Great Shot: Schutmaat

Bryan Schutmaat ©

Reading over Bryan Schutmaat’s interview is very inspiring to me. I’ve always felt I got into photography late in the game, but seeing Bryan’s work proves that it is never too late to become a successful photographer. He takes something simple like a bed as depicted in the photo above and turns it into something you could stare at for hours. One doesn’t realize how much beauty there is in the simple objects we encounter everyday. I love how clean and sterile his images are. The lighting source seems to be all natural in most of the photos, which only adds to the cleanliness.

To view more of Bryan Schutmaat’s work go to this website: http://www.bryanschutmaat.com/

Great Shot: Steacy

Jack Rabbit, Memphis © Will Steacy

I love Will Steacy's passion for his art, which he explains that he has devoted his life to his art, and that it is the reason he is alive. He made this realization in 2003 when he was almost murdered during a robbery at his former job at a sneaker store, and completely changed his perception on life and what was important to him. His work is about being alive and life and tries to push it with every photograph that he takes and states that you "usually have to fight for the things worth having." By addressing the overwhelming loss and despair that prevail in our urban communities, Steacy wants to make a modern day portrait of the American inner city. I love the way that Will Steacy approaches his subjects with an intensity and honesty.

More work by Will Steacy can be found at his website:

http://www.willsteacy.com/

Great Shot: Edwards

© Jon Edwards

Jon's work as a surrealist has always inspired creative thinking for photography. Most of his shots contain beautiful color, contrast and well developed angles. You may not know exactly what is happening, or being expressed but that is how you know you are looking in on Jon's world. What captivates my attention is his ability to erase or crop out details that will give us hints to reality, but is obvious that he can play with a sort of emotional reality instead.

More can be seen @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jon-edwards/

Great Shot: Kalina

© Noah Kalina

I was drawn to Kalina's work right away because of the attention to lighting in his photographs. I find many similarities in his work to the images I created when I first started taking pictures. Dramatic lighting has always been very seductive to me as a visual artist, and I think Kalina achieves a wonderful balance beetween dramatic and soft in his lighting technique. It is very enchanting. Kalina says, "I don’t believe in photography as truth. I make myths." I think I would say the same thing about my own work, or something close to it anyway. I believe in photography as a way to visualize something you otherwise could not see....a way to create illusion.

More of Kalina's work can be seen at http://www.noahkalina.com/.

Great Shot: Collins

Prayer Flags © Lane Collins

While going through a series of interviews, artist Lane Collins really stood out to me. I am captivated by her work, which has and air of magic and whimsy to it. Collins grew up here in the states, but after college, she relocated herself to New Zealand. Her work evolves around her own personal experiences. She has experimented with images that represent the four elements, especially air. In an interview with Nymphoto, she tells us about what inspires her. "My element is air, and through research I gathered a number of words that have been associated with air in various religions and cultures throughout history - for example: life force, expansion, oneness, light, soul - and used those to guide me." The image above, which comes from her Ladakh, India series is a perfect example of this. The image has a very whimsical feel to it, with the delicate mountain peaks and the brightly colored flags under the soft glowing sunlight.

To see more of Lane Collins' work, visit her web sight www.lanecollins.com

Great Shot: Laforet

© Vincent Laforet

Before this class I had not heard of Vincent Laforet but after viewing some of his work and reading some of his interviews and his bio I can see why Kevin recommended that I look at his work. This shot by Laforet really caught my attention not only because of the beautiful imagery or the cute moment captured but because of what he said in an interview and also what has also been said by a mentor of mine and fellow photographer. That "photographs are about telling stories, sharing stories." Those are the type of photos I enjoy most and enjoy taking the most.

More of Vincent's work can be seen at http://www.vincentlaforet.com/

Great Shot: Friedman

Eucalyptus Tree © Amanda Friedman

Amanda is primarily a commercial photographer, but she also has a passion for night photography. Many of her night scape photos are shot in urban settings, often with one/multiple bright light sources, giving her photos a dreamlike feeling. She shoots in everyday areas like parks, ball fields and parking lots that we see every day, except during the "day" time. She captures uncomplicated things in such a spectacular way In this photo, Eucalyptus Tree, the form and gesture of the tree is simply beautiful. When i first came upon this photo I immediately thought of a dancer fluidly moving around in the hours of darkness. The clarity and style of her night work really fascinates me. Many of her photos are shot on foggy nights, one of my favorite times to shoot. I love how the light just seems to hang in the atmosphere around its source, timeless. I find her work so seductive and it excites me to make new work of my own.

