Landscape Photography

A few years ago, not long after I first got my camera, I went on holiday to Spain. While away I began to take a lot of landscape images, mainly including the sea and its close surroundings. I became quite obsessed with taking my camera every where to capture all sorts of water, from seascapes to reservoirs to waterfalls. I then went on to use my images in a project as I was very happy with my results. I then developed a secret passion for landscape photography. There was something about a beautiful landscape, particularly seascape that I just loved. I began researching landscape photographers and came across many greats such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, but I also found that you didn’t have to be world famous to take a really good shot. I came across the Landscape photographer of the year competition. All you had to do to enter was be from Great Britain and have an image that was of good enough quality to be blown up to A4. I found some amazing images from across Britain and thought I would share a few of them with you. All below are from last years competition. Each year they four different categories which are: Classic View, Living the View, Your View and Urban View. There are two entry ages, adults and under 16s.

Landscape of the Year Winner 2009

Classic View Winner 2009

Highly Commended Classic View 2009

Classic View Runner Up 2008

Highly Commended Living the View 2009

Your View Winner 2009

http://www.take-a-view.co.uk/winners.htm

Dryden Goodwin

Travelling around on the Jubilee line you are presented with various portraits by Dryden Goodwin of the Jubilee line staff. After seeing these and hearing a bit about his work in Carmen’s lesson I became more interested in his work and visions. I first looked at his work ‘Linear’ which is the work commissioned by Art on the Underground that you see along the Jubilee line. Goodwin hand drew 60 portraits of staff with a pencil. He also extends his idea of portraits by creating 60 movies of him while drawing each portrait. In each movie you see that way he connects with the subject and get a better idea of their personality beyond their job. Each portrait makes you think more about the underground staff and reminds you that they are actually people too. Goodwin quoted on this work “Linear exists as a repository of insights and histories, anecdotal and factual, revealed through the interplay of the drawn line and conversation, that is unique to the Jubilee line at this particular point in time. Drawing someone you’ve never met before results in an intense encounter and enables a unique intimacy to develop. As the portraits unfold, so too does openness in the conversation; Linear is all about different types of connection.”

The exhibition ‘Cast’ held at the Photographers Gallery in 2008 is the other piece of work by Goodwin that I became particularly interested in. In this series Goodwin photographed people he saw on his travels around London. His images tie photography and drawing together, as he scratches over the print surface. When viewed up close you can see how delicate and exact his scratchings are. I read a review for this exhibition on the Guardian website and it gives a really good insight into Goodwin’s work. I feel Goodwin has created a real art form, which may look easy but is hard to get right. Goodwin’s ideas really interest me, and the way he connects with his subject. His images are very captivating and eye pleasing, for me anyway! Another series of Goodwin’s which is worth looking at is ‘Art Now’ which he exhibited in 2002 at Tate. Again the series includes images as well as film.

http://www.drydengoodwin.com/
http://www.drydengoodwin.com/linear_documentation.htm
http://www.drydengoodwin.com/cast.htm
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/artnow/drydengoodwin/default.shtm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2008/oct/08/dryden.goodwin.cast.photographers.gallery

Feminism: Cindy Sherman

Feminism is a word used to describe movements that aim to give women greater rights and protection. Feminism is a big subject in photography as women are often used as ‘objects’ to complete an image. However some feminist supporters have used photography to prove their point and to present women in an equal way. One photographer I have noticed whose photography can be seen as enhancing to women is Cindy Sherman. Her images are all self-portraits and include her taking on very different roles and characters. In her images she plays out several stereotypes of woman, but also challenges these by posing as ‘unladylike’ characters. Her work questions the role of women in society and the media. Sherman is quoted as saying “The work is what it is and hopefully it’s seen as feminist work, or feminist-advised work, but I’m not going to go around espousing theoretical bullshit about feminist stuff." This quote is from an interview for Tate magazine where Sherman talks a lot about feminism and her views on it. After reading this interview I got a much clearer insight into how Sherman works and where she gets her ideas from.

The image below is a very sexual image, but by using a plastic doll you get a completely different idea and meaning from it from you would if it was an image of an actual women. Images like this of women are not rare but by using a doll Sherman is messing around with the idea of women being viewed as ‘objects’. The image now is art, not porn, and it is confronting women not exposing them. I think the idea for the series of images of dolls in compromising positions is brilliant and very well played out.

Sherman has influenced many photographers, especially women around the world with her art. Her images make you question identity and stereotypes, and the fact that she is always dressed up makes you want to experiment yourself, not just experiment with your work but also with your own style and appearance.

Cindy Sherman: Working Girl - Book
Early Work of Cindy Sherman - Book
http://www.cindysherman.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_Sherman
http://www.tate.org.uk/magazine/issue5/sherman.htm
http://ponygraph.blogspot.com/2010/01/cindy-sherman-1954.html

David LaChapelle

From the first time I saw David LaChapelle’s work I knew I wouldn’t forget it in a hurry. His images are so bright and attention-grabbing that they just can’t be ignored. His ideas are always crazy and often controversial. He has worked with many famous faces, magazines and brands and is a very sought after photographer. I noticed that he was holding an exhibition in Mayfair and I immediately started looking through his images again. They are always fun to look at and it’s amazing what he can get some people to do! He has been quoted as saying he is drawn to “sexuality and spontaneity” which are two words I would definitely use to describe his work. He has also directed a few music videos, which are instantly recognize as his once you are familiar with his work and style. I’ve looked closely at his images of celebrities and how he has made them confront controversial issues about themselves and society. He often gets them to joke around with their image and their own work. Below is an image of Kanye West. In this image he is dressed as Jesus on the day he was crucified. This image doesn’t just question religious issues but race issues as well. Some people may feel offended when they see this image while other will believe it is a true representation of what Jesus could have looked like. Some will appreciate it as art while others will see it as blasphemy.

