Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is a famous American portrait photographer. She is famous for her work with celebrities in the Rolling Stone magazine (She also worked with Vogue and Vanity Fair). Leibovitz became the chief photographer of Rolling Stone magazine for ten years.

After browsing through her celebrity photo shoots, I realized that I especially appreciate her black and white photography. They are similar in that they are very simple portraits with minimal background distractions or props. As a result, these photographs really emphasize the beauty of the celebrity.




I have come to really enjoy black and white photographs. I have never experimented with black and white portraits but there is a lot to learn from looking at Leibovitz's collection. I am used to taking high contrast black and white images of shadows and lines but Leibovitz's photographs are soft and gentle, such as the image above.



Her color portraits are impressive because of the subtle tones of color. Such as the photograph of Natalie Portman, the color of her lipstick and the roses are present but not overpowering. She is wearing a white blouse that really matches her skin tone.

Natalie Portman's eyes are strongly captured in this photograph. I find myself staring directly into her eyes. The combination of composition, the subject, the choice of wardrobe, the setting really brings out the beauty of the celebrity. I am captivated by her strong presence in the photograph.

Fred Ritchin

After reading Fred Ritchin's After Photography, I think these three sections caught my interest the most.

"Reflecting the world of 0's and 1's from which it comes, the digital photograph may be also said to explicitly acknowledge time as integer, not resonant with the continuity of time as flow. As such, it can enable other temporal models, ready to incorporate a more contemporary post-Einsteinian space-time, where divisions between shutter speed and frame are less relevant and the relative position of the observer is key. Rather than a "decisive moment" selected from an advancing continuum, the digital photograph can acknowledge a more elastic sense of time, where future and past can intertwine and be as decisive as the present (the digital family portraits where parent and child are shown at the same age next to each other testify to this). Its Cartesian pixel grid may also eventually be reconceived, extended to limn the twenty-six dimensions of string theory or to explore the possibilities of parallel universes, so that as a result the two-dimensional photograph may seem rather basic."

I think this passage gives a good description of what digital photography is and how it changes our perception of time. Digital photography allows for a connection between different times. It is representing more than the moment the picture is taken. However, we also need to understand that digital photographs are a result of binary data and that we can easily manipulate with modern technology.

"There are those who have photographed the stone hitting the water and rejoiced in the camera's ability to freeze the pivotal event in a fractional second. These have been the conventional photojournalists. Then there are those who focused on the ripples that the force of the stone hitting the water produces, distrusting the event itself but seeing its significance in its impact on people and place. These are more likely to have been the photo essayists, or, more broadly stated, the documentary photographers. When Henri Cartier-Bresson was offered an exclusive ticket to attend the coronation of King George VI in 1936, for example, he would have had a scoop. But by turning it down to focus on the reactions of poor people lining the streets outside, he made some of his most memorable photographs - and did so for Ce Soir, a Communist daily. He chose the ripples, not the stone."

This passage from After Photography caught my attention because it made me wonder if I choose the ripples or the stone when I photograph. This is something I would like to keep in mind for the future when I take pictures. Also, what is the difference between photojournalists and photo essayists? I would like my pictures to tell a story, and represent more than a moment.

"Paradoxically, the subject of the photograph is often voiceless, unable to contest his or her depiction. Often the photographer barely knows the person, yet the image could be used to define the person or to represent a certain theme."

Fred Ritchin brings attention to a problem of a photograph. As a photographer, we often frame and take a picture to focus on a subject and create a theme we have in mind. But the way we form a story around a picture does not necessarily mean the people are represented correctly. It is all a one sided act. How are people able to know the truth behind these photographs?

Adam Ansel at the Long Island Museum

I visited the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Long Island Museum along with the class. The museum actually had multiple buildings that we did not get to visit. During my time at the exhibit, I was able to learn more about Ansel Adams, his technique and photography. We have previously learned about Ansel Adams and studied his black and white landscape photographs. I think the short video they showed on the television screen was very helpful. I was able to see a detailed description of some of the cameras and techniques used by Ansel Adams.

I especially liked the photograph taken at Yosemite, that was also painted by Thomas Hill 36 years earlier. It was nice to learn about the ways Adam Ansel photographed his landscape pictures. Sometimes it is easy to forget how we are very blessed with technology and are able to change a picture just with a click of a button.

I noticed a few things around the exhibit that really adds to my knowledge of Ansel Adams. They specifically mentioned how the exhibit is in dim light because it could affect the photographs, that are very sensitive to light. They also included books on a table with a lot of references to Ansel Adam's work. Moreover, there was also the painting done by Thomas Hill on the other side of the exhibit. The two pictures are taken or painted at different times in different seasons. However, it is interesting to compare and contrast the beauty of Yosemite 33 years apart.

Alex Webb

Alex Webb, born in 1952, San Francisco, California, is a street photographer. He began by photographing in black and white but made the transition to color photography. Most of his work is done in color and is famous for its orderly chaos. Many of his photographs have bold contrasting colors and multiple subjects. While some may think these elements can be distracting or overdone, they are usually depicted intentionally.

http://www.webbnorriswebb.co/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=4&a=0&at=0

The South Caucasus is one of my favorite projects from Alex Webb. Picture #23 of this collection demonstrates the elements I have previously mentioned. There are the bold blue hues of the sky and the water. There are multiple people in the photograph, however, no one is covered by another. Everyone is doing something different and the audience can take a better look at the overall moment than just one subject. This picture emphasizes Alex Webb's technique of layering. There are the three men in the background doing a flip, two men in the midground looking at the sea, and the four men in the foreground getting ready. Last but not least, there is also the sea and sky background that adds another layer to his photograph. There are multiple details for us to notice and it is interesting how one picture can include all these elements without being too overwhelming.

