Robert Doisneau

Robert Doisneau, covers all aspects of photography from the stand point of social landscape and portrait photography. Also all of his works have a certain beauty to them whether it be of the poor, or the rich, adults or children; his images all capture the attitude of the model and the raw emotion is conveyed through his images. Also his does not limit himself to just one feeling; but a collection of emotions ranging from happiness, to childhood, to frustration and disappointment. For example in the image above the seriousness is shown through the woman's attitude and attention to fine art. While the man is glazing over at the picture of the naked woman, which makes the photograph humorous. This also shows a typical married couple and the combination of two moods and how they feed off one another.

Mark Klett

From this collection, I felt that this image was the most significant of all the cacti Mark Klett took photographs of. The cactus looks to have a happy face and a small top hat which I find hilarious. The message Klett was aiming for with this image was a humorous one, with the face in the cacti and the arms of the cacti seem to be shimmying. On the other hand Klett could have possibly been aiming for another message along the lines of how the west was slowly being desecrated by pollution, and the cacti can be seen rotting or being eaten by insects. Either way the aesthic of the photo graph has a rustic, dusty feel. The viewer can almost place themselves in the desert, with the dry heat and the sweeping of dust in the air.

Max Yavno

Santa Monica Beach 1949, Max Yavno.

Max Yavno in known for his street scenes that embelish what it means to live int the city, on the other hand in the image above he shows a Californian beach-scape. The message that is shown through the picture is one of anger and frustration. What is worse than a crowded beach in the middle of summer with the summer sun beaming down on you and the end result is eventually sunburn? Even worse; What is worse than sitting in traffic all day long? the aesthetic of the cars and the beach is visually stimulating but the relation of the message ruins the image. Other works of Max Yavno challenge this idea, as to where they are beautiful and the message given off is one of happiness, or creativity.

Lewis Baltz

Lewis Baltz I find very inspirational in the sense that he is constantly looking for the balance between chaos and desolation cause by human beings. Most of his works portray a sort of eerie feel as they are littered with trash left behind by humans. This goes on to show how all human beings are slowly destroying the earth and if we keep up this downward spiral eventually the earth will come to an end. Yet, all of his images; even the on above, have an elegant look to them as if they were meant to be like that or some greater being position them that way. With the combination of dark and light the message that comes through is open for debate, but the fact that is un-debateble is Lewis Baltz is a remarkable photographer.

Bill Burke

Bill Burke is one of the most challenging photographers and shows a accurate portraiture of a scenario through his images. In the image above shows some sort of soldier proud of his weapon. This portrays a sort of nationalism; in which one is proud to go off and fight for their country. Also, the man is covered in tattoos, which either relates to the sense of nationalism and the pride in his heritage or his experience in fighting. There is a very serious look in his face which also makes his message very clear that although he is afraid of dying; he will protect what he loves. Bill Burke is one of the most open minded photographers; as he distorts the viewers idea of reality and makes the viewer consider life in other regions.

Frederick Sommer

Frederick Sommer is one of the most unusual artist in that he does not convey a direct message with his pictures but a more in-depth message. As one can see above Sommer's image of "The Anatomy of A Chicken" show the organs sprawled out against a canvas with the head detached and placed far away. The message that Sommer is trying to convey in this image is the amount of animal cruelty in the process that a chicken is killed. Also he shows the parts of the chicken that these alleged murderers do not use to feed to the masses. Sommer's work is considered to be morose and not very easy on the stomach but sometimes an artist must go to extremes to establish a certain point or message.

Rineke Dijkstra

Rineke Dijkstra, 'Villa Franca, Portugal, May 8', 1994

The reason I chose Rineke Dijkstra to start this blog is because currently, I am in between an assignment on portraits. Rineke Dijkstra sets the bar for portrait photography by placing this bold character on a very light landscape such as a beach, or a field. Her works are mainly composed of the deepest human emotion. For example in the picture above is a picture of a bull fighter in Portugal, the extreme significance of this image is the raw emotion that is radiating from him right after his fight. Rineke conveys a message of invulnerability and shows the viewer that no person is immortal. Another point to come across in this image is how tettered and ripped the bull fighters jacket is, also the blood on the right shoulder, which brings out the violence in the sport of bull fighting and how dangerous his job is. Overall, Rineke Dijkstra is one of the best portrait photographers and when it comes to comparing human emotion to facial expression her message comes across boldly.