Photographies

Thomas Struth, Street near Charleroi, 1980

Eugene Atget, Place du Tertre, 1922

Paul Strand, Porch Shadows, Twin Lakes, CT, 1916

Paul Strand, Wall Street, New York, 1915

Walker Evans, Roadside Gas Sign, 1929

Robert Frank, Hitchhikers leaving Blackfoot, Idaho towards Butte, Montana, 1956

Robert Frank, Funeral — St. Helena, South Carolina” (1955), from the book “The Americans.”

Diane Arbus, Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, NYC, 1962

Garry Winogrand, Peace Demonstration, Central Park, NY, 1970

 

Garry Winogrand, Hard Hat Rally, NY, 1969

Stephen Shore, Holden Street, North Adams, Massachusetts, 1974

William Eggleston, Memphis, Tennessee, 1972

William Eggleston, Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, 1969-1970

Stephen Shore, Presidio, TX, 1975

Here are a few photographs to look at, and a few good photographers to be familiar with.

If you like one of the images here, google search the artist, they are all great.

As always, I'm sure you guys are doing a great job of shooting your own images!

Let me know if you want me to take a look and provide feedback about anything.

Looking forward to this Thursday's meeting.  Best wishes, Chris

Photographs by Carlos

 

Well done here Carlos, good experimentation.

You are all on the road to a strong portfolio!

See you on Thursday, Chris.

Photographs

Gregory Crewdson, Untitled, 2001

Gregory Crewdson, Atomic Love, 2000

Jeff Wall, Sudden Gust of Wind, 1993

Andreas Gursky, Library, 1999

Andreas Gursky, 99 Cent, 2001

The remaining images are from Moyra Davey's 2008 book Long Life Cool White which I really love.  Her work is kind of the opposite of Gursky's gridded, objective, expansive compositions, focusing more on intimate, oft overlooked scenes around the house.  The records on her shelf, the still life on top of the fridge, the dust on the end of the record player's needle all become as interesting as a meticulously planned and composed scene from Crewdson or Wall.  Keep this is mind when shooting! : )

Moyra Davey, 2008

Moyra Davey, 2008

Moyra Davey, Long Life Cool White, 2008

Street & Studio

Jergen Teller, from the series Go-Sees, 1998-9

The photographic portrait has two parallel histories that run side by side, from the birth of photography to the twenty-first century; one of portraits made in the studio, the other of those taken in the street.  The advent of small easily concealed cameras allowed photographers to capture subjects in the street unaware. In contrast, the studio offered the opportunity to present carefully composed images to the world, making use of all the elaborate staging and technical devices at the photographer’s disposal.

Some photographers work in the street.  These next few images are from a series by Laurie Anderson entitled, Fully Automated Nikon (Object, Objection, Objectivity) done in 1973.

Why might this series of images be titled so?

Who is the subject?  Who is being Objectified?

This is a statement that accompanies the images.

 

Some artists prefer to work in the studio.  This is one of Cindy Sherman's first published photographic a body of work entitled Bus Riders from 1976.  Notice the cable release at her feet, this was used to take the picture.

Some artists blur the line between street and studio.

Phillip-Lorca diCorcia, Head Series, 2001

This image got him in a lot of trouble, read about it here:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/battle-over-heads-photo-goes-to-court/

How You Look At It

Nicéphore Niépce, View from the Window at Le Gras, 1826

The above image is arguably the first photograph ever created, that is to say it is the first picture to be captured and preserved on a light sensitive surface.  It was taken using a Camera Obscura, a box (or enclosure) with a hole in the front.  The name of the device derives from Latin language, Camera meaning room or chamber and Obscura meaning dark.  Historians credit the image to Nicéphore Niépce who titled the work View from the Window at Le Gras and it dates all the way back to 1826.  For our French friends, the image was made in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, in the region of Burgundy, France.

Harry Shunk, Leap Into the Void, 1960

Now that you know all there is to know about the history of photography, we can move on to more interesting topics such as contemporary photography, which we shall call from the post-war period (1945) to present day.  Where to start? No where in particular!

 Bernd and Hilla Becher, Cooling Towers, 1972

Bernd and Hilla Becher use the camera as an objective recording device, to document and compile archives of different architectural structures. Note the grid!

Otto Steinert, A Pedestrian, 1950

Here Steinert choose his composition, framed the scene and then waited for the right instant to make the photograph.  This is known as decisive moment, a term coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson, whom you should also check out.  The effect was of course created using a slower shutter speed.

Dan Graham, Homes for America, 1966-1967

These images are part of a ground breaking series Graham shot for Art in America magazine about the seriality of American homes and life in American suburbs.

David Lamelas, The Violent Tapes, 1975

Here is a good example of the cinematic qualities photography can have, especially when combined with a narrative of sorts. (Click to enlarge!)

Sherrie Levine, After Walker Evans: 3, 1981

Here is proof that you don't even have to take your own photographs to become successful.  In 1980 Levine set about rephotographing Walker Evan's iconic work from the 1930's including this one here titled Floyd Burroughs, Cotton Sharecropper.  By appropriating these images, Levine can be said to be raising questions about class, identity, the political uses of imagery, the nature of creativity, and the ways in which context affects the viewing of photographs.

This is part one of many, check back soon for more artists!

Feel free to look at the artist's other work if you should be inclined...

Or find your own to share with the class!