Chelsea Galleries was an interesting trip. It was cool to see different types of photography styles that are out their in the world today. Its quite amazing how you can great so many different beautiful works of art with one tool, a camera.

Prison Nation

This was the first exhibit I found interesting. You’d don’t normally get to see photographs from inside prisons. Prisons in general are a mysterious place, you only know what you get to see on TV, and from what we know thats not always the most reliable source. So it was definitely interesting to see photos from real prisons taken by photographers. It was interesting to get a real understanding of what its like to be incarcerated. We got to see what inmates did on day today bases and also see what it was like for them after their prison experiences. The photos I saw gave me a better outlook on life. The photos where the inmates where being freed still had such a sad feel to them. You would think that the prisoners would be happy to be free. But sometimes thats not the case because they have been out of the real world for so long they are not used to it. 

Facades – Grand Tour

The second exhibit I found interesting was the Facades. Markus Brunetti’s high quality photo compositions of European architecture was highly impressive. At first we just thought that these where 1 super high quality photo. I was also intrigued how he got a clear shot with no people around. I soon came to find out that each photo is actually a composition of tens of thousands of smaller photos captured over months composited together to create one large super high quality photo. I can only imagine how tedious this process was, but the results are extravagant. The quality is ridiculous its soooooo high quality. You can see absolutely every part of the architecture, it actually got more quality the closer you got. Thats something that you don’t normally see. The amount of time and work that went into each photograph definitely places this exhibit at one of my favorites.

Leaning Out – Jeffrey Milstein

The third exhibit I found interesting was the Leaning Out exhibit by Jeffrey Milstein. This exhibit featured high quality drone photographs with a birds eye view over remarkable places. Its super interesting that once you get a different perspective over normal everyday things they become these beautiful patterns. You don’t look at streets as streets anymore or railroad tracks as railroad tracks anymore, you start too see beautiful shapes and patterns. I just found it super interesting seeing things from a different point of view.

Philip-Lorca DiCorcia is one instructing photographer with a stunning unique style. His photographs to me almost look like paintings. I love the stylized look that he goes for with such instructing lighting technique. He always appears to have 1 or 2 subjects in all of his work. The subject always appears to be glowing and illuminated from the background. Looking at his work it is easy for thew viewer to see who the main subject is. The photograph that stood out to me the most was the one of the young man standing in the parking garage illuminated by the one light in the photo. I just find the photo so interesting and inspiring. I love the tones of the photo and just the lighting. I love the way his face and shoulders are illuminated and thatches so bright up against this dark surrounding.

The Chelsea Galleries was an interesting experience. There were a few exhibits that fell short of my expectations but there was definitely many that I greatly enjoyed.

The Leaning Out exhibit at the Benrubi Gallery was one of the first exhibits that really spoke to me. Jeffrey Milstein clearly took time to find the perfect angle and location to snap his ariel pictures of industrial sites. His photos are full of symmetry and patterns which are very appealing to the eye. In the chaos of the busy images, you are able to filter out the noise and get a real sense of the 21st-century life which is heavily polluted with industrial materials. Whether this is a good thing or bad thing is subjectively up to the viewer. The colors captivated in the image also promote this conflicting idea as seen in the photo below. Even though this is an industrial site, the light seems to be taken when the sun is setting or rising and the reflection off of the metal is very captivating and to me kind of calming.

Another exhibit I enjoyed was Facades – Grand Tour at the Yossi Milo Gallery. The main reason I enjoyed this one is because I previously was an architect major and really enjoy the beauty of buildings and structures. Every time we look at a big building we mainly only get an obstructed perspective and never the full view. Markus Brunetti was able to capture his buildings from a straightforward perspective without any line of sight obstructions. This is a view we rarely get to see. I was impressed with his determination to photograph so many detail shots and then take the time to manipulate them in photoshop to get perspective he was going for. The buildings he chose also had a great use of color which appeals to the eye along with symmetry as well. Displaying these photos on the scale that he did was also appealing because I think he was trying to mimic the actual feeling of when you are standing next to these structures. My favorite building is attached below.

The last exhibit I enjoyed was the one of Gordon Parks exhibit. This is because I appreciated his motivation to bring awareness to the lives of blacks in the 1940’s. He uses high contrast in his photos for impact and to bring focus to his main subject. Another thing he does is use his background for support in his message. For example, in the photo of Ella Watson (down below), you see her standing in front of an American flag which represents the American dream. Unfortunately, she is frowning and is holding a broom and mop which to me represents that the American dream is not all it is believed to be. It is also a reference to the American Gothic painting by Grant Wood. Overall this exhibit did leave an impression on me.

