Jim Brandenburg

Watching the video of Jim Brandenburg's photograph really made me stop and think what am I doing here?  I don't know if I could have the decisiveness that Brandenburg had to had come up with to only choose to capture one picture a day.  Examining my own style of art making and photography I tend to over-think and over-analyze everything, making two, three, or ten images, or paintings, afraid of not knowing which one will be best.  I made nine panoramas for one assignment and still am having trouble selecting which one I like best.  The courage that Brandenburg showed by only allowing himself the single shot is a true testament to the creative, patient man that he is.

*I will add some of Brandenburg's pics.later-my computer and blogger.com are not getting along--

working on accordian part II

I was thinking of using the second set of pics that I shot the same day as the first set of my neices, but this time they had changed into their "princess outfits-they took on a kind of child-like fairy look that I thought would look good as a set. I think I might use some brushes or maybe change the saturation.

Richard Misrach

Viewing the works of Richard Misrach gave me an overall sense of peace.  Seeing the human intervention in his calm works almost gave the pieces a sense of humor.  The lighting in Misrach's work was absolutely phenomenal.  The way he captures the "silver-lining" so-to-speak, as it comes out of the clouds, especially in his desert series, makes the place almost seem magical.  A sort of fantasy-like beauty that one normally wouldn't think of in a desert.

Sally Mann

Sometimes a dog bone, really is just a dog bone.  Watching Sally Mann describe her photos made me think of my own artwork-sometimes there really isn't any hidden, Freudian meaning.  Her pictures of her children at play were just that-children at play.  Although the staging of some was time consuming, Mann didn't set out with the idea-"okay, today is naked picture day" Most children when playing, hate clothes-any chance they get, they strip.  We need to ask ourselves, what is wrong with us that when we see something as natural as nudity, we automatically think of child porn.  

Collier Schorr

After watching the video on Collier Schorr, I started to take a greater look at what my subjects actually were and how they apply to me.  Exposing this hidden side.  Schorr photographs teenage boys on wrestling teams, she says for many reasons including because she was expressing how it would have been if she were a boy.  This brought up a range of emotions for me.  It brought me back to high school where I didn't always fit in.  If i could have been a boy on the wrestling team, maybe I would have.  Schorr's exploration into the gambit of emotions from the wrestlers perspective is dead on.  Having dated a wrestler in high school and being involved with every facet of the sport, I got to see the extreme highs, the severe lows and everything in between.  The dedication that the sport entails; the sweat, blood, tears, exhaustion are commonplace which Schorr captures beautifully.