Jim Brandenburg Video

The video of this artist was perhaps the most appealing to me.  The idea of the project to take only one photograph per day for ninety days sounds like an immense challenge, that the photographer as able to complete exquisitely.  The discussion of the waterfall photograph that his wife actually used a flashlight to create light was a good lesson.  The actual capturing of a photograph is not always most important, but being able to "create" a picture is an artistic quality.  The Lake Superior Beach photograph especially caught my attention because it's simplicity and calmness is captured, with the focal of a rock that makes a fantastic picture.  It is mind-boggling that he was able to only take one photo a day, and every picture was unique, created it's own emotion, and was beautiful.  He discusses the mystery of the project that he could have taken fifty rolls of film to get one picture, but was able to create magnificent photos from just one shot a day.  The level of confidence he had to have to actually do this project is crazy.  How do you know that your one shot is going to be what you went for?  The explanations of how the chose which photograph to take each day were spoken creatively.  The symbiotic relationship between the raven and the wolf was crucial for the photographer to get a photo of the wolf.  Without the raven, the wolf wouldn't be visible and he wouldn't have gotten the photograph.  The benefits of each other was an interesting concept because it showed his understanding of the nature he was photographing.  Overall, Jim Brandenburg's project was amazing to me and I enjoyed learning how he came to decide which photo he would take each day.  Not only do the mistakes turn out to be beautiful sometimes, but taking one photograph a day makes that photograph that much better and special.  

Richard Misrach

After looking at the photos by Richard Misrach, I decided that the Desert Cantos were most interesting.  I like how the wide frame view of the scenic desert presented a wide range of colors and a distant view.  Many have the horizon in the center that gave a view of both the ground and the sky.  His photography style is similar to how I take scenic pictures, with the horizon line and the distant shots.  My favorite photo is the one with the ticket booth in Egypt with a pyramid in on the horizon line.  The focal point to the right of the booth contrasts well with the far shot of the pyramid.  Overall, his photography grabbed my attention and I enjoyed it.  

Sally Mann

I was expecting something different when we discussed the artist, but was surprised with how amazing her photographs were.  The emphasis on light was particularly interesting.  The images of her kids were beautiful pictures that shouldn't have been criticized.  Sally Mann's photography is unique in a way because it deals with her immediate family, yet the pictures are not just everyday images.  They incorporate light, angles, backgrounds, etc. and turn out to be amazing shots.  I liked her explanation of the children photos because it makes you realize she took them because that is the life she knew, and that it wasn't for a "pornographic" interest as many people criticized her for.  The shadow and lighting are illustrated in the picture I posted, and I really liked this photograph.

Collier Schorr

I found this artist's work to be particularly different and interesting.  The concept of masculinity captured into pictures is complex, especially when this photographer does it.  Taking photos of a boy posing in very feminine poses helps get at the idea that males need to feel masculine.  The boy who was in the photos made it known that he was acting, but her best photos came from when he let the concept of masculinity go and even did some "feminine" poses.  Collier Schorr's body of work wasn't really my favorite because her concept was a bit hard to grasp.  Her view on masculinity is different from the social perspective that is typically emotion-less.