Ryan McGinley

RYAN McGINLEY

Out of all the photographers mentioned in last class, the ones whose pictures appealed to me the most were by Ryan McGinley. However, not all of his photographs appealed to me.

Ryan McGinley is a contemporary 35 mm film photographer, born in 1977. He was one of the youngest artists to have a solo show at the Whitney as well as named photographer of the year in 2003 by American Photo Magazine. He work is often compared to Larry Clark, Dash Snow and Nan Goldin.

He beginning works were mostly of his friends, almost always in the nude, in a documentary or portrait style. His work focuses on the care-free, rambunctious nature of teenagers through young adulthood. His work appealed to me more because it wasn't as dark and upsetting as works by Dash Snow or Larry Clark. His use of color is impeccable in many of his images and create some stunningly beautiful images. That was one of the things that originally drew me to his work. I also liked how he uses nudity as a sense of rawness and uses it to capture a person's emotional state or confidence and not always provocatively.

The images of his that I found to be most interesting and striking were the images of the nude figures with sparkler, fireworks, flares, etc. I find these images compelling because of the way the light interacts with the figures and skin of the subject. The use of color is very strong and create a warm tone. This images capture a sense of free-spirit and having a good time being youthful and happy.  I loved many of the portraits in his collection and will post some of my favorites below. Overall, I enjoyed his playfulness with color and expression in his portraits (yearbook series especially) as well as the contrasting emotional, more somber portraits. His use of light is excellent as well especially in the portraits that are black and white where you can really see the highlights and shadows on the nude figures.

His newer works are very color-oriented, where the color almost acts as camouflage. The images are usually of nude figures blending in and, in a way, becoming the nature around them. These works are very abstract and more modern that his original works. I am neither in love or dislike these images, they are interesting and compelling visually however I do much prefer his rawer, youthful and expressive images.

Ryan McGinley, Back against wall, 2004

Ryan McGinley, Fireworks, 2007

Ryan McGinley, Fireworks, 2002

Ryan McGinley, astrallagoon, 2013

Ryan McGinley, Sara, 2013, 12x18

Ryan McGinley, Untitled, from Yearbook series

Ryan McGinley, Sal, 2010

Ryan McGinley, Amanda Haystacks, 2011

The Nature of (my) Photograhs

Reading this interview between Seven Shore and Luc Sante about Shore's book The Nature of Photographs has revealed new ways of how I think about photography and how I photograph. The most influential aspect of reading this interview is that it made me stop and really think about my own techniques and work. When I am going through the process of creating a photograph, many  times I am very aware of what I want the photograph to look like exactly. I'll think about where I'll need to be, at what time for what lighting, props, poses, etc. But there are also many times where, when I am stuck in a conceptual rut, I go out into the world unknowing and the photographs form around me in real life. There have been many times where I have had ideas for a shoot and have received photographs that didn't excite me as ones that came from endless wandering and good timing.

With some of the photographs I have created so far this semester, I can apply this idea about being hyper-aware versus being able to create photographs "mindlessly". For example, during shooting for the current events assignment, I was being very conscious with my decision making. I had previously researched churches, picked my "models", planned poses and my framing (wanted it to appear very symmetrical and have religious icons centered whenever possible). All these conscious decisions allowed me to make the images more fluidly while embedding other symbols, emotions, etc. into the image to make it more than just an image of reality.

That being said, no matter how conscious I was, there were things I was not so conscious about, and I did end up having some "happy accidents". For example, one of my images has a natural vignette due to the lighting of the frame. Although I was conscious of most aspects, that also distracted from realizing those small things in the background until after the picture is made.

On the flip-side to this, when I went shooting in the city to take pictures of strangers, I was more "mindless" in finding my subjects and locations. However, when I did, i felt like i was able to pay closer attention to the littler things such as lights and shadows, figures or objects in the background, etc. It's a simple, yet complex process to construct a photograph.

World News

For this assignment, I struggled to find inspiration from the countless newspaper articles about war, disease, death and other depressing stories. For days I tired to find a happy, uplifting article. It didn't  really happen. However, upon my quest to do so, I stumbled upon a video and short description of it from the Huffington Post. This video is about a man in Brooklyn who run around high-fiveing random strangers who have their arms extended in hopes of hailing a taxi. Although not a the "traditional" news article, this one story really stuck out to me because it showed how despite all the depressing events and news stories, their are people who are just trying to make other people laugh and make their day better. Even the people in the video who retracted their arms and started oddly at the man, they still always ended up smiling in the end.

