Robert Mapplethorpe

 Robert Mapplethorpe was an american photographer than was know for his sensitive and equally blunt cover and portrayal of highly controversial matters at the time. He constantly pushed the boundaries with what was acceptable to be shown in photography. By doing so he and a few other artist almost caused the funding from the government for art to be terminated.

 For my photo essay I found inspriation for Mapplethorpe. His photos were always very raw and provoking. Some of his works even cause people, myself included, to feel uncomfortable. He also did a lot of self protraits, so he himself had to be infront of the camera and act out what ever it was that he was trying to convey. I too was intrested in making pieces that were raw and sowed things that possibly would make others uncomfortable or shoked to see. I also did self portraits and had to act out what it was that I was trying to express. An imediate difference from myself and Mapplethrope, is that all of his photos are studio portraits, mine on the other hand consist of some that I tried to do in a studio set up and then others that are more set in an enviroment.

 This image is very powerful to me. He was a victim of HIV and he did this piece to show that he was fading away and death would take his place. Its amazing how he was abble to have everthing so dark and only have his face and hand holding the cane lit. The abundace of negative space really pulls you in to the cane and his face and makes you feel cold. I tried to pull a lot of inspiration from this photo and did something similar. I had th entire space dark and only illuminated my face to show as if I was surrounded by darkness

Vincent Cianni

Vincent Cianni is an American photographer, educator, and community organizer. He primary labels himself as a documentary photographer and he focuses on issues related to social justice, civil rights, and human rights. He has done works covering the Berlin Wall, AIDS, Skaters, and Gays in the military. All his work is very involved and very moving. When Cianni takes on a project, he full immerses himself into the lives and the world in which he is trying to document. He does this to form real connections and bonds with the individuals within his work and you can see that personal touch in all his photos s that make them that more special.

Cianni’s first documentary was on the Berlin Wall, “East Berlin: And the Wall Came Down”. It was in this project that he was working on photo developments in his dark room when he heard on the radio that the wall had fell, so naturally his next act was to buy himself a ticket and head over there. It was there that he then stayed in a squatter house, recorded, and documented the events that unfolded in the days that followed the fall of the wall.

Another series of his is his work on AIDS “A Journey Through the Early Years of AIDS”. Its in these images that he covers the epidemic which at the time was new and unheard of. He shows how this effect neighborhoods, families, cultures, relationships, and himself. I say himself, because this piece was very personal to Cianni, because he is gay and he was losing a lot of friends to this crisis, including a few partners of his.

A third project of his was his project in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “We Skate Hardcore” was a nine-year documentary of the skater scene primarily focused amongst the Hispanic population and this specific group of kids. The individuals within the photos grew very close with Cianni. He would hang out with them daily, sometimes all day. The invited him to their social gathers, to birthday parties, and everything else there was to invite him to. The relation ships that he formed with these people has continued even after the nine-year span and he keeps in contact with them. One of the guys invited him to his wedding and even came to the gallery opening when Cianni spoke. Something that makes these photos stand out is that Cianni had the guys and girls that where in the photos write on the border and edges of the picture itself, permanently making it part of the piece. I personally see this as an amazing touch, and it makes the photos have an even deeper meaning and a sense of it actually being of a human being. You can look at the photos and then read the writing on them and it feels like the individual within on the image is reaching out and talking to you. To me I think this is outstanding and I loved walking around the gallery reading some of the stories.

The final project that Cianni presented was his video and audio investigation of the gay and lesbian men and women that severed in the military. “Gays in the Military” was a result of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” initiative that was set for the military. This initiative made it so that gay and lesbian women could serve in the military, but they couldn’t label that they were gay or lesbians and the couldn’t be asked either. It was idealized that this would protect these people, but it didn’t. Through his investigations Cianni found and heard terrible stories of that these individuals had to endure, and they had to stay quite about it all or else they would be thrown out of the military. In his book he placed all the photos of the individuals first so you could see them as just a human being. He then placed the interviews of the people with their name if they allowed him to stet them. BY doing this you then can flip back and look at the photo that goes with the interview and it makes the image that stronger.

This photo is one of the many within the Gays in the Military. This photo was particular intersting to me becasue it has so many suddle things that make you feel how the individulal in the photo feels. He is fully dressed in his uniform yet you cant see his face at all. His face is hidden in shadow just like how he had to stay in hidding in the military. There is also a open closet behind him. This gives us a sense that he has "come out of the closet" but isnt fully ready to show himself.

Vincent Cianni is an amazing induvial. He goes to great lengths for his projects and it shows in the final products.

Irving Penn

Irving Penn was an American photographer known for his riveting and eye catching black and white portrait photography. To me his photos are gorgeous and seem flawless.



