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Alec Soth Lecture Analysis and Personal Thoughts

Although Alec Soth has already made an appearance on my list of famous photographers, I had the chance to listen to an online lecture to witch he was invited as a guest speaker. Over the course of the lecture Soth answers a wide variety of questions relating to photography as an art form as well as the numerous different challenges that await many an aspiring photographer, including things like steps towards gaining exposure, learning to be flexible in your process while working to reach your finished product, and the many ways one can hone their skill behind the camera.

One of the first things he decided to talk about was his initial interest in other artistic mediums like painting and took up photography as a sort of experiment. Eventually, he grew to enjoy the process of photography. Something that he mentioned a number of times was his desire to “communicate the physical world”. It would seem that, to Soth, the act of communicating the physical world doesn’t just stop with surface level details like what something is or where it is located in space. Rather he seems to focus just as much if not more so on how the subject can make someone feel as well as the story that it can tell while in the frame. In this way, Soth makes it a habit of blending the physical and the emotional to create a narrative.

One other thing he talked about that resonated with me personally was the trouble he had maintaining a genuine passion for his work while struggling with burnout. I thought He made an excellent point when he said that burnout seems to happen more frequently when money is considered to be a motivating factor. I tend to agree rather strongly with this assertion, as the few times that I attempted to turn a profit with my art, the process instantly became more stressful and my will to actually complete the work begins to slowly disappear.

Overall I found Soth’s commentary to be very insightful. I have had a casual interest in photography for a few years now and although I never been particularly skilled with the technical aspects of the medium, hearing a professional touch on some of my more fundamental questions managed to be both fun and helpful. As for whether or not I continue to pursue photography as an artform remains to be seen. However, I will say that the lecture did at the very least help to refresh my prospective.

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Famous Photographers #7 (Don McCullin)

Don McCullin is a British photojournalist known best for both his war photography and his explorations of the darker parts of the human experience. Born in 1935, McCullin's childhood could have been considered quite tumultuous. Having lived through the destruction of his home and neighborhood in bombing of London During WW2. As a young man, McCullin was call up for military service in 1953 and found himself posted in the Suez Canal. While he was there he served as a photographer's assistant, eventually developing a passion for the work and choosing to become photographer himself.

Practically all his best work can be found in his book "Sleeping With Ghosts" published in 1994. The book is filled with numerous black and white photos of everything from quiet landscapes to full-blown warfare.

The first photo seems to simply be an old man on a cluttered street corner. The shot looks cold and almost lonely. Despite the urban environment there's almost a sense of emptiness. The lighting provides a sharp contrast and allows the viewer's eye to take in all the little details.

The second photo depicts an elephant and a small crowd of people on the shoreline of a river. Many of the figures appear to be washing their cloths or simply relaxing by the water, one figure trumps the rest by sitting atop the elephant as it wades through the water. The whole scene transpires under a full moon that sit at the very center of the shot. The figures in the foreground are reduced to silhouettes due to the lack of direct light.

This photo is, in my opinion, one of McCullin's most visually striking works. The moon has this almost hypnotic quality, having caught my attention the moment I laid my eyes on it. The silhouettes on the shore provide some movement in the otherwise still scene, making it feel ominous yet alive.

The last photo I wanted to showcase was this one. McCullin took the picture during his time as a war photographer in South Vietnam. The photo manages to capture the exact moment a US Marine throws a hand grenade in order to suppress enemy fire.

The wreckage of what use to be a home frames the marine on either side and creates a sort of rhythm. Eventually leading the viewer's attention to hand grenade hanging almost weightlessly at the top of the frame.

The sheer morbidity of the photo is almost palpable. With it McCullin manages to capture an untold level of aggression and distill it down into a single image, preserving it in an abstract sense.

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Famous Photographers #6 (Cindy Sherman)

As far as photographers go, Cindy Sherman is defiantly a unique case. Although her career Initially began with an interest in painting, she would later abandon the medium, at least in a professional capacity, in favor of photography claiming that painting was far too limiting.

A much of her work consist of incredibly bizarre portraits many of witch remain untitled. However, her photos are often part of a larger series centered around a particular theme or aesthetic.