More of her night work on her website
amandafriedman.com

Great Shot : Lavalette

© Shane Lavalette

Twenty-two year-old Shane Lavalette has accomplished quite a bit in his lifetime. A resident of Massachusetts, he travels and shares his experiences with the world through blog and print publications as well as an expanse of beautiful photographs. In his series Song to a Seagull from 2007, Lavalette gives a goodbye look to Coney Island's Astroland amusement park through photographs. He shows the place's oddities and nuances that hold a sense of comfort for us all, even if we've never been farther east than Cincinnati. This image holds some sort of nostalgia for me, though I've never been a fan of cotton candy and as a child was allowed to indulge when hell froze over. It's something in the soothing palette hazed through rough smoke and harsh angles that both quiets and excites me. The strange combination of childhood death-by-sugar, an undetermined source of smoke and a lone-but-poignant bottle of beer fit quite normally within the contents of the series. All in all I highly recommend taking a gander at Lavalette's website (which hosts links to his other endeavors).

Great Shot: Christenberry

Guinea Church, near Moundville, Alabama 1964 ©William Christenberry

William Christenberry is an artist who works in different media, such as painting, sculpture, and photography. His work is inspired by his southern upbringing in Hale County, Alabama. I find William Christenberry's ongoing work of the American South interesting because he photographs how things change in a specific area, not necessarily through time. His photographs aren't of the same things, so he's showing change through a greater perspective. His art shows not only nature, but vernacular architecture as well or the use of buildings that are found in the South. In this image the doorways frame the tree in the background, but the light adds depth and mystery to the piece. His work not only captures the silent beauty of a sometimes rustic area but it documents the artist's understanding of architecture in a simple yet poetic way.

More work by William Christenberry can be found on his website: http://www.christenberryonline.com/index.html

Great Shot: Stein

© Amy Stein

Amy Stein's interview with Making Room Magazine discussed one of her series of work called 'Stranded' in which she was inspired by Hurricane Katrina to photograph those who are stranded in between destinations and just caught in that feeling of having no able way to continue to move on their way. Her way of going out 'on the open road' and photographing/documenting the happenings of those who are stranded on the side of the road are moving. Her project in New Orleans where she scanned in people's photographs of times before Hurricane Katrina and how they were happy and were content before all their earthly possesions had passed away with the flood. I found her way of working very inspirational as she is inspired by events that have happened to America and the American people and then travels to capture these events. They are beautiful and inspiring!

Great Shot: Sasaki

© Kanako Sasaki

Sasaki's images from her series "Wanderlust" play off ideas from novels, paintings, and the artist's childhood memories. Most from the series include a female in a large scale environment. The resulting images, aesthetically, are ethereal and dreamlike, justly capturing a childlike nostalgia. The feeling that pervades the images, however, is one of being trapped. Some of the images show a girl in unplaceable locations; others show a girl laying face down, possibly physically impaired and seemingly apathetic. The figure is trapped in the mysterious locations by her own detachment and indifference.

To see other photos from Sasaki, visit her home page: http://www.kanakosasaki.com/

Great Shot: Frazier

© Danny Wilcox Frazier

I find Danny Wilcox Frazier's Driftless series to be inspiring to any young, documentary photographer. After researching Driftless and watching Frazier's videos and interviews, I was even more interested in his body of work. Frazier was born and raised in Iowa, and is still constantly asking himself, "Why am I still living in Iowa?". He is drawn to the people of Iowa and genuinely cares for them. Within each photograph of his Driftless series, it is apparent of the intimacy he shares with his subjects. Frazier will often photograph behind a window or in this particular photograph, behind sheets flying in the wind -- he always manages to capture the right moment to best describe each of his subjects. Through Frazier's photographs, he speaks about the hardship that these small Iowa communities are going through during this contemporary time. When I look at his photographs, I feel the struggle he is having as a photographer and as an Iowan. I feel I can relate with Frazier, I am on a constant struggle photographing people in Wisconsin and having to stare directly at their hardship through my lens, but I feel completely empty because in reality I wish there was more I could do to help. I hope in the near future my photographs will leave an impact on others, the way Frazier's photographs have impacted me.

The passion Frazier shows with his subjects and through his photographs is awe-inspiring. To find out more about Danny Wilcox Frazier visit, www.reduxpictures.com/portfolios/frazier or www.mediastorm.org/0025.htm to watch Frazier's videos capturing the people of Iowa and also an exclusive interview with Frazier.

