Photographers Research

Researching the Photographers Given

Sarah Jones:

Born in 1959 in London, United Kingdom, Jones is a visual artist working mostly with photography. Her practice is deeply rooted in art history, and she draws influence from topics such as Psychoanalysis, adolescence, and the Victorian period. Psychoanalysis is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques, related to the study of the unconscious mind, which together form a method of treatment for mental-health disorders. These ideas were explored in her series of photos of psychoanalyst’s couches. She wanted to explore the spaces that allowed for people to re-live experiences and loosen the grip that their past has on them. “Through talking with the head of the British Institute of Psychoanalysis, she learned that patients often acted as if there were a third party in the session, this was interesting to her in the sense of the camera being the third presence. Creating the idea of an audience.”

The photo above by Jones is a simple photo, the black background with minimal lighting makes the colours of the flowers stand out. You can also see more details in the structure of the plant and the sharpness of the twigs due to all the focus being on the flower- this makes the audience look more deeply into the image.

 One thing i like about this image is that the snoot lighting in the background makes it look like their is a sun shining over, yet they are in a studio. It makes the image interesting as the lighting highlights one plants and creates a shadow on those further back in the picture.

This photo is unique as it combines photos of plants with models. It is calming but yet presents a unknown the audience. This photo make the audience think of their own story of what it happening and who these people are. The shadows across the face of the girl kneeling creates a sense of darkness as you cannot see her features.

Karl Blossfeldt:

Karl Blossfeldt was a German photographer, sculptor, teacher, and artist who worked in Berlin, Germany. He is best known for his close-up photographs of plants and living things.
Blossfeldt had no formal training as a photographer and used homemade cameras that he outfitted with lenses capable of magnifying his subjects up to 30 times their natural size. The use of magnification resulted in images of extreme detail and clarity. 

Blossfeldt's work portrays an olden, drawing effect of the plants- making the photo unique and sharp looking.

This photo is interesting as it highlights many details in the sharpness of the lines on the leaves.

Paul Strand:

Paul Strand was an American photographer and filmmaker who, along with fellow modernist photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century.

Imogen Cunningham:

Imogen Cunningham, (born April 12, 1883—died June 24, 1976),  is an American photographer who is best known for her portraits and her images of plant life. Cunningham uses black and white photography to convey the tones of flowers and nature. I like this idea as photography of nature is one of my strong points. Cunningham also uses a side light in photos like the last photo above. This helps as it shows natural tones and shading.