A photo in particular is this close up of Pablo Picasso. In this image nearly the entire frame is cropped to focus in on Picasso. By doing this Penn left little to almost no negative space. However, the deep dark's of Picasso’s coat make up for it and creates its own sense of negative space. We know this is not negative space, because we know that it is in fact a coat but there is an illusion of Picasso essentially coming out of nothing and out of complete darkness that I find really interesting and beautiful. Now when you look up at the top you see Picasso’s hat and that adds a bit of depth to the image as you can see and follow the brim on the hat from the foreground all the way to the background of the image. At the forefront of the hat the brim isn’t exactly perfectly straight this is due to the fact of both the hat itself has a curve to it and also Picasso's head is at a slant. Because of this the hat as an angle to it that leads your eyes down and back around again which pulls your eyes around the photo. I really like this effect. Now going back to the idea of cropping and framing, the picture itself is already so tightly cropped around Picasso and then both the hat and the dark space of the coat essential provide an additional frame around his head. By doing this it gives the viewer no choice but to look right at Picasso and meet his gaze. Set almost dead center is Picasso’s eye and it is piercing to look at. Notice however that only one side of Picasso’s face is illuminated. The side that is in shadow is almost as dark as his coat. So this give Picasso a sense of mystery and as though he has something to hide or that he doesn’t want to show us. While the other side of his face is perfectly lit and you can see even the smallest of details in his skin all the way down to the wrinkles of his skin. His face is basically split right down the middle and both equally dark and light. This gives the viewer a sense that Picasso may have be two faced. He puts forth what he wants people to see and hide that of which he doesn't. Technically I think this photo is perfect. When taking portraits something that you want to focus on an make sure is crystal clear is the eyes of you subject and Penn did just that. Picasso's eye is perfectly in focus and is almost memorizing to look at.  All in all, this photo to me is very beautiful and I think Irving Penn was one of the best portrait photographers ever.

Sandy Skoglund

Sandy Skoglund is and american photographer that focuses primarily on strong color and light photography. She is what is know as an installation artist. Most of her work she takes months setting up and getting everything just right and then she will take several images from various angles and then deconstructs the piece. She focuses so much and filling the spaces with meaning and with purpose and intent. Some of her images there in very little going on verses others where there in an amply amount of energy and movement, regardless the color is always very contrasting and very prominent.  Her installations are very powerful and can have a lot of meaning around them. 

 This picture portrays violence and war with the strong reds and yellow. Also it shows a sense of our fear of such things and that we want to hide away from it all even when it is all pointing our way. Personally that is my interpretation but that is the beauty of Skoglund's work, they are very open and can be seen many different ways. Through a further research I came to find out that this is actually labeled "Cold War"

Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry is an American photojournalist. His name and images are world know. His most famous is arguably that of "Afghan Girl" (image above). His work as a photo journalist is incredible. Amongst his travels he manages to capture such raw and beautiful moments and members from the societies. His images all tell a story and you can feel a sense of depth to the images. These are not just simply point and shoot shots. Being a photo journalist there is not doubt in my mind that he takes his time with the people he is photographing and learns about them and their personal story and then he captures them and tries to convey and portray how the individual is as a person and not just a subject worth photographing. The most powerful shots are those that give a clear line of sight to the eyes. You are staring at the eyes and they are staring right back at you. You are so close to the faces of these individuals and it creates a very personal moment between the viewer and the subject. The only time you are usually that close to someone is if you are intimate with them, so for you to be this close to complete strangers, it sends a very powerful message. 

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is an american portrait photographer. She is notorious for her stunningly beautiful celebrity shots. Her portraits are nothing less then stunning from works in black and white to those in color Leibovitz has definitely mastered the art of portraiture. The way she captures the images makes you feel like you are right there in the face of the individual. There is no sense of it being a separate place but rather like you are in the same environment as the photo. They are all very grand and have a cinematic feel to them. Her color portraits have such rich and vibrant colors that just make everything pop and stand out from one other giving the pictures a great sense of depth. Her black and white portraits are absolutely breathtaking and have such a rich contrast between dark and light. There are wonderful highlights and hues that you would not be able to see if that photo were still in color. 

 Leibovitz's has had a very successful career and it shows no signs of slowing down. She worked for "Rolling Stones" magazine and was the one that actually gave them that classic "Rolling Stones" look. 

Leibovitz is a phenomenal photographer and has really redined portrait photography.  However she is also known to be quite difficult to work for, but as for her clients and who she is photographing they absolutely fall in love with her and her work. 

 "A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people." - Annie Leibovitz

Fred Ritchin Article

"The contradictory "double image" is cubist; reality as no single truth" - Fred Ritchin

 A photo can be worth a thousand words. These words can all be entirely different from one another or the exact same thing. When it comes to the contents of a photo, they can meant something entirely different to the view or to the individuals within the photograph itself. This quote expresses how reality has no single truth and that s a very true statement in my mind. For instance military being positioned somewhere over seas. To us or to the military themselves thy are there to keep peaces and order and they see has what they're doing as a necessity. However, to some of the individual within those areas that they are stationed they may feel as though the military is being invasive and trying to control what is not theirs to control. Both of these different views of reality are true to the individuals that see them that way and they have a right to view it in their own ways.

