Hana Pearlman: Screen Shots

Blog Hana Pearlman: Alison Zavos

1)  I find these images to be quite disturbing in a way, which is why I am compelled by these images. The stark harsh lighting was a very interesting choice and I think it was done very intentionally.   

2.) I believe the intentions of the artist were to create a very interesting and complex mood. The people were hand selected from nightclubs and strip clubs. The blank environment of the bathrooms and bright lighting create a very grotesque scene. 

3) These pictures actually make me very uncomfortable for some strange reason, I just cant wrap my head around what exactly is bothering me about these. They are just so interesting and different that I wanted to use them for my blog post this week. 

Ruben Pagan - Ruben Natal San Miguel - Puerto Rico: Paradise Ruined and its Aftermath

Ruben Natal San Miguel, and his work are an amazing discovery to me. His way of capturing the raw visually saddening scenes around the island of Puerto Rico are stunning to me. He manages to keep everything very real and doesn't really manipulate anything in a noticeable way at least. I appreciate the amount of vivid colors captured in the images as Puerto Rico is a beautifully colored place, and even somehow beautiful in its own way after the hurricane. His inclusion of dynamic tension in some images is very interesting too because I enjoy seeing line-work even in more natural settings.

San Miguel's conceptual ideas cover a variety of different intents. He wishes to document the revival of the island on which he was born and where his family still lives. Also, he wants to capture the sense of community resolve to rise from the ruins within his four photography trips to the island (this series is only from the first trip). And finally to record a people's determination to restore strength and pride in culture. His images also have a lot of natural beauty despite the fact that the images in this series are of turmoil, Puerto Rico is just a naturally beautiful place no matter what in my eyes.

The intents of the photographer and his overall images are very incredible to me because I can personally relate to them. Being Puerto Rican, I know how beautiful the island is even after the hurricane because I have been there many times before, after, and I was born there/lived there. All of my family is there and when the hurricane happened it was very saddening and scary to know that my family could be in danger. I have seen destroyed areas first-hand and it is very heart-breaking knowing that memories from previous trips stood in the spots of where now collapsed buildings are. Ruben's work is very strong through capturing many emotionally charged images.

Amber Carpenter - Stephen Shore - Post 7

1. Which of the artist's many technical choices are of interest to you and why?

I enjoy Stephens use of environment as a way of portraiture in a sense, taking pictures of ones environment can be just as descriptive about someone just as a face to face portrait could be. He uses very vivid yet soft tone colors, I would like to play with an idea of things like this in my own work and translate his use of themes, color, and environment as an inspiration. Theres a lot of rule of thirds being implemented in his photography with very rectangular formats using space and lines as a guide. 

2. What do you believe are the artist's conceptual work and/or thematic intentions?

I think Stephen might take his photographs in such a manner to show a theme of home, and nostalgia. Even though I have (most likely) never been to any of the places he has taken pictures of, they all carry a certain warmth of the environment to them as if I've been there before. I can place myself in his photographs and feel as if I'm right there in this almost too familiar environment. Theres a lot of themes of Americana and old money with middle class themes translating onwards to his photographs.

3. How do you personally respond to these choices and intents?

I enjoy all of the choices he makes in his photographs. It makes me want to travel to these places he's photographed and place myself in this environment as well. The colors bring such a warmth and invitation to all of them. I think he has a very good use of tone and contrast, with things being present but not being too overwhelming to the image and or viewer. 

Stephen Shore

Mariela Gavino - 3 Screen Shots

Marlena Artis - 3 Screenshots

Brezaja Hutcheson - Ken Carter - Post 8

1. Which of the artist's many technical choices are of interest to you and why?

I admire Carter's composition that she chooses for her photos, because each image is unique.  It appears that she underexposes her photos a bit and boosts the contrast, which is  pleasing to me, personally.  The colors that she captures in her photos are saturated as well, which I think is especially useful when she photographs subjects for her portraits, who are usually people of color.

Carter almost uses a "snapshot" approach for some of her photo series, which is another element that I deeply admire.  The situations and subjects that she depicts appear natural; meaning that they have a lifelike quality about them. I also admire the fact that she depicts her subjects in settings that have a significant meaning to them and their lifestyle or routines.

2. What do you believe are the artist's conceptual work and/or thematic intentions?

I believe that Carter is trying to shed light on her subjects, by choosing to highlight people of color, specifically.  I believe that she is trying to convey the message that individuals with darker skin tones are especially beautiful and that portraiture of members of the black community need to be more readily available for the world to see.

Her focus on fashion, lighting, and placing her subjects in environments that suits them are all factors that she considers before making her pictures.  She wants to immerse her viewers into the world of her subjects, and create a relationship between the two.  Her work does not seem so much conceptual to me, rather just observational.  Carter takes what she sees, and creates a feeling surrounding the subject that she depicts in her portraits using her own artistic interpretation of the photos that she takes.

3. How do you personally respond to these choices and intents?

Personally, I find myself very interested in her artistic choices.  One of the first qualities I noticed about her photos upon viewing was her color choices.  Carter has a very strong sense of color - coordinating them together, as well as choosing what colors that will reflect off of the skin of her subjects.  She is conscious about the mood that these colors with create, and when combined with a high contrast, it makes her photos appear especially intriguing and moving.

I admire the fact that her subjects are in different places, along with the fact that they vary in age.  This shows that she is versatile, and can work with many different subjects, which is something that not every photographer can accomplish effectively.

I also love the fact that she chooses to depict the Black experience. Her photos unapologetically expose the day to day of members of the black community, emphasizing their beauty, focusing on the color of their complexion in different types of light, as well as using clothing to convey their own self expression and freedom.