Thesis work in progress 2

Using photos from more recent history, I dove into the idea of repeating history a little further and looked into the passage of time that I personally have experienced.

Sandy Skoglund

Sandy Skoglund Movies

Two more artists

Jerry Uelsmann

This guy is called the “Master of Photomontage.” He has been doing his photo  manipulations since before Photoshop was even invented. These images are all surreal, and look completely natural (probably more so than actual Photoshopped ones). This is very inspiring. The use of black and white gives an interesting vibe. If you compare his surrealism to Salvador Dali’s, the black and white images versus Dali’s color ones, the black and white photographs win in my mind. I love the dreamy/nightmarish quality of the prints.

Here is the link: http://www.uelsmann.net/works.php

Eliot Porter

It is weird for me to think about how so many ‘classic-modern’ artists hung out together. Eliot Porter hung out with Alfred Steiglitz, who was married to Georgia O’Keefe, who all hung out with Ansel Adams. Anyway, Porter used color photography before it was popular, like Uelsmann used photomontage before it was popular. Both of the things these men did were difficult. Shooting in color was a much more intensive process than in black and white. Porter did it anyway, making his landscape photos some of the most innovative photographs taken in the past century. This work inspires me, not only to go back to Arizona, but to start using color again intently. For so many of us modern photographers, we shoot in color because it is the default. I want to start really choosing how to shoot again.

Since Porter died before the Internet was popular, he doesn’t have a website. Here is a link instead to his work on artnet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/eliot-porter/

Three artists

Here are three of the artists I’ve looking at are these guys:

Jason Salavon (suggested by Rachel)

The series “100 special moments” is interesting to me because it is combining the individual histories of many different people into one image. Everyone believes these memories are special to them, and they no doubt are, but most people have the same kinds of memories. This is an interesting aspect of everything I have been working with because I am always asked about how I can make my work (which is so personal) applicable to everyone.

Here is the link: http://www.salavon.com/work/SpecialMoments/grid/3/

Jeffrey A. Wolin 

I’ve probably talked about him before, but specifically I’ve been looking at his series titled “Pigeon Hill Portraits: Then and Now.”  Each of these photographs have a story, physically written onto the photograph. These individual stories are why these photographs exist. Having family photos are to keep memories, to remember times or people. Being able to share this work with everyone without having to physically be related to the Wolin family or to have someone present to explain it to the viewer makes these stories interesting and accessible.

Here is the link: http://www.jeffreywolin.com/pigeon.shtml

Bryon Darby

This series “Commute” is a lot like the “100 Special Moments” series. Photos are layered on each other based on a long drive or walk. These memories are of one specific person, unlike the other series. This is kind of the opposite idea of showing one memory in many places instead of many memories in one place.

Here is the link: http://www.bryondarby.com/photos/commute/

These series are loosely related to my work, and I’m not sure how they are going to affect it, except technically, but I find them more interesting and somewhat relevant.

Thesis work in progress 1

Combining photos from my family history, I have layered images of past and present to show how time repeats itself, even if we don't know it.