Artist Blog IX - Bryan Graf

Artist Blog IX - Bryan Graf

I am drawn to Bryan Graf’s work for a many reasons. His images often pertain to a landscape driven narrative. The series that I found to be most interesting in relationship to my work is “Wildlife Analysis.” The areas Bryan chooses to photograph “go largely unnoticed, especially by daily commuters who drive past them at high speeds.[1]” Similarly in my series I find that the objects I enjoy engaging with are things that people would otherwise overlook. The images in Bryan’s series have a real atmosphere and sense of mood to them. I think this is in part a factor of his treatment of the images. Bryan “photographs these spaces with black–and–white film, and later adds an additional layer of fogged color film when he prints the image in the darkroom. [1]” The color being added after the fact adds a mood that is controlled completely by the artist. One thing I really enjoy about the process of making High Dynamic Range images is the ability to get very different looks from the same image. Ultimately I try to let each scene dictate to me how it should look.

[1] Olu, Amani. "Bryan Graf: Wildlife Analysis | Whitewall daily." Whitewall Magazine - Contemporary Art and Lifestyle Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. .

Biography -

Bryan Graf was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey in
1982. He received his Masters Degree in Photography
from Yale University in 2008 and his BFA from the
Art Institute of Boston in 2005. Bryan currently lives
and works in New Jersey.

Graf, Bryan . "Bryan Graf : About." Bryan Graf. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. .

Website: http://www.bryangrafphotography.com/

Review/Blog: http://theexposureproject.blogspot.com/2009/01/bryan-grafs-garden-state.html
Gallery:  http://www.yanceyrichardson.com/#

All Images © Bryan Graf

Artist Blog VIII - Mary Frey

Mary Frey’s work had a very unique quality to it.  In particular I find this to be true in her latest series, “Imagining Fauna”.  This is definitely due to both her subject matter and choice of process.  One thing that I always try to concern myself with on my own project is that the process elevates the picture and doesn’t call attention to itself.  I feel it is a challenge in high dynamic range photography is to use the process in a way that it doesn’t just scream “HDR.” Mary Frey’s work uses a very old process know as wet processing: “Mary Frey photographs using E6 film and creates one-of-a kind wet plate images. [1]”  In Mary’s statement about the series she states “these animals, often portrayed in suspended animation, seem simultaneously strange, ghostly and beautiful. [2]”  Our subject matter may be rather different but our ideas and goals have similarities.    The qualities of being strange, ghostly, and beautiful are all aspects that I hoped to show in both “In our Wake” and “Artific.”   I feel that the objects I find possess some sort of lifelike quality. I was absolutely ecstatic when someone in one of my critiques said that the objects seemed personified.  This really stated to me that one of my goals had been meet.  People also seemed to be in agreement that in my ‘Artific’ series the process supports and enhances my concepts.

[1] Gentry, Erika. "Old Photography Techniques Made New « Erika Gentry: Imaging Arts, Education." Erika Gentry: Imaging Arts, Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. <http://erikagentry.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/old-photography-techniques-are-new-again/>.

Frey, Mary . "Mary Frey." Mary Frey - Photographer. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. <http://www.maryfrey.com/fauna/index.htm#title>.


Artist Biography

Mary Frey received her MFA from Yale University in 1979 and is currently a professor of photography at the Hartford Art School.

Frey has attained numerous awards for her work, most notably a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1984 and two photography fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1980 and 1992. She was the recipient of a Te Foundation Fellowship in 2004. During the 1994-95 academic year Mary Frey was the Harnish Visiting Artist at Smith College, Northampton, MA and in the spring of 2001 she completed an artist’s residency at the Burren College of Art, County Clare, Ireland.

Her work has been exhibited extensively and is part of many public and private collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, NY, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Chicago Art Institute and the International Polaroid Collection.

