Ryan McGinley (posted by Elizabeth Williams)

Sunrise, 2003


  Hannah (Ripple) 2009


 Alex and Frog, 2010
Marcel, Ann, and Coley 2007


I'm not sure what to think about this artist. His work is very--pretty, which probably has something to do with the fact that almost every photograph involves beautiful, naked young men and women with perfect bodies splashing around in the waters of their youth...It all seems very reminiscent of an American Apparel ad.

Here's a quote I found in an interview about his work:

He explains that his work is about the great American road trip: “It’s the idea of seeing where the road takes you and running away from home.”

McGinley apparently started out documenting dark images of graffitti and sex in NYC but decided to strip his subjects down and place them in nature instead, which is an interesting idea and clearly creates a beautiful dynamic.There's no doubt he has a great eye for aesthetics, but something in me is a little frustrated with the message, perhaps because the fashion industry feeds on this kind of work, emphasizing this dreamworld where everything is easy and free, cigarettes are just fun, and everyone looks like a supermodel...

Anyway, they're nice to look at. I suppose that's the main point.

Images for the last post...

Gregory Crewdson -- Untitled (the Father)


Gregory Crewdson--Untitled (Merchants Row)

A still shot from David Lynch's Blue Velvet

Gregory Crewdson--Untitled (Debutante)

A lot of his work is very reminiscent of painting--everything is so deliberately placed and lit. I love the similarity between the screenshot and the last photograph, as well. Crewdson's work is really heavy in mood and conveys a sense of loneliness and secrets (maybe even a little dispair), which really overlaps with Lynch's film work.

Gregory Crewdson...Let Me Take Your Photo

So, this doesn't count as one of my "official" blog posts involving a photographer, but I checked out Gregory Crewdson and found out he was in a pop/punk band in the late 70s who came out with this song, "Let Me Take Your Photo":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8XluynKckE

I believe he plays guitar, but I thought it was pretty funny...considering his later career as a photographer...
Maybe this is old news to some of you in the class--I've never really delved into the world of photography or any of its artists.

On a side note, I really love the work I've seen of his so far. He's known for creating very cinematic and elaborate scenes of American life and I've detected a lot of dark, surreal undertones. Hence the quote I've pasted at the bottom--Blue Velvet is one of my favorite films, and it's no surprise Crewdson has been influenced by David Lynch. Nice to see the connection between a new artist (Crewdson) and one of my favorites (Lynch). Lynch has been known to explore the small-town dynamic as well and uses a lot of dark, surreal queues to hint at what might lie beneath the seemingly pleasant surface.
So anyway, that's my two cents.

"Inspired by David Lynch, as well as by Hitchcock's Vertigo and Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Crewdson's Twilight Series and other photographic works offer interesting parallels to BLUE VELVET"

Chloé McLennan

Chloé McLennan does these really beautiful portraits. I find that she has a mastery of lighting, and her colour palette seems very cohesive. Her portraits are especially interesting, I think, because they don't really seem to make the subject the main focus but rather how they interact with their surroundings.

Christian Patterson

Christian Patterson is a New York based photographer. I found him on Tim Barber's "gallery" website, tinyvices. What forced me to look at his work is the strong color chooses he finds in his subjects. His work reminds me a little bit of a Todd Hido/David LaChapelle -esque combination. His work has a creepy feel to it but the color choice almost overpowers the creepy undertones. He works with a lot of abstractions which I feel it is hard to find in photography. He not only works in his fine art photography but he has prints from a graphic design -esque background. He also experiments with writing and photojournalistic approaches. I really appreciate artists that don't necessarily pigeon hole themselves in to only one discipline.

Definitely look at his work.

http://www.christianpatterson.com/

Cole Barash

Cole Barash is a self taught photographer. I found him while browsing on the inter web. While looking at his work noticed that his subjects were very interesting and fill of life and color. I do appreciate what he is photographing, however the way in which he edited is not how I would have edited these photographs, these photographs feel as if they are very Photoshopped. The unnatural colors and filters give the photo a completely different feel, than what I would have gone for.

here's his website! :http://www.colebarash.com/

Reiner Riedler

"When wishes are out of reach, simulation is taking over our leisure time and our holidays. Imaginary worlds are created, often under massive technological exertion, in order to offer us experience as reproducible merchandise. Although the quality of these adventures on demand sometimes proves to be rather dubious, the boom does shed light on one thing: the yearnings and dreams underlying people’s daily lives."