Below are a couple more examples of his images. The first image has a strong sense of the idea of semiotics. To me the image is showing how fast food is taking over the American people.

“My work is about making candy for the eyes. It’s about grabbing your attention. Even though my work is appearing in magazines I am trying to make a large picture. I want my photographs to read like a poster.” - David LaChapelle - American Photo

“People say photographs don't lie, mine do.” - David LaChapelle - Collector's edition of Life

“My idea was that if I took a picture of somebody and years later, or whenever, they would die and if someone wanted to know who this person was, they could take one of these pictures and it would tell who the person was.” - David LaChapelle

http://www.photoquotes.com/showquotes.aspx?id=147&name=LaChapelle,David
http://www.lachapellestudio.com
David LaChapelle – Heaven to Hell – Book
David LaChapelle – The Rape of Africa - Book

Irving Penn Exhibition

Along with the rest of the class I went to view the Irving Penn exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Penn is a world famous and much loved photographer and I believe this exhibition of his portraits reflects this well. His images are all beautifully shot and I was captivated as soon as I walked in the room. The exhibition boasts images from seven decades, including many famous faces such as Christian Dior, Al Pacino, Pablo Picasso and Alfred Hitchcock.

Penn was quoted as saying "In portrait photography there is something more profound we seek inside a person, while being painfully aware that a limitation of our medium is that the inside is recordable only so far as it is apparent on the outside". Penn used a very plain and basic set when shooting his subjects so that they couldn’t hide behind the luxury that they were usually offered and they only had their true personality to count on and shine through. His portraits were often shot close up, and he used many different visual tricks to get the subject to express their personality to the camera. He became well-known for introducing this new style to portrait photography, which now has become a successful and popular style for many photographers since. His close-up images showed every single detail on the subjects face and gave me a real feeling of intimacy with the subject. You can see every single hair, line and mark. This is displayed in the two images I have added.

Penn once said that "sensitive people faced with the prospect of a camera portrait put on a face they think is the one they would like to show to the world … Every often what lies behind the facade is rare and more wonderful than the subject knows or dares to believe." When looking at his images I feel the connection between Penn and his subjects and how he coaxed them out of their shell. This then gives me, as an audience member, the same feeling of connection with the model which then makes me warm to them more as a person. He makes his subjects appear more ordinary as the image is shot with such a minimalistic style. Overall I think this exhibition is a must see and it imprints that Penn is a inspirational portrait photographer of whom there is a lot to be learnt from.

National Portrait Gallery - Irving Penn Portraits - £10

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/feb/22/irving-penn-portraits-photography

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/irving-penn-portraits-exhibition-article-9153.html

http://slamxhype.com/art-design/irving-penn-portraits-exhibition/

Robert Frank - The Americans

Robert Frank’s ‘The Americans’ has been hailed as the most important photography book since World War II. Frank took the images for this book while travelling around America with his family from 1954 until 1956. His images look deeper into American life, looking at the segregation and loneliness of the American people during that time. His images often confront subjects such as racism and politics. The style of his images caused as much controversy as the subject matters as they were often blurry and out-of-focus.
In the image below the composition is everything and gives the image a real story and meaning. The use of semiotics in this image comes across through the sign and idea of culture of the American flag covering the women’s faces. When I first saw this image it felt to me as though Frank was trying to show us how America overpowers and dictates to its people. The politics of America and the fact that it believes it holds so much power means that the American people themselves are being overlooked. The symbolism of the flag covering their faces shows that America has taken over their own identity, and that they are seen as part of America and not as individuals. The image is all about identity and how we perceive theirs.

The next image below also confronts the idea of America controlling its people. I believe that the two young girls running into the American flag is a strong factor in the image as it shows how America wants to control the minds of its people from birth.
This book was disliked by a lot of American citizens when it was first published and this alone shows that they were not happy with the rest of the world seeing what America is really like.

I really like Robert Frank's images, especially all the photos in this book. I love the way they are shot, the composition, and the controversial thing he chooses as his subjects.

Eileen Perrier

Eileen Perrier is an English photographer, born in London in 1974. She comes from a mixed cultural background of Ghanaian and Dominican descent, which is strongly reflected in her work. She has held many exhibitions of her work, including exhibits at The Photographers Gallery and Tate Britain in London. Most of her works are series of portraits of people who are all linked in some way. One of her series included people who all have a gap between their teeth, the images were shown at Piccadilly Circus underground station. The two images that I have shown are from Eileen’s series named ‘6-8’ which she started in 2000 and still adds images to today. The series includes portraits of cleaners photographed outside the offices that they clean. I like the ideas behind Eileen’s work of photographing people who all have one common link, even if they have no others. It gives me a sense of community and bringing people together. Although I like her ideas I don’t like her images as much. They are well constructed images but I just find them slightly boring.
Her most recent body of work took place in August 2008. She set up a portable studio in Petticoat Lane Market and in Denning Point tower block. Using a headrest device, a 5x4 inch large format camera and a black and white Polaroid instant film she asked local residents and workers to pose for portraits. This series explored her common theme of community and identity. Perrier commented, on her artist statement on her website, “Being of Ghanaian and Dominican descent, I have been presented with questions about placement, cultural identity and diversity.” I think she does successfully display her message in her images, and that works well. I would like to see more going on in the images and maybe a bit more of the subject’s personality.

www.eileenperrier.com/
http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/painting+%2526+drawing/portraits/art18072
http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/eileen-perrier-wentworth-street-studios