Famous Photographers!
Out of the four photographers we looked at in class, the two that really stuck out to me were Emmet Fowin and Mary Ellen Mark. I really enjoyed Emmet's work because his photographs were so original and I haven't ever seen anything quite like his work. He has lots of pictures where people seem to be in their natural state, but it also seems like he had to do some kind of preparation for the pictures. Out of his photographs that I've seen, I would have to say my favorite it this one with the young girl holding the eggs. This little girl just seems so peaceful and not posed or uncomfortable like some young children do in pictures. It comes across as a very artistic photograph like a majority of his work and I really enjoy it.
What I like about Mary Ellen Mark's work is none of it seems to be photographs with no meaning to them. Every photograph I've seen by her you can tell just by looking at it that the people in them have a very interesting story. I know a lot of photos are like that, but I really can't find a better way to explain it. Her work just has such a sense of emotion to it and it draws my attention to them so much more than anything else. When trying to find a picture I like by her, I came across these two and can't decide which one I like better. In the first one just by looking at it you can see the fear and pain from the expression in the young girl's face. It almost instantly makes you feel her pain which I think an excellent photograph can do. With the second one you can tell right away there has to be a deep story behind that one seeing as how there is an extremely young child smoking a cigarette in front of an adult. Both of these are very powerful photographs and they are my favorite ones I've seen by her so far because of their influence.
Henri Cartier-Bresson!
Henri Cartier's photographs didn't impress me as much as I hoped they would. There were only a few that really caught my interest and even then it was hard to keep it for long. I will admit his points of view are very interesting and that's part of the reason I wish his photographs could keep my attention longer than they do. Not sure exactly why they can't. My favorite one that I saw by him definitely had to be this one with the stairs and the bicyclist in the background. The way the stairs and lines in the photo make your eyes follow them but not travel off into space shows he didn't just randomly see this and take a picture. He must have taken time to plan this photo out. On top of that the bicyclist in the background adds so much character. Without it the picture would still be good, just not as appealing.
What Do I Want to Gain?
I've been taking pictures ever seen I got my first camera when I was 16 and I have loved it from the get go. I've always had a regular point and shoot camera but when I was 17 I took a picture of my Dad's cobra and it was later published in a calendar. Ever since then my hope has been to one day have my own photography studio (after I do hockey photography, of course!). My parents were well aware that I wanted photography to be my passion so they bought me a Canon Rebel XTi for Christmas when I was 19. I'm almost 21 now and I still don't feel like I know everything about my Rebel. Most of the time I just put it on auto and let it do it's own thing. I want to get out of that stage. I want to be the one to control the pictures, not the camera. I also want to learn more about lighting and all the effects it can have on a photograph. That's something I think I'm lacking in a bit. I'm ready for whatever you're going to throw at me though, bring it on! :]
