Photography Blog

"I often think of my work as a visual haiku. It is an attempt to evoke and suggest through as few elements as possible rather than to describe with tremendous detail." -Michael Kenna Looking at Michael Kenna's work gives me the feeling of peace and tranquility. The first word that automatically comes to mind when viewing his black and white photos is "softness." What I mean by this is his ability to shoot simple landscapes with only few objects and encouraging me to believe it is a place of great quietness (Gentle Landscape, Being, Hokkaido, Japan 2007). I feel the softness in images such as Mina, Study 2, Japan 2010 and Fumi, Study 2, Japan 2010 as well. In these, he finds ways to crop and create beautiful shapes, curved lines and negative space within the body. Also the cropping and literal contrast of rigid buildings with clouds passing above to create an interesting/ nonconventional composition (photographed below, Notre Dame, Study 10, Paris, France 200

Austrian photographer, Ernst Haas has created a beautiful collection of photos throughout his life. The thing about his photos that catch my eye are the strong bursts of colors. Whether it be of floral content or a ripped poster, there are moments where the color pops and redirects your eye to that color. Another reason I find Haas' photography to be very intriguing is how he has turns ordinary objects (such as torn posters or lines and shadows on pavement) into interesting compositions. Sometimes, to photograph an ordinary object, turns out to be a boring image. But, Haas uses close ups, angles, depth of field and cropping to make his photos fascinating and abstract. Take for example, Black Wave, shot in 1966. This is one of my favorite pieces developed by Haas. The first time I saw this photograph, I thought it was a painting. The gradient of blue from the bottom right traveling up the ripples is so calming and quite breathtaking. Then you come across the black "shard like&q

"What matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling." -Steve McCurry When I first viewed Steve McCurrys' photographs, it was apparent that the content shot was compositionally stunning and strong. A series from his website, titled "Eloquence of the Eye" stands out to me, in particular. These photos from this series, proves his words to be true inn the quote above. Each subject tells their story through their eyes. The photo below provides the viewer with a sense of depth, both literally and possibly in an alternate world. The glass between the child and McCurry makes me wonder; where is the boy exactly?, and why is it so dark behind him? The amber color on the glass appears "dirty" or "rustic", but it is in some way providing "light" to balance the dark. It makes me think the boy is looking to come out of where he is, to where we, the viewers, are. Or perhaps, the boy is inviting us to be whe

Photography is used in many different ways. Children become familiar with animals and colors from photos in books. Medical students study surgical photographs in school. Everyday, millions of images are searched for, and shared via social media. New home owners purchase large framed photos from Pottery Barn to decorate their walls. To some, this might be the extent of photography. To me, just as any other form of art, photography connects humans to one another. Humans can feel great emotion through photographs as well as learn from them. Personally, photography is about the reaction the viewer has to a single photograph. It brings up conversation. Conversation about what is literally in the photo, reflective/ emotional conversation, or political conversati on.  I don't think Marvin Heiferman could have stated it any more clear in  Photography Changes Everything.  "Photographs don't only show us things, they do things. They engage us optically, neurologically, intell