would love to make some photos that follow in his footsteps.

Zach Eberhardt- Artist Post 2

Nicolai Howalt is a Danish photographer and visual artist who was born in 1970. He has also collaborated with other Danish Artists and has written a couple books with them. The majority of his art is conceptual and they get their creative start from an idea or a question.

Nicolai Howalt's work inspires me to question more with my camera. He took the portraits of young boxers before and after their first fight to see the results of such a pivotal event. He also photographed many different types of car crashes because he was curious about the beauty of the collision. He also was curious with the idea of borders, a word that implies a defined place, and decided to photograph what many borders in Berlin look like.

Nicolai Howalt's ideas have very simplistic roots but have such interesting results. I see him as a rudimentary scientist with a camera. Viewing the world around him and never ceasing to question his surroundings. That is why I find Nicolai Howalt to be such an inspiring photographer.

Sarah Burgeson- Artist Post #2

The artist I am inspired to copy is Krista Steinke, who is a lense artist who focuses on visual perception of the natural world. She is native to Richmond, VA, but grew up in Texas. An artist by trade, Steinke is featured in Museums in Philadelphia and Houston. She's recieved awards for her unique use of light.
Steinke's work is a little off putting, especially the more recent work of which I am fond. Her subject of focus on purgatory road is in part, death, as she takes photos of many dead animals. But she also focuses on the pale shades of light as they are coming through glass and plants, and textures that are often unnoticed. I am very interested in this sort of light effect and the way that it makes me feel.While it is some what macabre, it is also peaceful in a way that I have trouble describing.
In her work, 'Purgatory Road' especially, Steinke works to show the tangible representations of change as it happens, in the decomposition of the world and how beautiful and interesting those changes can be.

Audrey Davis, artist post II

Steven Brahms

Steven Brahms is a photographer and director based in New York. Along with his own personal projects he has produced work for a variety of magazines, musicians, and organizations. His art is often slightly surreal, tableau, playful, and/or exploratory.

Steven Brahms' work makes me feel nostalgia for a dream I don't remember having and it's wonderful. Sometimes life gets weird and the best way to carry on is through an appreciation for the strange decisions, unnecessary details, ephemeral elements, or contrived narratives. I've always found some kind of solace in these things, and I love that everyone can relate to the odd and childlike on some level, even if it's just a shared laugh or smile.

Steven Brahm is very interested in process and narrative, as well as challenging the ideas and "rules" we are all conditioned to see as expected or proper. He works to help people begin to notice more about the reality of the world they live in often, ironically, through tableau and fantasy.

Devin Baker - Artist Post #2

Joe Conzo
http://joeconzo.com/

A legendary New York based street photographer who was known for capturing a period in history where urban society was creating a new culture. The photography he is most known for is centered around hip hop. His images captured the city at a time when hip hop culture, DJing, breaking, and rapping was first taking over the streets.

Aside from being a major fan, and someone who contributed from the message of this lifestyle; I am drawn to these three images amongst many more due to the emotional intensity conveyed. Joe uses black and white images to convey a strong sense of emotion. Intense, brooding, and exciting are what these images convey to me. Personally a fan of his street photography which seem to capture so much emotion.

I personally believe Joe Conzo wanted to not just capture the memories of this period but also show people what was going on in NYC. This new culture that was emerging in urban cities.

Darienne Montgomery- Artist Post #2

Lauryn Ishak

Lauryn Ishak is a life style photographer whose main focuses include travel, still-life, and food. She has split her time between Basel, Switzerland as well as Singapore and has lived in Germany, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and New York.

I have always had a great appreciation for travel and landscape photography in that they have the ability to take you elsewhere. I personally turn to photography to give me an excuse to go out and see the world around me and the beauty that is within it. I enjoyed Lauryn Ishak's work with her amazing view of the places she has seen with sharp, bold colored, and deep persepctive photos. Also, I appreciate her work in that she couldn't just walk out the back door for her photos, but had to endure physical challenges such as a long hike to get them as well.

I believe Ishak chose to take these photos because usually, these Italian Alps are swarmed with tourists, hikers, and rock climbers, but Ishak had the opportunity to capture this wonderful area during its off season. It can be seen in these photos that the Dolomites peaks in Basel, Switzerland are a unique set of peaks each appearing in completely different, beautiful sights.

Sanica Bendre - Artists Post 2

Ben Canales 

Ben Canales is a modern photographer that finds his muse in night photography. he mostly focuses on capturing starry nights like the ones displayed above. 

In Ben Canales biography on his website, he reasons his choice of focus by  "I just love the quiet, peaceful contentment of lying on a rock and looking up at the stars" I couldn't agree more with Ben, From camping every summer to just looking up at the sky whenever I'm out and about, I have always been fascinated with the beauty and peacefulness that comes with a starry night.  I especially love the last photo I posted because of the contrast from the city lights, where you can barely see any stars, to the area where the artificial light does not reach, there you can see an ocean of stars. 

Ben's photography goal is to recreate memories for friends, family and others that don't have the time or have forgotten about what it is like outside of the city. His galleries definitely capture the true meaning of natural beauty that our world has provided us. 

Caroline Pinney- Artist Post 2

Delaney Allen is a photographer who is fascinated and motivated by the beauty in temporary, organic, and formal arrangements within our world.

I am personally attracted to Delaney Allen's photography because it brings about a sense of appreciation for what can be captured at a moment of simultaneity or chance. In looking at his pictures, I feel compelled to see the picture as an abstract or as an entirely different picture than what the picture truly depicts. I'm drawn to the product of these captured moments because they are ones we see almost everywhere, but are not familiar with in this way that Allen portrays.

Allen hopes to capture these instances to show meaning in temporary configuration. He is attracted to the outcome of one temporary moment frozen in time, most often revealing that something has more mystery than meets the eye.

Susannah Shepherd: Artist Post 2

Tina Carr & Annemarie Schöne

Carr and Schöne both reside in the UK and have been working together on both films and photography projects for the last thirty years. 

I was immediately drawn to the vibrant, bold colors in these photographs, as well as the intimacy in which the portraits capture and the access the artists were allowed to the private lives and spaces of their various subjects.

Carr and Schöne's desire as artists is to give voice to those who have been marginalized for various reasons, whether they be gypsies or travelers or any other disenfranchised group, specifically in Europe. The women find it necessary to raise awareness of these issues via film and photography.

Ellie Bailey - Portraits and Landscapes

Darienne Montgomery- Portraits and Landscapes