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.