W5 - Photography Theory

For our theory homework this week we have to select 3 photographers whose work we like, choosing one of their pieces to write about.

Eadweard Muybridge

Cockatoo

Image from www.eadweardmuybridge.co.uk

 I really like this image from Muybridge because of the motion implied in the photo. You get a strong sense of one of the movements of a bird in flight and it's a position that you'd never be able to see with your own eye alone. Although it was taken probably just to see the bird in motion, you still get some of the character of the bird as it's beak is open, which makes the photo a lot more interesting. It really is capturing a single moment in time and I think it's done beautifully with the partially outstretched feathers catching the light and the shadow on the body.

Sandy Skoglund

Dogs On The Beach

Image from www.digitalsolus.com

 I really like this photo, mainly because of the almost terracotta colour scheme. It creates an apocalyptic atmosphere as if all of the colour and the life has been drained away from the world and all that's left are animals, occupying the environment, filling spaces which used to be densely populated, like the pier which is empty. The man in the bottom corner is hardly seen, the focus is on the artificial which has more life, variation and emotion than the human and the composition helps to accentuate this emphasis on the artificial and the baron colour of the sky. Personally I really like the actual dog sculptures as well which do contain so much life and expression in them despite the one shade of colour.

Hiroshi Suzuki

Lightning Fields 128

Image from www.pdnphotooftheday.com

I was interested in this image because of the strong contrast between black and white, it's so visually striking as you get a great sense of the power in the electricity and the weight it holds in our worlds. As it branches out as well it reminded me of the roots of a plant or tree, like a metaphor for how electricity has influenced and now become such a crucial part of our lives. The cleanness of the image allows the details of the lightning to stand out as it presents a frozen moment in time. What I really like abut the photo though is how all of the thin extensions of the lightning end at the same point creating a smooth curve that looks man-made. It looks as if the darkness is too much for the lightning to extend past that point or as if we're always trying to manipulate and control natural phenomenon in the world. I think it's quite beautiful as it cuts across the page, dividing it in half.