At Aperture the the exhibit was called “Prison Nation”, where each photograph tells us about what prison life is like on the inside and what its like being on the outside. One of the pics that caught my attention was called “The GreenHouse Program”, which was shot by Lucas Foglia. It shows two female prisoners playing around while watering the greenery. The light looks like its diffused a little bit. This was shot by the rules of thirds in a way. Even though their in prison they get special privileges which gives them a warm smile and to have fun. The next gallery is called the Benrubi Gallery and the exhibition there is called “Leaning Out” by the photographer Jeffrey Milstein. Most of the photos I’ve seen were mostly aerial overview which is very rare for anyone to capture at such a high angle. Some of the overview shots showed patterns of repetition and also rule of thirds in a few of his pics. David Zwirner is the last gallery on the trip. “Scenes from the Blackout” is the last exhibition which goes way back in 2003 which was a good yet crazy year for me then. The photo I liked the most was when the guy is stuck in the elevator. I believe it was called “Solitaire”. Yes I know its the worst rotten luck to get stuck in an elevator during a blackout. But that didn’t stop because he was entertaining himself by playing with cards with a lit candle on the side. This was a over head shot. While he is entertaing himself out of boredom he keeps looking at that little as if it is the symbol of hope to never give up.

Philip Lorca- Dicorcia is one of the best photographers I ever witnessed. Photography is not just an art to capture photographs, it is an art that that tells a story. With that, we can see the sheer mastery of his work that captures that ability to tell you a story.

One photograph in particular from his “Hustlers” series, is the one of a man sitting at on the edge of a balcony. This mysterious man is a prostitute and the way how this photograph was set up, we can conclude some meaning behind it. The subject is sitting,looking down, with his hands grasping the rails. It makes you wonder is this man proud of what is doing, that is what explains the look of sorrow on his face. He appears to look bounded to his work, bars symbolise that seems restricted and if his line of work is the only way out of his situation. Then we have a classic play with leading lines where the railings are leading us toward the exit of the car park. Maybe that could be another way out of his situation. Not to mention the pop of flash that creates a strong shadow that is an allusion of Jesus’ crucifixion. As we all know, Jesus was persecuted and died for our sins but, the real question is, is this man ready to die for his sins?

Philip-Lorca diCorcia is a photographer that take these honest shots of men expressing themselves in true light . The style of photography that he shoots is  honest and is some what cinematic for some images taken .One of the photos from Phillip-Lorca diCorcia that captured my attention was the image of the man sitting down on the motel hallway with his chin and hands placed against the railing of  the top floor complex. What also got my attention was the calm color contrast between the greenish- blue street lights in the back ground and the warm red/ brown  tone in the foreground of the building wall. For some reason this picture represents isolation amongst the rest of the world which i believe Dicorcia was trying to convey.

Mike, 26 years old, $40, image courtesy of Vice.

In the 1990s, photographer Phillip Lorca-diCorcia changed photography with his series “Hustlers.”  The series depicts (what may seem like candid moments) of male prostitutes lives. However, each photo in the series was very well thought out and used studio lighting, while looking natural.

My favorite photo from the series is Mike, 26 years old, $40. The scene depicts Mike, the male prostitute lying down in a dingy motel bed as he gazes up pensively at the ceiling. This photo very much reminds me of the book Women by Charles Bukowski. It feels very 80s, due to the model’s haircut and the antiquated television in the background. The lower third of the composition is framed by the nightstand, which runs off the bottom edge of the frame to give the photo depth. It also leads us into the scene and to the model’s face. The upper third of the composition, shows a lamp, the TV, and the door to the bathroom.

The lighting arrangement of this photo creates an overall somber mood. The model’s face appears to be lit from a studio light placed at the corner of the bed adjacent to the nightstand. My reasoning for this is because of the glare you can see on the wood panel wall near the lamp in the background.

The photograph that I chose of Philip Lorca-Dicorcia series is
Mike Vincetti, 24 years old, New York, New York. This photo shows a
man with long hair pointing out a light or maybe
showing the way to another person. The background
is perfectly working with the man style. Also, I like how
the man with long hair is the only one in the photo, because if there
were more people the photo would look busy (a lot of things going on)

In this photo the main light is on the left, giving a dramatic style
to the photo. The leather jacket and the left side of the man face look
really powerful (short light) giving him a mysterious look.
Another thing about this photo is the color of the sky. The color is
like an orange, which means that it’s almost night time or it could be
the sun rising.

The image by Philip Lorca-Dicorcia from the series Hustlers is of a white man who stands topless in center frame with his hand touching the wall. His jeans are ripped, his skin and pants seem to be dirty. He stands with his back facing the camera but in reflective lit shadow. His hand on the wall creates a long shadow that darkens the left of the image to contrast the bright light coming from the open door on the right that he is facing. The light is strong, almost blowing out the detail on the door. It seem like the light is diffused and directed towards the torso. The subject is the middle of a light to dark gradient of the room, his skin blends well with the wooden paneled wall.

My favorite photo of Philip Lorca diCorcia’s hustlers’ collection is the one Chris 28 years old leaning on to the poles. The composition is really interesting to look at. Chris is looking down and holding the poles and from there you have perspective in the picture from the doors and the poles. The light is hitting on his body which casting a shadow on the wall. Chris’s positioning the head down questions where he just wondering or being thoughtful about life. There is a street where the white color car is parked has a street light which projecting the building. It is casting blue light and the wall with many doors is orange. Lorca also plays with complimentary colors. I love this image because it has everything in one frame usually having sky and two building. I feel Lorca is very curious about unusual things and then turns them into the content of the photo. I like the composition and shadows which makes it interesting to look at it.