Peechaya Burroughs

 Peechaya Burroughs is a Thailand born, Australian photographer. She is well known for her tendency to show hidden beauties in simple things. I think that this image shows off her ability to do just that. Most people would not view a spray bottle as a worthy prop for a photograph, but Burroughs managed to make an interesting photo from a cleaning supply. I like the way she used balloons to symbolize water droplets, she exhibited creativity in this choice. I appreciate her choice to use different colored balloons as I think that this made the image increasingly more interesting. The different colors give the viewer more to anticipate as they follow the line created by the balloons. I also think that she made a good decision with the balloons going from matte to opaque. I believe that this symbolizes the way the droplets disperse into the air when using a spray bottle. I think that this is a magnificent piece that draws on a sector of creativity that is beyond me. I think I could aspire to think more like her. 

Chema Madoz

Chema Madoz is a Spanish photographer from Madrid, Spain. She was born in 1958. She is best known for black and white surrealist and poetic photographs. She studied at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She has a book called Chema Madoz: Photography. 

I chose this photo because I found it visually appealing. I really like that she decided to use pencils to build a fire. This is something I would not have thought to do. I appreciate her initial creativity and her execution. She centered the fire, and I think that this choice makes the viewer really sit with the photo and contemplate what it could mean. I think that the way the pencils are sitting works linearly to draw the eye to the fire. I find the burnt parts of the pencil interesting because I've never seen a pencil burn, so I think that this new knowledge adds to the intrigue of the photo. I also like that she chose for this photo to be in black and white. I have never seen a fire in black and white, so I think that this makes the image increasingly more interesting. I like that the fire illuminates the background and that the image is vinigetted, whether by editing or by the fire alone. I think that in concept this image seems risky and like it may not go well, but I think that Madoz managed to pull it off and make it interesting. 

Jerry Uelsmann

Jerry Uelsmann is an American photographer from Detroit Michigan. He was born on June 11th, 1937. He is well known for photomontages and his work in the darkroom. 

I chose this image because I feel as though it can be interpreted in different ways. My initial interpretation was that of a person standing in a memory. Perhaps they are looking at their childhood home that they miss. I took the clouds as an indicator that they are not standing in a current/real life scenario. The hands grasping this image makes me think that this is a memory that the person wants back. This image draws in the viewers imagination, which means that it is an effective image. I like the lack of color, I think it adds to the sense of nostalgia. I also like the choice to have the person standing on clouds because it brings in surrealism rather than simply having the person standing on grass or a pathway. I think a pathway would have given more of a welcoming vibe, while the clouds don't necessarily invite the person into the house. I think that Uelsmann successfully added elements that would make the viewer contemplate the image.  

Alec Sloth

 Alec Sloth is an American photographer from Minneapolis Minnesota. He was born in 1969 and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College. He is best known for his large-scale American projects.

I chose this photo because it immediately caught my attention. I appreciate the mystery behind the setup. It begs for the viewers attention and plays on their curiosity. Right away this image makes the viewer think "why is she holding a skeleton?" I think that with the creative liberties the viewer is given, this photo is very effective. My guess is that the skeleton symbolizes a weight the girl has on her, most likely a dead friend or family member that she cannot forget. Perhaps she is even the cause of their death. I think that this is a very well done photo because it grabs attention and keeps it. The setting being outdoors implies to me that their is travel as an essential theme in this photo. The outfit has similar color themes as the background, which helps to not distract from the skeleton prop she is holding. The background and outfit being earthly tone makes it so that the skeleton pops out to the eye. It also helps that the girl and skeleton are centered, that makes it so that the viewer has no where else to look but directly at the skeleton and girl. This image was from Magnum, and I can see the appeal. I find that image very intriguing. 

Hiroshi Sugimato

 Hiroshi Sugimato is a Japanese photographer and architect from Taito City, Tokyo, Japan. He is 73 years old and was born on February 23rd, 1948. 

I chose this picture because it exemplifies Sugimato's two passions, photography and architecture. He chose a very neat angle. It appears as though he simply aimed the camera at a ceiling and took this picture, but it's clear that he put thought into the angle. He could have stood center in the room and took this same image and it would have been significantly less interesting. This angle provides somewhere for the eye to glide to. The line structure invites the audience to keep looking. The lighting in this image is also impressive. The shadowy lower half draws the eye up to the bright top, which highlights the designs on the wall along the way. I find his editing choice to make the image black and white interesting because I wonder if this ceiling has color. I feel as though I would have liked to see the way this ceiling was painted, I think that in this instance, that could have added to the image. Other than that, I think that Sugimato portrayed the architecture very well with this image. 

Abelardo Morell

 

Abelardo Morell is a Boston-based photographer that was born in Havana Cuba in 1948. Morell is best known for his work with camera obscura. 

I find this image of his particularly interesting. I appreciate that he combined the outside work with the indoors. This is a concept that I haven't seen much. I like that he chose to use a mostly empty room with only a desk, a chair, and a clock. With that choice, the reflection of the city is more apparent. If he had chosen a more busy setting, the image would have looked cluttered. The way the top of the city lines up with the top of the furniture shows artistic expertise and that he spent time to gets this photo to work. I think that the contrast of the city in whites and greys goes nicely with the silhouetted furniture. I am impressed that he was capable of getting all of the buildings from the outside, that makes the image look complete. If the buildings were on the ceiling, it would have taken away from the image. I think that overall, this image is very well done, and my favorite of his work. 

Nikki S. Lee

 

Nikki S. Lee was born in 1970 in Geochang-gun, South Korea. She went to New York University, Chung-Ang University Anseong Campus, and Fashion Institute of Technology. She was well known for her work that involved attempting to assimilate into different social and subcultural groups. Different groups included: young punks, senior citizens, yuppies, and hip-hop fans. She would do this by mimicking their styles and mannerisms. 

This photo is from Lee's Hip Hop Project. I think that this image is interesting because the depiction of "Hip Hop" can be seen through the subjects' fashion. The sunglasses and use of chains as necklaces and belts screams Hip Hop to me. The way the people are posing also seems to represent Hip Hop. All of their faces are nonchalant as if they're purposely not smiling, not trying to look happy. They look more dramatic than anything. I think the way that we can see a front car seats changes how a person views the image as well. I find it interesting that she chose to photograph them in a car, I'm guessing this is a choice Lee made, seeing as how the subjects are posing. It makes me wonder if a different setting could have gotten the point of "Hip Hop" across. Personally, I would have gone for a background of street art.