Jeff Wall

Jeff wall

discussions about using someone else’s work and whether it makes u an artist or a photographer dominated about 2 weeks of our discussions and lectures, i personally believe that if you mimic someones work in such a way that you merely change a minuscule amount of it into your work, makes u neither a photographer or a artist just someone who has rode of someone else's hard work.

There is examples of work which has taken a previous artists creation and placed it in another medium, an example of this is Jeff Wall’s ‘A Sudden Gust of Wind’ (after Hokusai) 1993, which is a replica of the work ‘Katsushika Hokusai Ejiri in Suruga Province’, which he has taken from a painting and turned into into a modern day interpretation but the resemblance has been deliberately made to mimic the original painting. 

Jeff walls images are designed to be displayed using light boxes with large transparencies.  What inspires me from these images the attention to detail and planning needed to produce the images on such a large scale, where blemishes and other imperfections would be easily seen.

A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai) 1993 http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/jeffwall/infocus/section3/img2.shtm (accessed 25/4/11)

Micheal Kenna

Micheal Kenna

This blog is meant to show our learning curve as well as influences for the current projects and ideas, which are emerging at the time. A photographer who i have constantly revisited and admired for his high quality of work and talent is Micheal Kenna. My recent work has been playing with the idea of portraying time and movement in a image.

Micheal Kenna was one of the key reasons why i invested in some neutral density filters. They allow the ability to prolong exposures and create dramatic and astonishing images such as ‘Iron Bridge’

The atmosphere and space is documented in such a way that the everyday scenes which would have been overlooked by many people, are transformed into such striking images.  These display such beauty due to the glossed over body of water, which makes everything appear tranquil and surreal. The reflections add a depth to the image, as does the tonal range apparent through using grayscale. 

One of the key things i have learnt whilst looking at this artists body of work is the high contrast approach he has to his Photographs, which after taking a few long exposures myself have become apparent that it is needed to produce images which grab attention and leave people mesmerized and feel as though they can interact with your images. 

Namhangang Iron Brige, Danyang, Chungcheongbukdo, South Korea, 2010, from http://www.michaelkenna.net/gallery2.php?id=11 (accessed 24/4/2011)

Overlooking Necessities

Overlooking necessities

It has become evident by my recent visits to various print labs and photography companies that every printer has a optimal profile and requires colour matching.

What this means is if you prepare your images using a stock Adobe RGB profile when it comes to sending this to a print lab take ‘The Print Space’ in Shoreditch, the colours which you think are perfect and exactly how u want them may vary to what you expected in the physical print, therefore being a waste of funds and time. 

The way i have overcome this issue is rather simple and straight forward, find a trustworthy lab who offer such profiles free of charge and try them out. I have tried Print Space and have found that the colours produced in the profile they give you are exactly whats printed. 

paper

When printing images for mounting at exhibition or for commissions, the sheer volume of paper choices is rather daunting. I purchased a test pack from Print Space offering the paper choices they have available.This allows me to quickly evaluate and judge which paper i feel will suit my image the best and show it off to its full potential. All these little things add up to a major difference when it comes to producing work at a professional standard. 

Martin Parr

Martin Parr

(23/05/1952)

Martin Parr’s work is invading, morbid and very personal. His snap shot approach to documenting people shows the viewer a real, un-posed and un-staged view.

It makes the audience wonder how Parr manages to capture some of his pictures, without conflict with his subjects. Dodgy angles and revealing body parts are a common sight in the work of Martin Parr. Critics claim he is mildly eccentric to embarrassingly vulgar. Love his work or hate it; Parr has a definitive personal style and approach to photography.

I feel Parr has taken the style of H C Bresson and turned the decisive moment into the everyday, by choosing to make images which show of people in a way that’s almost ridiculing and portraying a whole group of people in a negative light, just as with his images based on Brighton, a popular holiday destination at the time.

The high level of saturation in his images has become a key trademark to his work.

Whether you believe in such instances as the image below that this is a good thing is personal preference. The images were all captured using a ring flash, Martin Parr favors this due to the way it doesn’t add directional shadows from the flash output onto the images, enhancing his whole appearance of capturing the place and people as they are.

Masquerade magazine (10/2010) Brighton photo beinnial 2010, from : http://masquerademagazine.blogspot.com/2010/09/brighton-photo-biennial-2010.html (accessed: 15/05/2011) 

Robert Frank

Robert Frank

(09/11/24)

Robert frank came to fame through his work on America. Whilst sponsored by Guggneheim Fellowship, he travelled across forty-eight states of America.

What was important about this was a place considered to be were people went to live their dreams; get rich and live happily.

Through Frank’s clear documentation of America, it was clear to see there was a dramatic difference between the publicized America by the tourist board and the truth.

Segregation was ripe and racism was everywhere during the time of capturing on film. The land of the free seemed more of a prison for the minority.

The front cover sums up the publication of images; segregation is clear to see. African American people are at the back of the bus in the so-called poor seats while white people are at the front.