Great Shot: Diefenbach

© Andrea Diefenbach

Diefenbach's photograph from her AIDs in Odessa series conveys the somber situation of her subject with out betraying her vulnerable position. Diefenbach acheives the emotive quality that her subject requires without revealing the details that belong behind closed doors. As a photographer I believe strongly that there are situations and places where cameras do not belong. Deifenbach brings the epidemic of AIDs in odessa to the rest of the world through individual stories in the most carefully crafted manner. Not only are her images beatifully crated objects but they resonate with her respect for the subject. Diefenbach's emersion in this project is evident in her work. "I found it important to follow her story even beyond her dead – how could I have stopped seeing her "
To see the entire series visit her website http://www.andreadiefenbach.com/

Great Shot: Goldin

© Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin's photographs have an underlying theme of love, gender, domesticity, and sexuality and are usually presented in the form of a slideshow; her most famous being a 45 minute show in which 800 photographs are displayed. The photograph above titled 'Nan and Brian in Bed' is one example of how she is able to capture some of the most vulnerable moments in relationships and have people view it as a type of private journal made public. The lighting and composition of this photo conveys life's realities of some relationships. The light pouring through the window creates a dividing line between Brian and Nan. He looks off into the distance, while Nan lays curled up in bed staring at him as if she is holding on to a dyeing relationship. "A lot of people seem to think that art or photogaphy is about the way things look, or the surface of things. That's not what it's about for me. It's really about relationships and feelings" (Nan Goldin).

More work by Nan Goldin can be found at, http://www.americansuburbx.com/2009/03/theory-nan-goldins-years.html

Great Shot: Seely

Metropolis 52˚29'N 1˚56W © Christina Seely

The beautifully illuminated landscapes of Christina Seely's series "Lux" has an absence of humans, but shows the proof that they are there. The outsider view of each city creates ghostly images of light that bleed into the surrounding land and sky. The color of her night photography creates luscious colors that fade away as the artificial light becomes brighter, like the image of her inspiration. Christina's obsession of the image NASA of the world at night created a seed for "Lux." The way Christina passionately described the NASA image was a new way of looking at night photography: "It is so beautiful while also being somewhat unsettling. I could not help but think about what the light on the map represents about us and how it both dominates the map in it's intense contrast to the darkness of the land and water, and how it looks a lot like bacteria spreading." The interest in the brightly lit areas combines a relationship of art and science that begins documenting the negative impact of our dependency of artificial light.

More about Christina Seely's work can be found at http://www.christinaseely.com/

Great Shot: Schwarm

Distant Fires in Chase County, Kansas - 2006 © Larry Schwarm

Larry Schwarm has engulfed my senses. His work is beautiful. When I saw Schwarm's work for the first time, the intensity of the color in his images was astounding. I enjoy the play between the utter simplicity in many of his fire/ landscapes with the powerful surge of emotion that fills the viewer brought out by the deep colors throughout the images. As artists it is our job to express the emotion for those who can't during times in need. Every year wild fires spread across our plains, force people to abandon their homes, and in the end kill some. There is a great beauty that comes out of fire as there is great destruction; I believe that Larry Schwarm has found that balance in this body of work.

More work by Larry Schwarm can be found at http://www.larryschwarm.com/.

Great Shot

©Erwin Olaf

Erwin Olaf is a very versatile photographer. He always explores through more elaborate staging and concepts in his series. I find this series, The Mother, by Erwin Olaf very interesting because of his use of black on black, and very faint lighting. The lighting creates a very soft and mysterious image which goes well with the theme. Other then the technical aspects of the photograph, I really enjoy the image because it is mysterious, and also dated. the actors are very staged and numb to each other. I seem to be attracted to mundane staging. As you look at the whole story Olaf tells if is a sequential event which helps the viewer understand. Olaf just continues to produce very luscious and beautiful prints that always catch my eye.

More Photographs from Olaf are at, www.erwinolaf.com

Great Shot: Michals

This Photograph Is My Proof © Duane Michals

Duane Michals is a photographer and a writer. As a person who draws as much inspiration from literature as I do from photography, I find his work to be greatly inspiring. An "artist formerly known as a photographer," Michals desires to go beyond description and present through photographs how he thinks and feels about the world, not as it is seen. In this image, This Photograph Is My Proof, Michals supplies the viewer with a nostalgic image, one of a man and woman paired with the following handwritten text: "This photograph is my proof. There was that afternoon, when things were still good between us, and she embraced me, and we were so happy. It did happen, she did love me. Look, see for yourself!" I find this image and conjoining message to be deeply moving because it makes me think of myself in familiar circumstances; it takes me beyond just seeing the photograph and to actually feeling what those words mean. It is great because it has multiple layers. The photograph itself acts as a facade of happiness, while the message that Michals conveys is one of nostalgia, sadness, and doubt.

If you are interested in learning more about Duane Michals and how he feels about his work, I would highly recommend watching this video interview that can be found at: www.pixchannel.com. There are also interviews with other great photographers such as Ruth Bernhard, Arnold Newman, Jerry Uelsmann, Elliot Erwitt, and more.