Irving Penn On Assignment
Penn has a certain way of capturing a woman to appear delicate, yet empowered at the same time. His portraits are mainly landscapes, most of which are fashioned for Vogue magazine. His usage of bright colors gives off energy and the illusion of it actually jumping off the pages, yet his black and white pieces are so subtle and serene that they balance each other very well. Each picture looks similar but they each tell a different story by the simplistic backgrounds yet extraordinary poses. Penn seems to use high contrast in most of his photos, along with a minimized texture. He focuses more on a shallow depth of field, subjected mostly to eye-level. As I mentioned before, he uses rather simplistic backgrounds with a lot of negative space, which only enhances the photographs even more.
Nick Brandt Across the Savage Land
Nick Brandt captures some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. These large vivid pictures make me feel I’m running with these wild in the jungle amongst these animals and the warm tones creates this soothing effect. Brandt uses high contrast to intensify the animals and the background and definitely emphasizes on texture. The low angles he uses create the larger effect of the animal, which is a more dominant stance.
Robert Polidori Versailles
I can’t even begin to describe the intricate patterns and colors Polidori is able to accomplish through his lens. He focuses on the architectural aspect of photography, which I think is refreshing to see. He certainly has an extensive depth of field in his pictures, along with emphasized texture. His pictures remind me of royalty in all aspects, visually representing an whole different class of photography.
Susan Derges New Work
The perspectives in Derges photographs instantly drew me to all her pictures. The way she captures the reflections in the water creates a beautiful landscape. The dark, gloominess gives me a sense of curiosity and opens up this awareness of wonder. I wish I saw this collection before I did my reflection homework, because she gave me a different way to view the outside world. Shallow depth of field is used to show her main focal points, while positive space fills the gaps in between.
Olivio Barbieri Alps- Geographies and People
This exhibit had me awestruck throughout the viewing. Barbieri photographed this geographic wonder and he is able to create these abstract shapes in nature. I see high contrast being used here due to the blue skies and bright white subject.The use of extensive depth of field allows use the see the full landscape he is trying to capture alongside negative space used, whether it be in the sky or the actual mountain. Most pictures in this gallery has a horizontal perspective which suits the theme perfectly.
Phillip Lorca DiCorsia Hustlers
Last, but certainly not least, DiCorsia’s gallery was the most unique showing I’ve ever seen. This changed my photo viewing experience immediately. I was impressed by the sophistication and different perspectives used. I recognized a low contrast in his pictures which paired perfectly with the theme he was going for. I enjoyed the street photography point of view and noticed the mainly used high level viewpoint. Every inch of space is taken up with either an eye popping color or intricate objects. His extensive depth of field allows you to see whats going on in the background and brings the photographs to life.
