Ernst Haas

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" lines and further up, complete blackness. Then my eye comes back down to the blue. This is one of the many examples of how Haas shot something as simple a few ripples in water.

"I am not interested in shooting new things, I am interested to see things new." -Ernst Haas