interesting slide show

For those of you who hate Photoshop look at these. They are pretty funny/ridiculous. You can take these in a positive or negative way (I think it's fascinating in both ways).

http://www.newsweek.com/id/231629

Inspired

We are always talking about people that inspire us... I cannot even begin to make a list of the ALL the photographers I get inspiration from. They make me want to do what they have already done and make me wish that I had thought of it first...However, we need to take these people and allow ourselves to think past what they have done and make something new and something that is a part of us. Last year, I knew so early on what I wanted to do, but this semester I have been struggling, so all I have been doing is look at artists, to get that spark of inspiration that I need. I have so many ideas, and no where to make an outlet for them...Shane says "just shoot" but even then...I am struggling to find a place to start. I have shot a few sets of pictures, and there is a part of me that thinks that they should come as easily has last semester, but now I know that it will not be that realized, that soon. A new challenge... 

There are two artists that I have that I would like to show today. They are two artists, that are my inspirations for the two directions I am looking at thus far... Annie Leibovitz and Kyle Ferino. The first two are Annie Leibovitz's pictures of famous people, describing to us the beauty of the body, and the part of the body that makes our passions/jobs take shape. What makes us be able to accomplish what we do? Are the biceps of a body builder is what helps them model and win? Is it the back of an ultimate fighter that helps him win a fight? I think Annie Leibovitz captures that really well in these pictures. Here, we see a picture of Lance Armstrong, using all of those muscles he used to train for his tours, but also to fight cancer. They are all so deeply connected.

The second two are Kyle Ferino, who documented his dad (thanks Jacki!) after his wife passed away. He takes pictures of where his mother sat, or the side of the bed that she slept on. These are things I have always wanted to document, but was to afraid to do so with my dad. He intimidates me, more then a stranger. Kyle has accomplished and captured, almost exact images, that my dad has been in, and I have wanted to be able to shoot and captures.

My question is: What inspires us to go out and do what we do? Why are we artists, and why is it so important for us to create what we do, and for others to feel and view it?

New Work

This is my latest work...I repeated what I did last week, but I have finally come up with my goal, and I am really excited about it...It follows along these lines. I am going to continue documenting my dad, but also have a new idea that I might use as well, until I decided which way to go for the semester...

I am using Annie Leibovitz's portraits of Women, as an inspiration for sure, and also I had forgotten until Jacki reminded me, the artist Kyle Ferino, who documented his father. I really am moved by both artist and their portrayals of these subjects...

Recent

These are some of those experimental shots I was taking to see if this would even work.

Florencia Durante

Going along with Mary's last post about light: please remember how much the use of light means in your photographs. I was quickly reminded from the last intermediate critique how important light situations are in photographs. I found this artist and thought that he was a good example of using light. I feel that in his photographs the light is the main object and focus of his photos. I also really enjoy looking at the photos because they are unknown. The light can represent different things to the viewer. In some of his photos, there is no person present, instead the light is used to describe the setting. I find this very relative to my interest in lamps/lamshades/outlets. I think a staged light can have just as much intersting potential as sunlight. I find his photos particularly interesting because I relate light to the soul.....but that's just me. I think that no matter what work we produce we must always keep in mind the part that light is playing within the frame. Florencia used light to describe the bulk of his photo and i think it really works well.

Some new stuff

Bryan Schutmaat

I feel compelled to show Bryan Schutmaat due to the Intermediate critique that we just had. I do not believe that Schutmaat is the greatest photographer in the world, BUT I do think he composes his photographs very well. He will probably be one of the least experimental photographers that I choose to write about in this class, however I think that we all need a little reminder of what Shane preached in his intro course: no using any form of "I LIKE/I LOVE" in critiques.

Although I feel that it is sometimes alright to speak highly of a persons work, I do not think that it is healthy for a photographer or artist in general. When we hear these "I LIKE/I LOVE" for every picture that shows up, we forget to bring up many important things that must be improved to truly make the picture great. These words sometimes give us a false sense of mastery of an art that we have barely tapped into. Remember: we are just undergraduate college students at a campus that does not just focus on art. CRITicisms are not a bad thing. They are meant to show you what you can consider while working on a piece to improve your creation. This goes for all mediums, not just photography. The absence of these words pushes us to try harder and experiment more. There sometimes has been "good" work at SNC, but not "great" work. These critiques are meant to give us ideas, tips, and advice to work towards "greatness". *whew* now to Bryan Schutmaat. I picked these photos because they work best with my evaluation of our last critique. I do realize that the project for them was to consider light and color - not focusing on concept, editing, or cropping, however there were some things that really impressed me/made me frustrated more than others. The picture above this paragraph works with the multiple curtain photos that were shown. First of all, you can tell that Schutmaat is familiar with his camera. Sure, you might think that his pictures are dull or possibly boring, but I will cover that in just a second. The picture here is so sensitive and uses the colors available very intentionally to create a very well composed picture. I feel that this is what Shane may have been striving for rather than "oh! Pretty color(s)! Picture time!" All of these baby steps that the assignment offers is potentially a strong starting point and a good opportunity to refine your skills while mustering up some sort of concept to work with throughout the semester.This photograph reminded me a lot of Sam's color/light project. There could potentially be opportunities to add people into the frame or to even leave it empty like Schutmaat chooses to do with his photography. Either way, you get the feeling that someone either was here, is going to be here at some point, or this is what it looks like when it is closed for the night. Either way, quite the eerie atmosphere. Sam was able to complete the project while getting vital feedback that possibly pointed her in a direction that she can begin to work towards. Many of the other photographs seemed like imagery that was following a strict guideline(without considering composition or the atmosphere around the color/light) when in reality, no art has strict guidelines and there is always the opportunity to put SOME unique thought behind what your professor or mentor wants to see.
There is NO disrespect behind this post. I just think that it is very important to remember where you are, what you are doing, and that always giving/receiving good compliments is not a good thing. This goes for every photography/art student. If you have received praise for your work, good, but that does not mean your work is "great". Maybe even try to force people to tell you what is wrong. If you hear some good things literally ask for some negative comments. They only help you, especially at this early stage in our artistic careers.
Bryan Schutmaat's photography showcases these great color/light situations with a unique musty, yet rich color sensitive atmosphere. Although this lonely and abandoned space takes the spotlight, I believe that the colors and lighting makes his situations a collection of photographs that create a single body of work. He is aware of this space, not literally a beam of light coming through a window, or a single color created by it. There is a nice blend between the two. These pictures are obviously "good", but they are not "great". There is more that he can do with these, but that is for him to figure out with his artistic process through plenty of experimentation. He just needs to continue to push himself, regardless of compliments or criticisms.

Critique these: what sucks about these pictures?