The whole idea of being an outcast or discriminated against was nothing new to Robert Frank, born into a Jewish family living in Switzerland. During World War 1, his father was made stateless and had to apply for a Switzerland citizenship, nothing materialized during the constant threat of Nazi occupation in Switzerland but his family was constantly worrying about the future.

This in its self must have made Robert Franks decision to show the real truth on America more important then money and fame from, their creation; as personal suffering will always make an individual persist, delve deeper and discover the truth and show discrimination in its entirety.

Robert Frank, The Americans, United states of America, Grove Press,1959

http://www.luminous-lint.com/app/image/235588627125243945971246/ (accessed 21/05/2011)

Phillip DI Lorca

Phillip Di Lorca

(1951)

We discussed this photographer a little bit during one of our lectures. The work which we discussed was taken in 1993, the series of work which shows views of working rent boys in Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles.

What was remarkable about these images is that there Produced and exhibited with a title name as well as an amount it took for the subject to sit for the portraits.

The stark nature of the photographs with vivid lighting and lively colours resemble the likes of film stills, offering you a glimmer into the story line, you are given the starting point, the name and the cost, its then up to you as the viewer to figure out what’s happening.

For example the picture below taken in 1990-92. Phillip Di Lorca is known for his meticulous staging of images, everything from lighting to posture all controlled in advance for a price. As seen in the lower image this Human being cost $20 to sit for Phillip Di Lorca, it shows how cheap life is and that in a time of depression and a overwhelming need to gain money for what ever purpose, that humanity is for sale and is a commodity that people across the world are willing to barter, buy and sell.

Art knowledge, news,  Philip-Lorca diCorcia exhibits key photographic work, from: http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Philip-Lorca_diCorcia.html (accessed 15/05/2011)

Class Debate with a hint of capitalism.

Class Debate with a hint of capitalism.

I think it would be appropriate to end my blogs on the last lecture discussion.

During the debate we were asked the question about whether technology has helped in photography.

The decision was for the movement after hearing all the benefits of it.

My own personal viewpoints of the matter, are along the same lines, through technology people have been able to get to grips and produce photography at a level which only a expert or a very well versed person in photography could have done years ago. 

A idea was brought up about it being more challenging to land a career in the creative sector, my argument to this is why if u can produce a decent photograph and someone can create a outstanding photograph should you be given the job over him/her, the point is competition breeds imagination, to get better and create work which inspires the new age and brings your practice into a whole different level.

The idea that the futurist’s viewpoint is negative, that pushing out with old traditions and replacing them because they are not as quick or not as worthy was brought to the table by the against team. My argument to this is rather simple if its out dated get rid of it, new is always better no matter what the argument. Why use inferior equipment if there’s better available after all you are as good as your equipment.

Capitalism, making gains out of the market because people are constantly trying to keep up with technology could be seen as a down side to this hole futurist theory, but think of it this way without the funding of people purchasing there wares. Or without the need and pressure to invent something better then the competitors, how far down the line would technology be?

Feminism

Feminism

The idea that a women’s worth is not as great as a mans had been smashed against the rocks so many times that the argument is flawed and irrelevant.

Todays biggest CEO’S are majority women.

Feminism first came into the eyes of the art world when women artists/photographers demanded the same respect and exhibition rights as men. Since then the feminine world really hasn’t looked back.

There have been key figures in the fight against feminism and this can’t be summed up any better then the work of the gorilla girls.

A group of female artists who dressed in masks and routinely attacked the way the world thought about women and their work.

This was the type of work that they were famous for, bringing to the forefront the views of women in today’s world.

One artist who has stood out and clearly demonstrated the idea of crossing gender roles and producing work that shows women in jobs, which are stereotypically dominated by men, is Cindy Sherman.

Campaigning for equal rites and recognition on the same level as male artists, one of the ways this has been tackled or approached by Cindy Sherman is to show in her own characteristic style, self portraits wearing various outfits, showing roles which are not normally associated with women such as a bus drivers or male school children. By doing so she has drawn the gaze and attention of thousand to the cause.

http://blogs.artinfo.com/lacmonfire/2011/02/21/guerilla-girl/

(accessed 14/04/2011)

http://www.likeyou.com/en/node/10257 (accessed 14/05/2011)

Postmodernism

Post modernism

To understand post modernism it is necessary to first gain an understanding of modernism. This is defined in simplistic terms by Clement Greenberg in his books. 

Greenberg describes modernism as a purity and work which tackles or brings up serious intellectual issues whilst breaking away from the traditional ideas of art. At the time the works were produced, modernism was becoming more apparent; the idea of it was rejected due to the associated changing of social status that people were breaking with the movement therefore changing the views of reality. 

Characteristics of post-modernism on the other hand, is the belief or thinking that the world we live in has no boundaries, in the sense of reality, that the truth is not always clearly defined or shown but has been created by the viewer or artist; and therefore is a interpretation of it. The idea of post-modernism branches across many different fields of art, from architecture to literature. 