Frey, Mary . "Mary Frey - bio." Mary Frey - Photographer. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. <http://www.maryfrey.com/bio/index.htm>.


link to artist website:  http://www.maryfrey.com

All Images © Mary Frey

Idea Blog IX - Daydreaming

To me the ideas and complexities that the mind takes to when one sleeps are absolutely fascinating.  However, I frequently find my mind drifting off during the day, wondering about the scenes that I have decided to photograph.  I am constantly asking myself what has happened at these scenes in the past and what will happen in the future, which gives me the interesting idea of returning to the locations and photographing them without the objects present, presuming they have left. In relation to actors trying to learn voice control, Kristin  states ““As one learns lines, the Daydreaming Wheel enables access to the unconscious mind while the conscious mind collects data and lays down the tracks of thought and imagery that lie behind the words. This is not "memorization"--it is "learning by heart."  The idea that your are learning and engaging with a scene on a sub-level of the brain, letting the scene cause a reaction which in turn leads to the photography is something that I do with all my shots.   I’ve often been told I have a great sense of composition but truthfully it’s not something I really think about when I am shooting. “When daydreams get powerful enough, when they visit us often enough, we may finally be propelled to act, to get off the couch, out the door, and into the world where we can interact with others and hopefully start turning those visions into reality.[2]”  I feel I am at this point,  reacting to what my mind and eye see in order to create imagery that speaks to others.


[1] Linklater, Kristin. "THE IMPORTANCE OF DAYDREAMING." American Theatre 27.1 (2010):42-126.<http://sfx.library.vcu.edu/vcu?sid=metalib%3AEBSCO_A2H&id=doi%3A&genre=&isbn=&issn=87503255&date=2010&volume=27&issue=1&spage=42&epage=126&aulast=Linklater&aufirst=%20Kristin&auinit=&title=American%20Theatre&atitle=THE%20IMPORTANCE%20OF%20DAYDREAMING.&sici=&__service_type=&pid=%3Cmetalib_doc_number%3E000282592%3C%2Fmetalib_doc_number%3E%3Cmetalib_base_url%3Ehttp%3A%2F%2Fmetalib.vccs.edu%3A80%3C%2Fmetalib_base_url%3E%3Copid%3E%3C%2Fopid%3E>

[2]Fries, Amy. "The Power of Daydreaming | Pyschology Today." Pyschology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 1982. <www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-daydreaming/201001/how-work-your-daydreams>.

Idea Blog VIII - Color Theory

Color Theory

Since the beginning of my project I have played around with the idea of whether my images would be better in color or black and white.  After hanging the images in the hallway, I got a variety of reactions.  But overwhelming, the feedback I got suggested that the color image was working very well.  I think that, generally speaking, I am  very aware of the color relationships in my images  and don’t really think of them in black and white very often.  “Unlike painters, most photographers have little if any training in colour theory. This is a pity, since unless one understands the physiological as well as psychological basis of formal colour theory it's hard to understand why some photographs work and some don't, except on a "gut feel" basis [2]. “  Often times I have been in critiques and I hear the words, "I don’t know why, but it just looks good" or just "I like this image," and then the individual fails to be able to go into more depth as to why the image is working.  Of course there is personal taste, but there are some basics we can rely on to draw some conclusions.   I often look for a pop of strong color, such as red or yellow, to draw attention to certain parts of an image.   “Yellow is the brightest colour. It screams for our attention and this is why warning signs are frequently painted this colour. Yellow and yellow-orange also are the dominant colours of autumn and as such have a strong appeal to our emotions. Psychologically, yellow is a colour denoting happiness [2].”  As colors are turning in fall I think it becomes much easier to make a compelling image that impacts human emotion.  Ultimately how you frame and shoot an image is totally a personal choice and you need to find your own aesthetic style.  “How you should, or shouldn’t combine colors is not an easy answer. It depends of course on what you want to achieve [1].”

"Color in photography - Color theory." framed reality: Photography tips, tutorials, theory and inspiration. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://www.framedreality.com/color-in-photography-color-theory>.

"Colour Theory." The Luminous Landscape. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/colour_theory.shtml>.

Artist Blog VII - Rona Chang

Rona Chang

The series of images I decided to feature in this blog are from Rona Chang’s series the ‘The Hold over Water’.  An article on the series in 1000 Words Magazine described it as a statement on “one of the most pertinent issues of our time: water and its management through a set of visually interesting photographs that hinge on the interplay of manmade and natural elements to create their effect".  Her series is a bit different from mine, as I am not really interested in the control of the water; however I am interested in the ability of man to manipulate the landscape for practical or aesthetic purposes. In the 1000 Words magazine article Rona said “The idea of humans engineering their landscapes to alter river courses and the flow of nature has always held me in awe [1].”  I do feel part of my project is about the impact of humans on nature.  Even with the ‘abandoned’ furniture series I was interested in the impact that humans had on the objects, which eventually led to disposal, that would in turn lead to new products being bought.  As a result more trees will be cut down and more products will be made. The cycle is endless.    It is important to understand the impact of humans in environment. One of the goals of my project is to represent this impact.

