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.

Michael Kenna

Michael Kenna, born in 1953 in Widnes, Lancashire, England is famous for his black and white landscape photography. He has won multiple awards from 1981-2003 and published a vast amount of photo-books. In addition, he has participated in many exhibitions featuring landscapes and light. During his interview with Dean Brierly, he states that he developed his technical knowledge of photography through multiple sources, including his photography courses in school, specifically focused on photographic printing.


Furthermore, in his interview, he expresses his use of long exposures during night time and his work done in his darkroom. Michael Kenna has traveled to Japan multiple times and published a book containing 95 landscape images he has compiled over the years. He was intrigued by Japan's landscape in 1987 and has continued to travel across Japan for its terrain and history.

I especially admire his photography taken at Lijiang River of Guilin, China (2006). Lijiang is famous for its beautiful landscape of rivers and mountains. I have personally visited Lijiang and captured pictures of my own. However, his black and white photographs has captured scenes of Lijiang that I do not expect. I am impressed by many his photos because he is able to capture the light that reflects off the river and the overcast of the clouds.

Inspiration

An artist I am inspired by is a photographer named Vero Suh. She is a wedding and lifestyle photographer based in San Francisco, California. Vero Suh is also a Photo Art Director for Gap Inc. Her website is filled with her work from wedding photo shoots to family portraits. I think her photographs really capture the happy moment between couples and families.

Although Vero Suh is mainly known for her wedding photography, I am actually intrigued by her lifestyle photography that she posts on her Instagram. Instagram has become a useful platform for artists to create an expressive photo blog. It is also the place where I stumbled upon Vero Suh’s photography. Her Instagram includes snippets of her everyday life, wedding highlights, and fashion.

I find inspiration in many of her photographs because she is able to highlight the beauty of little details in everyday life, whether it is some flowers or a cup of coffee. It shows me how there is something to admire in everything and I would love to be able to do the same in my photography. Furthermore, I really enjoy her fashion posts because I also draw inspiration from her style. In general, I think her photography is chic and modern but comfortable meanwhile.