Photographers such as David Hockney and Man Ray are valid examples of post-modernist photographers, creating works which offer a different view point of subjects which have been used repeatedly, such as portraiture and how Man Ray crossed boundaries with the relation of body parts to landscapes.

The design observer book, 2006, Languorous BodyScapes, from: http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=4177 (accessed: 16/04/2011)

Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin

Goldin is a photographer from Washington D.C whose work tackles very sensitive material, which could be considered to be bordering the lines of taboo.

The book, ‘The ballad of sexual dependency’, hit home due to the fact that most of the subjects she portrayed in the photographs and who she gained a personal relationship with were deceased by the end of the 1990’s through drugs or aids.

Her work focuses on the intimate moments of life between various couples, none of which are the stereotypically perfect or conventional partners. Homosexuals and transexuals dominate the pages of her book showing us the viewer a more in depth understanding to the ideas and associations which everyone thought of, which at the time was considered normal.

 This work is from the book Goldin, N, (2003) The devils playground, expresses the delicate manner in which Goldin captures her subjects, she usually  relies on available light, to capture the emotion and atmosphere in its most truthful.

The imagery shows a gay couple, one whose body has been ravaged and destroyed by HIV/AIDS. his condition is expressed through a shadow of his former self so visible by the over sized t-shirt. Dying moments captured on a camera which speak in volumes, intimacy of Goldin work is what instantly draws you in and demands attention from the viewer, I have struggled to compare this level of intimate moments to any other photographers/artist  body of work.

Yvonne De Rosa

Yvonne De Rosa

Rosa is a fine arts photographer, born in Naples 1975. Rosa’s Body of work ‘crazy god’ is one which has inspired and captivated me, along with countless other imagery.

The images are of her previous place of work from the 1990’s, which she revisited to document. The institution which the location she still keeps a secret.

Rosa keeps her place of work hidden from the audience, and forbids them from knowing its location.

Numerous years have passed since the closure of this institute, and she has revisited to document the personal items and treasures left by previous patients. Items which would of held great meaning are left dormant and uncared for sprawled across the floor. Treatments adorn the chalkboards a vivid memory of days which were not so luxurious for the patients. 

The natural beauty caused by the passing of time on this location is documented in such a sensitive way that; were it should be grim, almost touching morbid the sheer beauty of the natural lighting and formations formed by decay and growth of plants which were once kept in a clean and organized manner, almost bursts through the page. This captures the attention of audience and various companies who know compete for here photographic skills. This now freelance photographer who is based in London was awarded the ‘woman international prize in photography’ in 2006.

Fame

Louis Vuitton

The ability to be able to market a brand on the status and fame of a person in todays culture seems to be one of the biggest and most influential ways to make sure the product is in the eyes of  a wide selection of potential buyers. 

This advertisement for Louis Vuitton, taken by Annie Leibovitz, features Keith richard’s from the Rolling Stones. The advert examines a person whose life has been scrutinised and scorned upon for the manner and life style he has lived.  Richard’s is labelled as one of the all time rockers and lady’s man. 

Using a character that has such a stigma and reputation with him to sell a product shows the brand is trying to be on edge and go against conventions of fashion advertising. This type of endorsement would usually be associated with a different area of glamour, fame and celebrities who adorn the cover of glossy magazines and have television shows made about them. 

This type of advertising is trying to entice a whole different niche market to this illustrious brand. It just goes to show you how a reputation and celebrity can sell anything, do you honestly think Keith Richards travels with Louis Vuitton luggage? i highly doubt it. But he has made his money and has no-doubt for filled his end of the agreement, by literally marketing his face and social status. 

semiotics.

Semiotics

when looking at signs within a image, there has always been a difference of opinions when it comes to the correct or most relevant interpretation of the role and meaning of semiotics. 

According to the book produced by Daniel Chandler*, entitled “Semiotics the basics”, the most well known and easily understood meaning by a person of todays age is called Umberto Eco ‘semiotics is concerned with everything that can be taken as a sign’ (Eco 1976). The visual sign, as well as the the associated meanings that come with it.

A simple straight forward dove, when thought about from a non semiotic approach is easily understandable, the signifier a white bird whilst the signified meaning can be related and interrupted as peace, not automatically associated with it. This is due to the associations  and meanings we the viewer have placed upon everyday objects/ items or people, these ideas and associations have been effected by numerous variants, including culture politics or currently on topic issues. 

The two main theorists Saussure and Peirce who are often regarded as the founders of semiotics employ different but comparable ideas of the subject. This is described by Saussure as, ‘a science which studies the roles of signs as part of social life’.
 Compared to Peirce who described it as.  ‘logic in a general sense is semiotics.....signs used by a scientific intelligence, that is to say by a intelligence capable of learning from experience.’ 

Peirce and Sassure agree that to make semiotics work, its hugely defined and represented by todays culture and understanding. 

Daniel Chandler (2002). Semiotics the basics . 2nd ed. Oxon