[1] "1000 Words Photography Magazine: Rona Chang." 1000 Words Photography Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. <http://1000wordsphotographymagazine.blogspot.com/2008/08/rona-chang.html>.

Biography
Rona Chang was born in Chungli, Taiwan, a town that is famous for its spicy beef noodle soup. As a child she picked mulberry leaves for her pet silkworms while playing in the black sand pile at the construction site that was at the entrance to her cul-de-sac. At the age of seven, Rona emigrated with her mother and sister from Taiwan to Buffalo, NY, later moving to Queens, New York.  In Queens her family moved almost every year.  Rona spent many summers living with her father in Taiwan, taking Chinese calligraphy and painting lessons.  Rona still lives in Queens, and travels often, attributing her desire to travel to her many childhood moves and her love for packing.

Rona was an associate artist at the Atlantic Center of the Arts residency under the guidance of Thomas Struth. Her work has been showcased online and has exhibited internationally. Rona was chosen by Jen Bekman for the Center of Photography at Woodstock's Photography Now 2008. She received her BFA from The Cooper Union School of Art and was a photographer for the Asian Art Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for nine years. She has photographed all of the Japanese woodblock prints, Indian paintings, and Chinese handscrolls in the collection.  Rona is member of Nymphoto, a collective of women in photography that is invested in its community of artists through its various projects.

CHANG, RONA. "RONA CHANG." RONA CHANG. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. <http://ronachang.com/Text_page.cfm?pID=894>.

Artist’s Website - http://ronachang.com
Artist’s Blog - http://plumandlion.blogspot.com/

All Images © Rona Chang

Idea Blog VI - Surreal

Surreal

Webster defines surreal as marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream; also : unbelievable, fantastic <surreal sums of money> [1].  I really want my images to take on a dreamy appearance  and to have a luminosity to them. I have recently discovered the work of Harold Ross who utilizes the process of light painting and gets a very painterly quality to his images.  What I have currently been doing is stitching images with High Dynamic Range methods.  What this means is that by bracketing my shots I can get the complete range of tonal values in a scene.  However when you map the colors back to a printable color range it takes on a quality of being surreal.  High-dynamic-range (HDR) photography is a technique for increasing the range of light shown in a picture in order to create vivid, page-bursting photos that exhibit a distinct, often exaggerated, level of realism [3].  I also shoot at either sunrise or sunset, times when I can get the best colors in my imagery.  Slepukhin-Zamachnaia states that “Images created during twilight are normally characterized by warm colors of unusual hues, enveloped in shimmering blues or rich cobalt. The richness and variety of hues of the blue palette available depend on the stage of twilight [2].” I would love to try lighting painting my landscapes but the sun has been an important part my compositions.  Maybe it could be replaced by the moon.  I feel that experimentation is probably in order.


[1] "Surreal - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Merriam-Webster Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surreal>.

[2] Slepukhin-Zamachnaia, Tatiana. "Surreal Twilight." PSA Journal 75.6 (2009): 26-29. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.

[3] Porges, Seth. "The Surreal World of HDR Photography." Popular Mechanics 186.9 (2009): 120-121. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.

Artist Blog VI - Harold J. Ross

Harold J. Ross

Harold J. Ross’s work relates to what I am trying to accomplish in my work.  I wish to bring a heightened sense of reality to the image through color, texture and lighting.  Harold Ross is able to do this through his "light painting" techniques. "Light painting" gives photographic images the feel of a painting.  It is almost hard to believe it was done using led flashlights of a real scene.  There is a luminosity  or glow to the images that isn’t present in a standard photograph.  In a press release for the Maryland Federation of Art they say   “Ross’s “painting with light” technique involves photographing at night, applying his light source over the subject and choosing what to highlight and what to obscure. The effect is intriguing, as the real and actual landscape is bathed in the artificiality of Ross's light [1].”    I like the idea of the real vs the artificial.   In my series codenamed ‘Artific’  I am searching out for artificially man made landscapes.  In my processing I hope to heighten and draw attention to the surreal qualities that they give me.   Harold Ross says in his artist statement “My process elevates and reinforces the notion that discarded objects can have an extraordinary beauty[2].”   This couldn’t be more relevant to my furniture series.  These abandoned objects have such a great richness of texture and life.