Her 1977 series "Untitled Film Stills" is perhaps one of her most famous projects. Each photo is a black and white shot of a woman, typically a portrait, engaged in range of different activities. Many of them seem to be traveling although some appear to pose for the camera while others are occupied with some kind of task. Still #13, in my opinion, manages to tell quite an interesting story. The look on the woman's face becomes a striking center piece. The prominence of the grainy texture makes the photo feel much older than it actually is. Even the corner she stands in has character of its own. The door is worn and damaged, most likely from years of constant use, giving the scene an almost somber quality.

In complete contrast to her Film Stills series, Sherman's 2003 project "Clown Cycles" forgoes the use of subtlety and provides both color and emotion in spades. With garish makeup, colorful wigs and costumes, and intense vibrant backgrounds, the series gives off a cartoonish energy that is simply impossible to ignore.

Lastly is an untitled portrait of Sherman herself. The energy the photo gives off is honestly hard to read. Although her expression seems mostly neutral, the odd highlights in her makeup almost sharpen the slight smile on her face. All the curls in her hair give the photo a sense of rhythm, meanwhile the purple of he dress coupled with the gold jewelry on her neck create a noticeable color contrast.

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Famous Photographers #5 (Alec Soth)

Alec Soth is a 20th century American photographer born in Minneapolis in 1969. His career can very easily be described as distinguish, having received sizable number of awards and accolades for his unique and intimate style of photography.

The majority of his projects consists of large scale photo collections that are focused on telling a story while curating a specific atmosphere. After combing through some of his work, one project in particular stuck out to me. That project being "I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating".

The work is as captivating as it is strange. It's filled with a mix of surreal interior shots as well as plenty of bizarre portraits. Throughout most of the photos practically every inch of the frame is filed with color and dynamic shapes. In the case of most of the portrait photos this provides a unique contrast when juxtaposed with the rather melancholic figures taking center stage. in fact, many of them look as if there are almost completely drained of energy.

I think I would have to say the third photo is the most interesting. The use of the mirror was an interesting trick. The bright swath of purple immediately caught my attention and the whole thing gives me this almost nostalgic feeling. Meanwhile, the other two feel almost dreamlike in comparison.

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Famous Photographers #4 (Yousuf Karsh)

Born on December 23, 1908, Yousuf Karsh was a Canadian photographer from the early 20th century, and is described as one of the best portrait photographers of the era.

He began his career as an assistant to another photographer named John Powis before pursuing opportunities of his own, eventually opening his own studio in 1932. Karsh gained much of his notoriety after he began working closely with then Prime Minister William Mackenzie King, Where he had the opportunity to take portraits photographs of various florigen dignitaries and other esteemed guests. Portraits eventually became the thing Karsh was known best for, with his portraits of figures like Winston Churchill (in 1941), Albert Einstein (in 1948), and even Martin Luther King Jr. (in 1962) garnering national attention.

I think the thing that I enjoy most about the these photos is that is the they manage to be quite expressive despite the inherent stillness of photos as an artistic medium. Each Portrait captures an emotion that feels quite unique to its subject. It almost feels like you could get a glimpse into their personality just by looking at them. Churchill has a very no nonsense look about him and his posture seems almost Regal in a way. His photo of MLK Jr. on the other hand heels much more relaxed. He seems to be focused on something just outside of the frame. In this way the photo feels more organic, as although it is still a portrait Karsh manages to avoid having his subject simply stare into the camera.

Out of the three, Karsh's photo of Einstein is easily my favorite. The shot is rather strait forward. Einstein simply looks into the camera with a slight smile on his face. To me, it almost seems like he's about to tell a joke. I feel like this small detail is enough to give the photo a warm and friendly atmosphere.

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Final Project Showcase

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DJweDQjPALTBY2KvIJ0COVzrcIAc4aLw2XGpXr1b0rc/edit#slide=id.g26305800861_0_184

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Final Project Proposal

For our final project we were instructed to pick a central theme for our photos or create one of our own. I chose artistic expression as the general theme for my project. I thought it would make for a fun project to create some kind of art piece and document it. After some consideration, I decided to take my dad's advice and do a large chalk drawing that I could hang on my wall after it's finished.

