Natalia's Photography Blog

  Annie Leibovitz is a modern photographer who captures images of famous figures in a very unique way. Many of her photographs are also very focused on the surrounding environment, emphasizing details about the person we may have not seen otherwise. She also includes very striking poses that unveil a lot of emotion that transfers to the viewer. These poses make the subjects feelings feel visible in a way, allowing the viewer to feel connected to the subject. Because many of her photographs are famous people, this is a difficult but beautiful way of showing they are still human.  I really enjoy the photo above. The lady's wrinkles are accentuated by the lighting, there are so many stories to be told with all of these lines eroded by life. The woman's hands also have many stories to tell, and it is like she is communicating and reminiscing. The photo below is also very intriguing, and we actually saw it in New York at the photo fair. Knowing that these were taken the same day as

  Chemical painting have been extremely interesting to me as someone who has a love for both science and art. I find the unnpredictable-ness of the chemicals and photo paper is beautiful. It forces you to let go of a part of you seeking perfection and trying to control the outcome. While the pieces may not always have be best outcome, the happy accidents that happen sometimes make it worth it. Anne McDonald's work is a perfect example of how interesting an image can turn out with no way of predicting it. The small details poke through creating many places for the viewer to see observe detail as well as very interesting and smooth transitions between colors and shades on the paper. The more you look at these one of. kind pieces, the more striking aspects there are to be seen. I really do wonder what some of the resists she uses are, and if this is black and white photo paper or colored photo paper.  A common theme among Anne McDonald's work is circles, and I really enjoy this be

  John Dugdale was a photographer who primarily used alternative processes like cyanotype and platinum prints. These cyanotypes are much different than the standard ones of plants and other common items. These photos, on the other hand, contain rich tonalities and have beautiful detail. The blue color also adds to the story behind the photos, creating a cooler, dim feeling. Paired with the poses full of raw emotion, the intensity of the images changes. The image above is particularly very touching, with the way their heads lock together and the lady's hair drapes over his head as if it is a drape to protect him. She keeps her head up for the man and lets him fall onto her for support. There is something about seeing a grown man feel so deeply with what seems to be his mother that really resonates and gives a strong sense of nostalgia.  The photos above and below both use poses that are cohesive with the objects around. This technique makes the composition flow very nicely and may b

  Shelby Lee Adams was a photographer who would photograph people of the Appalachians. These photos came with much controversy, as some people believes that Adams was taking advantage of their position and profiting off other peoples struggles, while others thought these photos brought a lot of attention to groups of people that otherwise go unseen. I believe they bring an appreciation to their way of life and sense of family and have the potential to open people's minds to these epeople, bringing awareness to their living conditions.  I think the black and white format is very fitting for these types of photographs because it allows for contrast and extreme detail in the photos. The detail is important to these because it helps the viewer get more "clues" into these people's lives. You can see the marks on the houses, stains in their clothes, fine wrinkles in their face, etc. Every one of these marks illustrate a different time or struggle that persevered into the ph

  The work of Hiroshi Sugimoto is one of the most recognizable and memorable. After looking at his photos in class, I would spend a lot of time thinking about his work and what they meant. When we went to the Photo Fair in NYC and saw his work in person, it felt different. There is something about the way Sugimoto captures time in his images that is beautiful. These images of movie theaters also illustrate how layers of light interact with each other over time. Knowing that these images are looking at the entire span of a movie but captured in one frame raises a lot of questions. I also like how this makes the surrounding movie theater appear very dark but still allows for a lot of shadow details.  These three images above are all very interesting to me. The softness of these almost make them look like abstract paintings. The ones of the sea, specifically, look like there are brushstrokes painting the waves in the water. They are very beautiful and unique. After researching these photo

  Christian Vogt partook in photography that is very different from the normal take. In many of his photos, the portraits avoid any evidence of identification. This adds a mysterious mood and allows the viewer to think about what the photo is saying rather than focusing on the persons facial features. This mystery and wonder is furthered by the surreal feel of the images, caused by the subjects contorting their bodies in ways we are not familiar with. Vogt was able to use this to create thought-provoking, beautiful images.  The picture below, in particular, I thought was a very interesting take on portraiture. The curves created by this persons pronounced collar bones is very visually interesting and unique. This perspective forces the viewer to appreciate the part of someones body that would usually otherwise go unseen. The ability of Vogt to take something so common and make it the entire frame of the photo, brining attention to it and appreciating the form of the body is inspiring.