[1]"Photographer Wins 1st Place in National Show - ." Free Press Release - Online Press Release Distribution Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. <http://www.free-press-release.com/news-photographer-wins-1st-place-in-national-show-1274884707.html>.

[2] Ross, Harold. "About Harold Ross | GALLERY 50." Fine art contemporary artists painters, photographers & sculptors | GALLERY 50. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. <http://www.50contemporaryart.com/about-artist-harold-ross>.

Biography

Born into a military family in 1956, Harold grew up in New Mexico and Germany. Fortunately, his parents took the family on outings almost every weekend, hiking in the desert, horseback riding and camping in the mountains, exploring castles and old gardens in Germany and camping in Italy. These outings, of course, left many lasting impressions. After moving back with his family to the U.S., he began photographing nature. As a young teenager, he bought his first camera, a GAF Instamatic. He still has that camera today.

He received his B.F.A. from Maryland Institute College of Art in 1978, after which he produced fine art and taught photography at the college level for several years. In 1987, he opened a commercial photography studio, where he has been creating images for national clients. In his studio he has been perfecting the unusual and difficult technique of light painting for almost 20 years, and his clients seek him out for the unparalleled look he brings to a photograph.

In recent years he has once again been concentrating on fine art, in which he employs his light painting techniques.

All Images © Harold J. Ross

Idea Blog VI - Landscape

Landscape

This week I thought it would be beneficial to think about the traditions of landscape photography since  my work has started to move away from the grungy  street photography into more of a  alien surrealistic landscape. Traditionally photographers had to travel to far-away places, hauling hundreds of pounds of equipment, to capture images that their  government wanted: “an exotic and majestic land shaped by awesome natural forces, unpopulated and ready for American settlement [2].”    But before even that tradition was the tradition of painting.  It took a while before the landscape gained acceptance in the painting world, it was around the 17th century that the idealized landscape gained  popularity. “In a classical landscape the positioning of objects was contrived; every tree, rock, or animal was carefully placed to present [1].  While the  the traditions of painting differ from those of photography, which was primarily used  for documenting, even photographers manipulated in the darkroom giving use a more painterly vision of the images.  In fact Ansel Adams was a master darkroom manipulator.  I think it’s important that I am not concerned solely   with documenting but enhancing the feeling or mood that I get from an image in the treatment of the image.


[1] "Landscapes, Classical to Modern Curriculum (Education at the Getty)." The Getty. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2010. <http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/landscapes/background1.html>.

[2] Sandweiss, Martha A.. "Laura Gilpin and the Tradition of American Landscape Photography." College of Liberal Arts : Purdue University. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2010. <http://www.cla.purdue.edu/waaw/sandweiss/>.

Julika Rudelius Lecture Question/Response

Julika Rudelius Lecture Question/Response

It’s always interesting to me and almost bizarre just how open Europeans are  about sexuality.   At one point she said “am I even allowed to show this stuff in America?”   Whereas I am not closed minded and don’t have real problems with any issues which she addressed, there  probably are people that find it very strange or odd.  A lot of her work in the beginning seemed to touch on human sexuality and voyeurism.  She said that she intentionally shot through the seats with a shaky camera to enhance the looking on of an erotic scene, the men’s wet lips and pink checks she said enhanced this feeling.  For me I didn’t really get that part it was more just disturbing to look on to scene of people talking in such a way that really was degrading to females. She talked a-lot about how she likes to control the situation.  One question that I had was why  the video clips on her website are so short.  She essentially answered this saying she wanted to control where it was showing, how it was shown: many monitors, a single monitor, projection, etc., and on the web she  doesn’t have control over how the viewer engages with her multimedia clips.   At the same time I have to wonder if there is a better way of building interest as after reviewing the website I was left unsure what to think.   After the lecture I had a desire to see the full setup in action.    I think one of the most interesting things that I learned about the artist was her background.  She started at a printing house and worked until she was twenty-six or twenty-seven, then she started doing photography.  I can related to this  since I didn’t make a return to school until 3 years ago  when I was about the same age she was when she started photography.   I definitely found “Trains” to impact me the hardest just because I never would talk about women like those guys were and how I was literally sucked into the location by the method in which it was filmed.  I think the presentation went well besides a few kinks with the technology and the failure of the projector to produce a good dynamic range.