With the assignment this week, I wanted to go out an capture the strangers around me, as well as the little things that are mundane yet make me smile. I focused on people just living their day to day lives and being generally happy, since we are all pursuing happiness in life. I also tried to focus on children because they are too young to know what ISIS or Ebola is and they don't have a care in the world, they're just trying to be happy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/16/high-five-new-york_n_5829392.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news

Why People Photograph

Robert Adams brings up many excellent reasons for why people photograph, which ultimately depends on the person although there are many reoccurring ideas. Some of the reasons that Robert adams touches upon are very valid reasons for why some people photograph. From capturing landscapes at home and the affection of animals and humans to just getting into the business and knowing the right people. A lot of these also apply to my own reasons for photographing and photographing what I do.

Colleagues: Getting into the world of photography is possible one the best ways to improve your own photography, whether it's through inspiration, opinions and criticism or just having a group of people to belong to. Although I personally have not experienced meeting many of the great photographers as Robert Adams, through research and the direction of fellow classmates and professors, I have found inspiration and grown in my knowledge of photography.

Humor: The one statement that I believed was on point in this essay is; "perhaps this is why there are more funny pictures in family albums than in art books." I personally find that photographing my friends and family are easier when it comes to adding humor into my photographs. Sometimes the humor even appears itself because you are most comfortable with your friends and family.

Money: This is one reason that can be iffy when it comes to why people photograph. Most jobs in photography do not pay well unless you are a photographer for a major magazine, corporation, or celebrities in some way. Personally, I prefer studio photography and in reality will most likely (at least) start with photographing weddings, maternity, children/families and head shots. I know that I will not start off making much money, however I know there are many photographers who prosper.

Dogs/Judith Joy Ross: I love dogs. Besides that, Robert Adams brilliantly talks about how dogs are frequently photographed because they insert a sense of intimacy and affection into a photograph. This idea tied into the next essay Judith Joy Ross. "Just as one recognizes innocence after losing it, so one understands vulnerability after experiencing it." This quote struck me personally because to me it emphasizes that most people photograph or construct photographs in ways that display emotions or a personal story that only the artist themselves truly know through their experiences. I personally tend to put my own emotions and experiences into my photographs, subtly or straightforwardly.

Two Landscapes: The most important reason to photograph I got out of this essay was to photograph home, and areas around you that mean something/ or have met something special that only the locals would understand. With the rapid changes in the landscape and urbanization, many photographers choose to photograph landscapes to glorify nature and remember places before they change.

Here are two of my favorite photographs from the book. I like them because of the affection portrayed within them as well as the interaction between people/subjects. I especially like the photograph by Judith Joy Ross because compositionally the two girls' bodies form a heart-shape and that seems so subtle, yet beautiful.

Ted Partin

Ted Partin is a photographer who's images appeal to me in many different ways. The first way is through his use of light and highlighting his subjects. He has terrific contrast in many of his photographs, yet is still able to find a balance between harsh shadows that juxtapose the soft lighting. The faces of his subjects are lit softly which helps generate a gentle, more intimate image.

As many photographers, Ted Partin chooses to shoot humans and the human nature. He captures people in natural poses and encompasses a youthful and intimate connotations within his images. Ted Partin's images are emotion-filled and raw, sometimes literally (in the nude). The naturalistic quality of the photographs infused with emotion created a very appealing photograph in my opinion. There are many photographs that look pretty, but they lack a concept or a story. Ted Partin's photographs evoke emotions within the viewers, as they resemble many "scenes" from our own life and memories. These photographs also present emotions and a story, either suggested or unknown, that is unique to the people or Ted Partin himself.

Although many of Ted Partin's images strike me, there were three in particular that I found most appealing to my own interests. The first is and image of a girl from his Gaze series. This image is striking to me first because of the stark black blouse the female is wearing. The photograph has a large range of hues however the deep black makes the contrast seem slightly more dramatic. The concept of this series was to capture one's gaze, a moment in time where "you almost transfer part of yourself and your energy onto something else" (http://www.lifelounge.com.au/photography/news/ted-partin-photographs-the-gaze.aspx). Capturing this moment creates an eerie, mystifying, yet beautiful facial expression and tone. The person almost appears lifeless, however the image also has a slightly sensual feeling in both the subject and the curving, smooth lines that repeat in the girls hair, the pillow creases and the pattern.

This next image appeals to me also because of the emotion embedded within it. There is also a sensual, innocent tone. The emotions are raw and it is a scene or action that many people can relate to and have memories of. Because of this, the viewer becomes engaged and starts attaching personal emotions to the image as well, which I think adds another layer to the image.

Finally, this image struck me because it was different than the other images. I love the play of fabrics or other objects that have sheerness, cutouts or patterns. I like this because it adds complexity to the image as well as makes the viewer think more about that particular object. This image also has movement and curving lines that make the image feel sensual, but in a more concealed or innocent manner.