The Epic Culmination Post of My Feelings About This Blog

For my last post, I decided to write my feelings about the blog. The blog was a hassle to do, but a much worth hassle. Blogging about my progress and my projects was uninteresting, and the fact that the only other persons blog i had was biancas to look at, watching other peoples progress and their influences did not go over to well. However, the blog influenced how I thought and percieved photography.
At first I blogged about the few photographers i knew, or had seen in a magazine etc. Once that ran dry I had to actively look for photographers to blog about. In doing that, I was able to see the extreme variety of works being done. It showed me how my traditional thought of photography was limiting my ability to even think in the most creative way. That is why I blogged about all the artists who were doing stuff that just amazed me. This blog forced me to look outside of what I know and absorb all types of influences that I would have never found on my own. To be able to see some of the things that are possible when it comes to photography really pushes what I try to think of. All the artists I found and looked at made me more interested in photography and expanded my mind on what photography really encompasses. This blog was a chore well worth doing.

Matt Hoyle

Matt Hoyle is an interesting artist. After browsing his different series, one caught my eye, Barnumville. In this series, Hoyle did several portraits of contemporary side show performers. Some more performers than others, He has images of surly looking clowns, sword swallowers, gentle giants, the ghost girl depicted to the left, midgets, strongmen, and knife throwers.

Whats interesting about these portraits is that they are simple headshots against a neutral background. With only the figure to focus on, their individuality and uniqueness comes through. The portrait also puts more emphasis on who they are, not what they are. You cant tell that the fat lady is giagantic from her portrait, and you can bearly tell that the siamese girls are conjoined. You do see their expression, or lack thereof, and see the person more for who they are.

The ghost girl pictured is eeriely beautiful, with giant saucer eyes and a small pursed mouth, staring at the viewer. The same goes for the siamese twins. You see their beautiful faces, with scattered freckles about, and as you examine the image, you see that there is no seperation between their shoulders.

I like Hoyle's images because he took what people might have false preconceptions of, sideshow performers, and created a more intimate and personal look at them. You see them for who they are, not what they are, not sideshow freaks, but people.

joel peter witkin

Joel Peter Witkin is one wier photographer. He does these disturbing and surreal images, many which include deformed people as the subject matter. His photographs have a macabre feeling about them, and also a vintage one. Many of his images look like they come from an 1800's medical oddities book, or a behind the scenes look of sideshow freaks.

However, Witkin is a contemporary artist, and all of his images are only a few years old. His images are pure creepshow with twisted symbolism and often head turning imagery. Many of his images could be related to that of a car wreck, uncomfortable to look at, yet you cant help but stare.

As i have said before I love disturbing images and these are beautiful in their macabre creepiness.

Bill Durgin and his torsos

Bill Durgin has a rediculous idea. He has a series called figure studies, in which he uses nude models, who contort and fold themselves to appear surreal. I first saw one of his images in a magazine, and thought it was a cool idea to make these bodies without limbs etc. I thought that his work was sculptural. Now that I see its actual figures bent and contorted, I cant beleive it. Some of his images have people legs arms and head tucked in, so it appears that all is left is a square little torso. Or hell have them contort in a way to look as if part of their bodies are stuck in a wall.

The photos are simple enough, white gray blank setting, with one nude figure. Yet it catches your eyes right away. You look in disbelief at the images, trying to see if they are real or not.

Durgin is able to confuse the viewer and suspend their belief about what they are viewing, and take it as if torsos can exist in a space without any limbs. This optical illusion is extremely successful and awesome, especially since it fooled me.

Post Mortem Photography

Post Mortem Photography is one of the most freaky and disturbing types of photography ive come across. This deathly and weird feel from these old photos is what i wanted to achieve in my portfolio. Post mortem photos was most often used with babies, to make things all the more bizzare. To take a photo of a dead child, with flowers all over its coffin, is insane. And to think that this was a common practice in Europe.

I love images that can disturb you. Certain emotions are easy to get out of people through imagery like peacefulness, happiness, humor, horror. But to get deep emotions out of people, like enlightenment, sorrow, and disturbedness requires you to get to the center of the person and touch on values beliefs, morals and conventions. The image is creepy to those who view it, but to those who were related to the person in question, they would feel a sense of love and loss, not wierdness. Images that have the ability to move people are the most successful of all.

my photographic tastes

Whenever i have to do i new blog, i tend to just search online through images until i find one i really like, and then go to the artist from there. Regardless of the images, i am always pulled towards surreal photography.

i think my preference for surreal photography comes from the fact that i cant seem to comprehend the thinking and ideas that go into those images. My photos are bound by what my definition of what i can accomplish is. Therefore, when i see images that i just could never begin to think about, im immediately drawn to it. This is especially the case when it comes to combining elements to create an image. Building negatives, using props, digital images, drawn and painted pieces, all combining to create a photo.

I tried to do this in my last portfolio set, and i am surprised and pleased as to what i was able to do.

Julia Fullerton Batten

Julia F Batten makes some pretty interesting images. One series that caught me was a series called Teenage Stories. In it, she takes pictures of teen girls in city scenes. However, the girls in each photograph happen to exist in each scene as 500 ft tall people. Using detailed scale models, Julia builds sets, and then has the model exist in the scene, creating an akward image that compliments and conflicts. Some images look relatively correct at first glance, but then once you realize a girl is standing next a suspension bridge instead of a footbridge, the problem is realized.

The concept behind the images tells of the akward life of teens, and so by relating the size of the girl to the surroundings, the akwardness is visable. Some images are humorous, and some are a little disturbing, such as a girl discarded under a bridge with a deer. Or a girl on the side of a highway who was in a bike accident.

I especially like these images because at first i thought they were all digitally created, until i was able to look closer and realize that the scenes were in fact manufactured, and the girls photographed inside them. This just goes to show that there are very concrete ways of creating images, without having to be dedicated to working with all kinds of files and heavy editing.