Photo Critiques -- Part 5

Something that I think is very important to an image is the ability to tell a story.  I don't believe it's necessary for the story to be exactly what the artist intends or had in mind while producing the image(s), the importance is in whether or not the image stays with the viewer and touches them somehow.  That is my main goal in my images. I don't care if the story is ordinary or fantastic. I just want my image to stick around in a person's mind and keep them arrested.

Joel-Peter Witkin - Leda and the Swan

I like that this image is just as much of a photograph as it is a painting.  The elements that Witkin added with his own hand add another dimension to the image, a tension and franticness that is reflected on the model's face.

Eleanor Hardwicke - from the A Secret Place series

http://eleanorhardwick.com/

Admittedly, this image comes off as more of a fashion shot than a fine art piece, but there are still things that I think are worth noting.  I like the delicacy of Hardwicke's image and this image is no less delicate than the one that I posted previous.  I also think that wardrobe is very important in creating a successful image, at least when it comes to constructing the image rather than stumbling upon it.  She looks as though she's just noticed something in the lake and I expect it would be something small and magical.

Nick & Chloe - from the Loewe Strasse 25 series

http://www.nickandchloe.com/

The expression on the face of this woman seems to be a mixture of great relief as well as one of deep thought.  Her features look both serene and intense at the same time, causing a tension in the image that pulls the viewer in.  The haze from the bath house makes the harsh tiles soft, which compliments her vulnerable state.

Ralph Eugene Meatyard - Lucybelle Crater and Her 15 Year Old Son's Friend

There is a strangeness in Meatyard's Lucybelle Crater series that is very appealing to me.  As anyone who is familiar with my work knows, I love masks. I love the way the obscure the features and create an ambiguity between the viewer and the person who they are viewing.  Masks also make an image whimsical and "other" almost by default.

Rebecca Rijsdijk - from the Stiletto Paradoxes series

http://rebeccarijsdijk.com/

The intimacy shown here is palpable and soft, much like the color palette and the florals on the girls' dresses.  There is a tenderness that is expressed by their body language and echoed by the sea and sand as well as the grey sky.  I feel like I'm intruding on a very private moment between two people who love each other very much and have been missing from each other's lives for far too long.

Thomas Macker - Natalie as Ophelia

http://thomasmacker.com/

The concept of an ophelia image has been one of those ideas that I've loved thinking about, but I'm too afraid to attempt it.  Maybe a series of Ophelias would be interesting. Just like in many of the other images that I've posted, the Ophelia is delicate, somber, and beautiful -- all of these are things in an image that I love.  If I were to pursue and Ophelia series, I think I would need to play with the ideas that are associated with an Ophelia in order to make it successful.

Photo Critiques -- Part 1

When I had my meeting with Tom and Jeff, I had brought in a folder of images that had a mood/look that I have been aiming for in my work. In order to help me be able to talk about the work of others better as well as my own work, and to figure out why I like the things I like in these images, he suggested that I sit down and analyze them. So, here is part 1 of that. There are some images that were not originally there, but I wanted to add a little more variety in what I'm looking for.

Joel-Peter Witkin "La Giovanissima"

Like in many of Witkin's photographs, there is an underlying religious reference that contrasts with the darkness that exists within his vision/subject matter. Here, the grasping of the breast is similar to that of the Virgin Mary when shown during either the occurrence of the lactation miracle or the breast feeding of the Christ child. I've been interested in these subtle religious gestures, but I haven't figured out a way to really incorporate them into my work without seeming trite. I also like her gaze, which is soft and distant. She doesn't seem as though she's focusing on anything tangible or at present but something far off, something that isn't of this world. Her gestures are even gentle. They remind me of something an art history teacher had mentioned in class about how women often had to refer to guides about the most feminine way to hold their hands.

Cyrus Karimipour from the "Invented Memory" series
http://www.cyruskarimipour.com/

One thing that really resonates with me about this image is the way the focus is placed on the eyes (or lack there of) belonging to the figures on the right. It's as if the girl is seeing for him. There is a tentativeness in her gaze and a sadness on the face of the man she leads. I get the feeling that he knows that he's missing something but can't place exactly what. All of them seem to be staring at the viewer, despite their varying states of vision (eyes, eye holes, no indication of eyes at all) which makes me feel like I am as transparent as a pane of glass which is an eerie feeling.

Eleanor Hardwick, from the "A Secret Place" series
http://eleanorhardwick.com/

This image gives me the feeling that this young girl is running both toward something and away from something and that at the moment the photo was taken she was in a place of ambiguity -- stuck between retreat and release. I enjoy that the viewer is unable to see her face and must instead read her body language and surroundings to interpret what's going on. It also seems as though she could just be realizing that her paradise has been destroyed and all that remains are tawdry reminders of what once was which can be related to a loss of innocence/youth that I know I have come face to face with.