Tom Chambers

Tom Chambers is a creative photographer who envisions and creates photomontages. He has multiple collections that are published including, animal visions, illumination, dreaming in reverse, marwari, entropic kingdom, rite of passage and  ex votos. His photographs are intriguing because it shows a great amount of skill. The photomontages are realistic but dream-like. They are both sides of the spectrum because the events are all fantasy and impossible, but seem especially real. I thinkn Tom Chambers is very skillful at manipulating lighting, colors and shadows. He is able to combine different components together as if they are photographed that way. One of my favorites of his Animal collection is the photo on the left. The light around the little girl helps her blend into the background. Her shadow is cast on the ground in a similar way to the wolves.

My least favorite collection of images is dreaming in reverse. Although these images are well composed and creative, I find them to be frightening. The setting is mostly all placed in a room. There is another picture with a woman writing on the wall. It is only my personal preference, but this collection were not as interesting to me. I enjoyed Tom Chambers work and used him as an inspiration for my composition assignment. The dreaminess, realism and creativity in his work is something I tried to capture in my assignment.

Edward Burtynsky

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation
Scottsdale Arizona, USA, 2011 Control

Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian landscape photographer who emphasizes the impact of human civilization on natural landscapes through his photography all over the world. Burtynsky's photography is successful in bringing awareness to the alterations we have made to the planet to support our growing population. In his artist statement in Water, Burtynsky says "My hope is that these pictures will stimulate a process of thinking about something essential to our survival; something we often take for granted - until it's gone."

Colorado River Delta #2
Near San Felipe, Baja, Mexico, 2011 Distressed

I am especially impressed by Edward Burtynsky's Water project which includes photography collections Gulf of Mexico, Distressed, Control, Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Waterfront, taken on Burtynsky's trip to British Columbia and Iceland.

His photographs of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico really gives striking visual impact to the audience. We are able to see the vast area that is affected by the oil spill and hopefully, realize the faults of modernization and how it damages our ecosystems.

Dryland Farming #21 Monegros County, Aragon, Spain, 2010

Agriculture and Aquaculture are my next favorite collections because of the patterns that exist in dry-land farming, irrigation and rice terraces. I think this segment of Burtynsky's work actually captures the beauty in our landscape that are otherwise unknown to most people. 

The pattern and colors in dry-land farming almost seems like a jigsaw puzzle with mismatch pieces. It is hard to realize that these are farmlands without the description provided. Moreover, these pictures would not have the same effect if it was not captured as an aerial shot.

Rice Terraces #2 Westen Yunnan Province, China, 2012

The rice terraces captured in Western Yunnan Province is very interesting because it shows how people are able to incorporate and utilize the existing landscape of an area for harvest purposes. However, there is still beauty found in these areas such as the patterns, shapes, and color that are formed.

Landscape Study #3 Ontario, Canada, 1981

My least favorite collection of Edward Burtynsky's work is probably Landscape Study. Although these are great pictures inspired by abstract expressionism and modernist painting, they take a different approach than the majority of his landscape photography. These photographs are underwhelming compared to his other projects such as Water. 

However, considering that these photographs are his early works from 1979-1981, I think it shows the progress and development of skills he has made and how his style of photography came to be.

Ernst Haas

Ernst Hass (1921-1986) is famous for his color photography beginning with his experimentation of Kodachrome color film. He has taken many photographs worldwide during his travels. Haas's believes that there is a connection between science and art and that they complement each other. His philosophy as stated on the Ernst Haas website states that "The problem is to transform without deforming. He must gain intensity in form and content by bringing a subjective order into an objective chaos."

Parachute Flowers, 1967

Through his photographs, we can discover how he "humanizes" or "overcomes a machine on which we are thoroughly dependent... the camera..."

One of the pictures I really liked from his flowers collection is the parachute flowers on the left. The areas that are out of focus has vibrant colors coming through, such as the pink from the background. We are able to see the details and structure of the parachute flower clearly in the foreground.

Reflection, Revolving Door, NY, 1975

I think Ernst Haas is also a very creative photographer who seeks different ways to take interesting pictures. This picture taken of a reflection on a revolving door attracted me because it is an image that we can see but would never actually stop to capture. Most people would directly photograph the building if that is the intent. There are multiple "layers" seen in this photograph of the glass and reflections, which adds depth and dimension to his work.

Rooftop Lovers, NY, 1952

Another image from his New York City collection is this photograph of the sunset, which he captures the silhouette of the "Rooftop Lovers."  There are multiple components to this image that makes it interesting. First and foremost, the silhouette of the objects are distinctive but not distracting. They add to the "mood" of the picture and almost makes it even more romantic. The birds and sun included in the picture are also captured nicely. I think the placement of these two subjects balances the photograph really well. Overall, I really enjoy the entirety of the photograph and the mood it is able to express.

However, my least favorite of his color collection must be the abstract images. I really enjoy how most of his photography includes motion, people, or cities, the "chaos" that was mentioned in his philosophy. The abstract images, on the other hand, are relatively stationary objects. Although they excite my imagination, they seem to be lacking the story that other images have.

New York City Ballet, 1960s

New York City Ballet, 1960s

Ernst Haas has also done some black and white photos which I find very interesting. Especially his collection from the New York City Ballet during the 1960s. I am especially curious as to how he achieved the effect in this photograph of a presumed ballerina. Out of all the photographs of the collection, this one stood out to me the most because of Ernst Haas camera approach. While the other photographs all emphasized the structure and elegance of ballet, this photograph was all about movement and fluid-ness.