Justine Kurland

Kurland is a widely published photographer, well known for her photographs of women and girls nude in the woods/nature. She would direct her models by saying "you're running away, you live in trees, you eat nectar, you torture boys, and you're a little bit mean."

Mauricio Handler

Mauricio Handler is a British underwater photographer. The photographs from his various expeditions are really lovely. He provides a magical glimpse into the underwater world.

http://www.handlerphoto.com/

Abelardo Morell

I think this guy is reallly cool. You can tell by his portfolio that he's not afraid to try anything new. This is some of his most recent work that I really like. I've never seen anything else like it and I think it shows how creative he can be.

http://www.abelardomorell.net/photography/recent_01/recent_02.html

Aaron Wojack

Aaron Wojack is a photographer from Brooklyn. Wojack has a series dedicated to pigeons, which I found interesting because I know how people in the city really dislike pigeons and most of the pigeons in the city are pretty vicious themselves. However, Wojack depicts pigeons as harmless innocent creatures. His website is http://www.aaronwojack.com/

Gideon Barnett

Barnett is a a pretty interestingly conceptual man. His series that caught my eye was his collection of photographs of what America perceives as museum/visitor centers. Barnett went around to about 120 of these historical places, museums, monuments and visitor centers through out the east coast-ish areas. an I think about this all the time, what constitutes as historical, and if we have a bunch of historical landmarks do they loose there appeal? I think its really rare what he was capturing in this series. Some of the items of the images collected together seem anything but important and "historical". His work is pretty good formally but his concept is what got me thinking the most.

Check out the whole series and other works of his at...

http://www.gideonbarnett.com/heritage-of-humanity/

Henrik Adamsen is a Danish fashion and portrait photographer. Something I find fascinating is the way he photographs women. Looking at a lot of male photographers, they tend to photograph women from a dominating point of view, typically subconsciously. Eve my male friends will take snapshots of my from above because it's an inherent thing for them to do. However, Adamsen tends to shoot his women from the same level or lower, showing them as more powerful forces than fragile things.

Photographer of the Week: Dmitri Gerasimov

Found Dmitri Gerasimov's work via here: http://www.photographyserved.com/gallery/HEAD-IN-THE-PACKAGE/2235404

It seems that his main photography site is for some reason "forbidden". BUT! here's a link to his vimeo page, which is the next best thing: film!
http://vimeo.com/gerasimov

He's from Estonia, and that's about all I know about him. The first photo is one of the photographer, himself, because it's ridiculous and needs to be shown to you guys. Then, there's a photo with this crazy geometric array on a woman's head. And hen we delve into b&w photography, too, with his series, "Head In The Package", which is incredibly abstract, yet very knowing, too. I see it as experimental. It's an odd series, and would be lovely displayed on a wall. His works mostly works with people and it seems like crosses. hmmm....

Daryl Peveto

Daryl Peveto is a SoCal based photographer. His series "American Nomads" is an extremely interesting set of photos describing the lives of Americans who live in trailer parks and are constantly on the move. They live a very crass and "unsophisticated" lifestyle as opposed to those of us who have permanent homes. They seem to be extremely close-knit. They don't attempt to hide the dirt and grime they accumulate physically and their body language suggests that they simply don't care about others. Here's a sample of the text from his series:
"At first glance, this community is both raw and harsh, but there is also much beauty and love. There are thieves and rampant drug use, but also picnics and birthday parties and an always-open door. And much like the rest of the world, they eat and bathe and sleep and marry and die. But they do it on their own terms."

American Nomads by Daryl Peveto

Jo Ann Walters

Jo Ann Walters is the head of Photography at SUNY Purchase. Her portraits are very interesting, in most of them the subject is aware of the photographer, and usually making eye contact. Also thought her photos her color scheme very consistent between earthy and beige tones. I couldn't find a website on her in particular, but her work is available on SUNy Purchase website, Main Media Workshops, BOOOOM and blogspot

Gus Powell

Powell's approach to photograph is blatant and obvious but begs viewers to further dissect his series'. I found his work on tinyvices.com which is an online gallery of work. His street photography is what caught my eye. He finds interesting and unplanned scenarios on the streets. I know it is hard to produce correct color in street and in moving subjects situations so I admire him for that. He is a MFA professor at the School of Visual Arts and lives in and is based in New York City.

Check out his work

http://www.guspowell.com/

@Sleepy

Looking through Nizaad's flickr that Rachel just posted, I found this. Check it out Mr. Noble!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nizaad/6172712945/in/photostream