"Its a bit like wine: you make the wine; then you then you wait a while for it to become good before you drink it. But digital images, you consume immediately" - Paolo Woods

This quote is referencing the process in which photography was. Before the digital age, photography took a considerable amount of time. The process between actually taking the photos to then developing them was a delicate process that needed much care and attention to get right. An individual or individuals that were photographed had a waiting period in which they weren't able to see their photos and then once they did it was days or weeks later. Once digital was introduced things became a lot faster. Photos could be taken and they view within the same day. It created room for collaboration and for instant feed back as to what could be done to make the image better.

"Rolling down a ramp is continuous motion, but walking down stairs is a sequence of discrete steps ..." - William J. Mitchell

This is talking about the differences between analog and digital. The process of rolling down a ramp and being a continuous motion is related to that of analog. As for digital being related to waling down stair and being a sequence of discrete steps. Analog is composed of a chemical grain that captures light, as for digital which is composed of row after row of digital pixels that capture the image. Analog provided a more natural flow of how the images came out as for digital which can basically be set to recreate the same image over and over again.

Ernst Hass

 I have never heard of Ernst Haas before and I am happy to say that I really enjoyed his work. Ernst has was an Austrian-American photojournalist and color photographer. He was not only just a color photographer but he was one of the very first that made it an art form and known as the premier color photographer in the 1950s. At the time color photos were seen as amateur and childish but he showed how beautiful they could be and published a 24 page ground breaking color essay on New York City. But his career started much earlier when he was back in Austria and would take pictures of the soldiers returning from war. 


“The camera doesn’t make a bit of difference. All of them can record what you are seeing. But, you have to SEE.” – Ernst Haas

 This quote is probably on of my favorites when it comes to photography. Haas made it a point to show that it didn't matter if you had all the latest and greatest equipment there was. If you had no vision and no eye you could never capture a great image. On the opposite end there could be someone with the bare minimum equipment and super outdated stuff but if they had an amazing eye they would be able to produce far greater images than anyone with the better equipment but no vision. 

 Through his color photos Haas showed New York in a way that no one had ever seen it before. From taking pictures off of reflective surfaces or getting super up close to random details like the cracked glass of a taxi cab. I find his images to be very interesting in the way that everything seems very intentional. Such as his photos of the bull fighter or the running horses which are both blurry but it adds to the images rather then taking away from them. 

Edward Burtynsky

 Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian photographer and he is know for his photos of the beautiful and eye opening world of mass industry and manufactured landscapes. Photography started for him at a pretty young age when his father bought a dark room. He learned how to do black and white prints and along with his father and sister they started a little business taking portraits at the local Ukraine Center in Ontario, CA. He then went on to study graphic arts and photography and in the process obtained a diploma in graphic arts from Niagara College and a BAA in Photographic Arts from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. The next few years he worked in photo labs and it lead to him creating his own business Toronto Image Works. It was from here that he got opportunities that sent his photo career to the next level. 

 He has traveled all over the world witnessing, capturing and documenting what he comes in contact with. He goes to the places and areas where the supplies and products that are needed for very common products are located. He goes to these areas and see how the process of manufacturing is an amazing and impressive feat of humankind. However he equally sees what these actions are doing to the environments and people that are located in or around them. Most of the time people don't think about what has to be done or what is the result of all of the products they use or come across in their everyday lives. Burtynsky makes it a point to go to source and show everyone what it looks like. 

 Edward Burtynsky is a very impressive artist. He is not afraid to go out in the world and show the reality of what humanity does. The things that are done are without a doubt very impressive and even beautiful in a way. However there is no denying that there is sadness in what is being done to the world because of it. 

What Photography Means To Me

 Photography has been in my life for as long as I can remember. At first I saw photography as the bothersome activity that my mom and aunts performed at family gathers, birthdays, holidays and other special occasions. They would gather all of us kids together and have us smile and pose to capture the moment. Then as I grew and got into sports I saw photography as the job that some man or woman conducted on the sidelines capturing action shots and holding victorious moments or sad defeats forever in an image. As I matured and went further into my life I saw how happy people were to take photos of hings they were doing and then spin around and show them to people to show the exciting moments in their lives. Soon I started to see how important photos were to people, whether they were documenting their own life or whether they were dong it as a means of work and everything else in between.

 When it came to me and my personal use for it I actually never gave it much thought. I would rather just live in the moment than put a camera between me and what was around me. To me i felt like in a way that took away from the moment and made it less special. I figured my personal memories of my life and experiences was enough. It wasn't until recently that i realized cameras and photos didn't take away from the moment. It was actually quit the opposite. They enhanced the moment and the gave you a way to capture it forever. Now I find myself going to my parents house going through all the old photos that my mom had spent all those years taking and compiling them into books for us to look back on. To me i see photography no as something that has the capability of being extremely personal and special.

 I believe photography is an amazing thing. Sure photos themselves can be beautiful and thought provoking but the real gem isn't the photo. Rather the real gem is the story and journey that is behind every photo and what the individual that took it went through and experience while capturing it.