James Nachtwey [Contemporary Photographer]

"A picture says a thousand words"

I'm sure we have all heard this quote at some point in our lives. Reading or hearing about things sometimes doesn't have the same effect as it would if we see them. James Nachtwey, also known as the 'war photographer' dared to venture into places where people chose not to pay attention to in order to show the world of the various tragedies happening around us.




This photo, taken in South Africa, shows an elderly lady holding innocent granddaughter who is suffering from AIDS.

Nachtwey decided to use photography to open people's eyes to the people who are being ignored.

His photographs say a lot. They speak of suffering, hurt, injustice and brokenness.

What do my photographs say?

Henri Cartier-Bresson [Historical Photographer]

Behind the Gare, St. Lazare

"I suddenly understood that photography could fix eternity in an instant."

Henri Cartier-Bresson, born in 1908, turned to photography after first being involved in painting. He liked the freedom it offered to capture a moment in an instant. He said, "I prowled the streets all day, feeling very strung-up and ready to pounce, ready to 'trap' life." He saw his camera as an extension of his eye. Cartier-Bresson traveled all over the world photographing various places. When he became more popular he photographed Ghandi's funeral and several other significant historical events. Although he was most well known for his photography, at the end of his career he returned to his original love of painting and drawing. "All I care about these days is painting-photography has never been more than a way into painting, a sort of instant drawing." He retired from photography in the early 1970's and died in August 2004.

I thought it might be a good exercise for my sketchbook to paint my photographs.

Dorothea Lange [Historical Photographer]

Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) had a similar vision to Walker Evans in that she documented a lot of the Great Depression. She was employed by the Farm Security Administration (FSA) after they saw her photographs of the homeless and the unemployed. Lange has a rough childhood with her father's abandonment when she was 12 and a victim of Polio at 7. She knew what suffering was. This might have helped her to sympathize with the migrant workers in the Great Depression. Probably her most famous photograph shows suffering.

Migrant Mother, 1936

Unlike some of the more common photographs from the Great Depression, this one does not include any American streets or scenery. All it is is three people, a mother and her two children. The emotion captured on the mother's face shows her worry and suffering. The children's faces are hidden in their mother's shoulders. She is all they have. They are obviously tired and hungry. Lange wasn't afraid to get involved with people. She took photographs for reasons other than the advancement of her career. These Great Depression photos were distributed for free in newspapers around the country in order to raise awareness. She also documented the forced evacuation of Japanese Americans to relocation camps. Here is a picture of some of those children pledging allegiance to the American flag before the internment.

A good question for me to think about is how can I use my artwork to help others?

Terry Boarder [Contemporary Artist]

I came across this artist, Terry Boarder, and I couldn't help but blog about it. His art is unique and funny. I know it isn't photography, but I think I can learn from this guy. He has learned to express himself in a different way.

Fruit with Experience

Cereal Killer

He uses everyday objects, ordinary things that someone would think twice about. He turns them into art.

Lee Friedlander [Contemporary Photographer]

Lee Friedlander, born in Washington state in 1934, had, like most good photographers, an obsession for the camera. Friedlander avoids fancy post processing and photography tricks. He likes to let the picture speak for itself. How is he able to photograph everyday things, avoid fancy edditing, and still create an interesting photograph?

Fridlander works in black and white photographing things such as street and city scapes, landscapes, portraits and self-portraits. Walker Evans has a significant influence on his work, as you can tell. He experiences a lot with reflections and opacity.

Washington, D.C. 1999

Walker Evans: Historical Photographer

Walker Evans (1903-1975) was an American photographer who wanted to capture aspects of what makes America American. He studied literature and had a passion for writing, however photography became a hobby and a new way to express himself. Evans began working as an advertisement photographer to earn some money. He soon moved on to a more documentary style photography. The photographs he took were a real America. He did not try and show the clean, upper class parts. Nor did he photograph only the beautiful nature. He captured what he saw around him. Evans was probably best known for his documentation of the Great Depression. Philippe de Montebello, the director of the Metropolitan Museum, said, "Walker Evan's compelling images of Americans and American life convey masterfully the poetic resonance of the ordinary as transformed by a personal artistic vision. With keen intellect, astounding visual acuity, and superb technical skill, he captured for us the very text and texture of 20th-century America."

Subway Passenger, New York. 1938

This is similar to my project of photographing everyday things and transforming them. Montebello described Evan's photographs well and I would like my art to bring about similar feelings. He mentioned three things that Evans had which helped him to achieve these images:

1. Keen intellect. He had a will to learn and discover in terms of the camera and the subject.

2. Astounding visual acuity. Oh gosh...I don't even know what that means, much less have it. Turns out it is a sharpness or precision. He pursued perfection.

3. Superb technical skills. I'm working on it..

I think you have to have the keen intellect before the skills. You have to be willing to explore, learn, fail, and discover before you can really achieve successful art.

I'll leave you with another one of his images. This one is called Shop Front, New Orleans. 1935.

Inspiration

We were all created differently. We all have something different to offer that no one else has. This inspires me to embrace my differences and create something new.