The project will consist of both posed and more natural shots of me putting the art piece together as well as my materials and any other interesting photos that I'm able to take during the process. I planned on using a relatively simple setup with the inclusion of a few extra light sources.

The main reason I wanted to do this project idea was because I really wanted to create some kind of art to decorate my room. The walls have pretty much always been bare and I felt like finally making an attempt to stylize my bedroom. I chose to do a chalk drawing specifically because of my dad, he's been working with chalk for about two months and I always like the chance to try out a new medium.

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Famous Photographers #3 (Lewis Hine)

Lewis Hine was a documentary photographer from the early 20th century. He was born September 26 in 1874. Although he held a teaching position for some time, Hine would eventually work as a photographer for the National Child labor Committee. In the 1930s he was commissioned by the city of New York to document the construction of the Empire State building. I found this particular project to be very interesting and decided to cover it here.

The project consists primarily of black and white photos taken of the workers as the go about their jobs, witch I would normally consider to be a bit boring, If it weren't for the fact that many of these photos were taken while perched more than 1000 feet in the air. I thought the view of city below gave each shot a great sense of depth. The workers in a lot of the shots provide ,to me at least, a sense of warmth. A number of them stop to smile or wave to the camera even while they hang form the side of the building or Balance along the top of a steel girder. they manage to breath some life into the scene despite the industrial setting.

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Famous Photographers #2 (Ansel Adams)

Ansel Adams was an American photographer born February 20 1902. He began photography as a hobby in his youth, and quickly developed fascination with nature. He specialized his artistic focus accordingly, with the bulk of his work being black and white landscape photos. He was eventually contracted by the US Department of the Interior to photograph various national parks. He was a dedicated environmentalist throughout the entirety of his career and even received the Presidential Metal of Freedom in 1980.

In addition he is also credited as a founding member of a photographer's association call Group f/64. As a group they were most well known for their stance on "pure" photography. preferring shots with a very sharp focus and a wide range tones and color values.

I personally enjoy the serene and inviting atmosphere of his photos. Despite all of the complex details at play the scenes are easy to enjoy and manage to feel genuinely alive.

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Famous Photographers #1 (Man Ray)

Emmanuel Radnitzky, later known as Man Ray was an American visual artist born in Philadelphia on August 27 1890. Although he worked in a wide variety of artistic mediums, and primarily considered himself a painter, his career gained notoriety primarily through his surrealist photography.

In July of 1921 he moved his entire life to Paris in order to work within both the dada and surrealist art movements. While there he helped to rediscover a unique method of solarization witch he used for many of photos at the time. He would eventually leave Paris to peruse other artistic ventures, however his photo pieces and his many innovations were considered to be some of the more influential in the surrealist movement.

I personally think his work is very interesting. It manages to encapsulate a lot of what I enjoy about surrealist art. There is something captivating about the way he frames his subjects and the use of solarization seems to be a very unique way to play around with tone.

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Project statement:

The primary purpose of my project is to capture a sense of personal nostalgia and communicate some my ideas as well as my creative process. Halloween is easily my favorite holiday and it has been for well over a decade. I have an affinity for horror in general and I have dozens of happy memories of designing costumes with my dad, I use this holiday as a excuse to let loose and be creative.

My intention with this project is to present a fun and engaging narrative that will help pass on some of the same sense of wonder that I felt over the years, and hopefully inspire others who appreciate Halloween as much as I do to engage in creative pursuits of their own.

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A sort of scavenger hunt project. I was tasked with collecting photos that each showcase a particular core element of photography.

The elements I have chosen for this project are;

Line

Color

Texture

Value

Shape

Form

variety

Proportion

Emphasis

Overall, I feel satisfied with the results of the project and had quite a bit of fun while doing it.

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Just a small collage of what I did over Labor day weekend.

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First big super post

Ooooooo yeah, it's blog time baby.

I'm Nathan, welcome to my school blog. I like food, movies, comics, art, and more!