Questions - 
1.  It's hard to grasp much of your concepts from the little snippet loops and short descriptions. Do you have any plans to include more detailed descriptions or more footage?

2.  How does your culture play into your work and how is it received in different cultures?

Artist Blog V - Daivd T. Hansen

David T. Hanson

David T. Hanson’s work has many parallels that I can I see with my own.  When looking  through his portfolio of images I  noticed that he has a focus on urban landscapes.  He also incorporates aerial shots and maps.  The aerial shots often show the pathways that have been cut into the earth  through the impact of man.  My project  is about  the impact of man on  objects and the environment in which they reside.  Wendell Berry comments on David Hanson’s work “They are representations of bad art—if by art we mean the ways and products of human work [1].”  I agree with Berry’s statement,  Hanson’s work is certainly  artwork of people working creating sculptures without the intention of making artwork.   This is one aspect of his work I feel a real connection with.  When I am shooting,  I must find intriguing ways to light and  create  pleasing images out of what people have decided to  discard.    It’s a-lot about what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future. This cycle is endless:  things decay, so humans discard and replace these items, which in turn will also eventually decay, restarting the cycle.Suzi Gablik said  that  Hanson’s work has “the most powerful and disturbing images ever to be seen, perhaps because their eerie, abstract beauty almost seems to negate the sinister, hidden life which glimmers in them: landscape as Eros transformed into landscape as Thanatos [2].”  I have gotten comments  that my project  seems to have a secluded, kind-of sad nature to it.  It’s not without effort . I feel that my mix of cinematic style lighting with some ambient lighting brings the most attention to the object to help tell it’s tale.  For the most part this is the end of the object and I want people to think about it in that way. 


[1] Berry, Wendell. "David T Hanson | Critical Quotes." David T. Hanson. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <http://davidthanson.net/quotes.html>.

[2] Gablik, Suzi . "David T Hanson | Critical Quotes." David T. Hanson. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <http://davidthanson.net/quotes.html>.


Biography -
David T. Hanson was born and raised in Montana, and was awarded a B.A. in English Literature from Stanford University.  He studied with and worked as an assistant to Minor White and Frederick Sommer, and earned an M.F.A. in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design. A photographer, mixed-media installation artist, writer and teacher, he taught in the departments of Photography and Landscape Architecture at Rhode Island School of Design from 1983-2000. He has received a number of awards for his work, including a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (1985) and two National Endowment for the Arts Visual Artists Fellowships (1986 and 1994). One of Hanson’s aerial views of Colstrip, Montana was selected by The New York Times’ photography critic Vicki Goldberg as one of the 100 most important photographs of the 20th century. Hanson’s work is in the permanent collections of major museums throughout the world, including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Art Institute of Chicago, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. His work has been featured in numerous museum exhibitions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Hanson’s photographs have been included in multiple exhibitions at The Museum of Modern Art in New York (five shows), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (three shows), and The Art Institute of Chicago (three shows, including a solo exhibition). In 1997, Aperture published a monograph of Hanson’s photographic work, Waste Land: Meditations on a Ravaged Landscape. Hanson’s work was recently included in Picturing Modernity: The Photography Collection at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the major exhibition (with full catalogue) Into the Sunset: Photography’s Image of the American West at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
SELECTED MUSEUM COLLECTIONS:
Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Canadian Centre for Architecture, New York, New York
Fuji Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, Rochester, New York
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York
National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC
North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, North Dakota
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio
Yellowstone Art Center, Billings, Montana

Hanson, David . "David T Hanson | Bio." David T. Hanson. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. <http://davidthanson.net/bio.html>.

Artist’s Website - http://davidthanson.net
Interview with the Artist -