Paul Strand
Paul focused on taking pictures that would create more social awareness when people would look at his work. This picture he took of an eldery lady that was blind is one of my favorites of his. The subject grabs the viewer’s attention because she isn’t the normal subject for a portrait like this but it shows how much everyone is different.
As he continued taking pictures he started to focus on more abstract things to put in his photographs. Back then abstract really just meant having big shapes in your photograph, but he did it well. In this picture, the composition is put together well, the background is filled with big rectangle shapes and in the foreground is filled with people moving giving the photo a sense of motion.
His portraits are known for making you feel the emotion of the subject. He would often capture normal people in their everyday life. That makes the viewer feel that emotion also. There are several photos like this one, but every photo brings a different emotion which makes all of his photos so special.
His historical context is important because although these pictures are old, he often brought a sense of modernism to his photos, putting him ahead of his time. He also had an underlying motivation for taking pictures, he wanted to influence reform and have his pictures get that message across. He was also the leader in bringing the abstract style of photography into the light.
When looking through his photos, I’ve learned to find bigger shapes that would draw the eye to the overall picture. Like in the photo below, I feel like I could have seen the shapes of the rocks between to have a more abstract look overall.
Edward Weston
What made Edward stand out was the way he focused on one thing and show every little detail of the subject, showing you almost everything that you don’t see if you were to just look at it in real life. He had an eye for texture and movement.
As well as focusing on the details and texture he also liked to photograph everyday things but make them look larger than life. The picture above is a mushroom but you would never see a mushroom like this out in the wild and if you do, you won’t stop to appreciate it. He liked to show how beautiful everything is.
He also did portraits, but in a different way than what I’m used to. He often would take nude pictures of people but would never show there faces. The picture above is emotionally grabbing because, it feels empty and alone but also intimate. He had a way of setting a tone with his pictures and that makes him stand out to me.
What made him stand out from other photographers is the way he chose to frame the subject. If it’s something small then he would frame it to feel bigger than it ever will be. He showed things in ways that people could never imagine they could be seen. Even his portraits make you feel some emotion because he has a way of framing the emotion inside the photo.
Looking at Edwards photographs it’s taught me to see even the smallest details in everything. In the photo above, I could have gotten even closer to show all the individual shapes of the pedals and the change in colors.
Richard Avedon
What made Richard stand out compared to everyone else was how he let his subjects move in real time, he wanted to capture their authentic emotions. In the picture above, you can see his arms moving to fix his hair. This gives the photo a sense of motion and it also give the subject some characteristics.
He also made sure to not change his subjects, meaning he wanted to capture their authentic emotions. He did this in very small ways if at all. In the photo above he’s not standing up straight but rather resting on one hip which gives the subject more of a character.
The final thing that made him stand out was how he wasn’t afraid to have an imperfect picture. In fact, he liked his pictures more when they had little imperfections because life isn’t perfect. In the photo above, she’s in the middle of flipping her hair while capturing such a natural and raw look in her eye. Also the shape of the hair is a good way to fill up the background.
He was a very important photographer because he worked on a photo series with the Beatles. Millions of people had these photographs because they loved the Beatles, but I doubt it would be as popular if it was done by a different photographer.
By looking at Richards photos I’ve learned that not everything in my pictures has to be perfect. When I first turned this picture in, I hated how you could see the arm holding him on the skateboard, but after looking at Richards photos, I feel like it adds to it. It gives it more of an abstract feeling.
Diane Arbus
What made Diane stand out above everyone else is the way she let her subjects tell their own story. In the photo above, at first glance it looks like a normal picture but the more you look at it the more you notice. The man seems to be frustrated while the woman seems to be enjoying herself. While in the background someone looks to be working. Now you have a sort of narrative that you can put with this picture, and everyones narrative might be a bit different.
In the photo below, you see a little boy just standing there. Another normal picture at first glace but as you look at his face you see he’s not smiling. Most people would throw away that picture because it’s not a pretty and prefect picture that everyone loves. Instead she chose to keep it to show the differences between everyone. She let her subjects speak for themselves.
My favortie thing that makes her stand out is how she shot people that didn’t look like the average person. She called this series, “Freaks”. She focused on people that have gone through something traumatic because she believed that they were the strongest people out there. Her photos of these people really stood out to me because it’s something I’ve never seen before. She wanted people to see that humans come in many different forms. I also loved how she apporaoched it because she let them tell their own story. The photo above shows just that, the man has a small smirk on his face giving off the feeling that he’s proud of himself and what he’s been through.
What made her stand out is the fact that she wasn’t afraid to take pictures that nobody expected to see. She would often take pictures of people just as they were. No posing or direction because she loved capturing people’s raw emotions. She also had a whole series about people that look different than everyone else. Some people were short, burned, super tall, etc. This brought alot of attention to her photographs because no one else was doing this.
What I’ve learned from looking through her photos is that I should let the subject speak for itself. Pick something that I find interesting and let it speak for itself. The picture above isn’t the best example but I don’t have any portraits of people yet. But this photo is my best attempt of letting the subject speak for itself.