Reading #8

I started reading for about 5 seconds and was instantly enraged that someone made a claim that “treating other people with respect and compassion is not something any photo school can really teach”.  I find the exact opposite to be true especially in our close-knit senior seminar class.  We all genuinely care about each other and I feel privileged to be a part of such a generous, and caring community of artists.   I do however agree with the points about learning how to market your self as a photographer and learning the realities of photography as a business.   I would have absolutely no clue where to start, or even if I would ever want to start a business because I have close to no information about the business side of this field.

  I feel as prepared as I’m going to about leaving Tyler in May, but feel that after senior seminar with Rebecca Michaels I’ve learned the importance of maintaining a studio practice, keeping yourself informed about new advancements in the field as well as the importance of reading about what new photographers are doing, and the importance of getting your name out there.  

Reading #3

     I benefited the most from the section “Surviving the Critique” because I find myself doing the exact opposite of what the handbook says.  I often forget to detach myself from my work in critique especially if I feel connected or sensitive about the subject material.  I’ve never thought about a critique so deeply before especially when the author questions if a critique actually changes or interferes with one’s work.  Should we not critique at all!?  On page 47 the author mentions in the section “What Is a Nude?” that content and meaning are rarely discussed which I beg to disagree with.   If we relate this to photography, there is much to discuss concerning the meaning/content of nudes.   

In my freshman year, critiques were a scary terrible concept that I would dread while now I actually enjoy hearing what people have to say.   It may have something to do with the fact that I’m making art I enjoy in my preferred medium but I think as we grow older, and become more informed and educated about our medium we can offer more critical observation during critique. 

Response #6

     “In 1893 an English writer complained that the new situation had created an army of photographers who run rampant over the globe, photographing objects of all sorts, sizes and shapes, under almost every condition, without ever pausing to ask themselves, is this or that artistic? There is no pause, why should there be?”  I thought this was an interesting observation because 110 years later we seem to be having a reoccurrence of this phenomenon today with how easily all of us can be an “artist” without pausing ourselves to consider what we’re doing.   I love the fact that photography belonged to no “school” or “aesthetic theory” but to photography itself.  Photographers had to build this “history” themselves starting from scratch. The article divides up photography into five categories of how one considered a photograph which is what we base our modern critique on: the thing Itself, the detail, the frame, the time, and the vantage point. 

Response #5

Response #5

Joy Christiansen Erb’s “Portrait of a Mother” struck me immediately because she successfully captures these sensory reminders of child bearing, and parts of growing up that are often unspoken and un-photographed.  From small fingernail clippings on a windowsill to a close up of a tearstain on her baby’s chest she catches these fleeting and seemingly insignificant quiet moments.  Her work reminds me a lot of Sally Mann (my idol) in the way she photographs so honestly, not trying to candy-coat motherhood or raising children.  I admire this mother who offers new language into the field of photographing children with the way she translates childhood to textures and a sense of tangibility. 

I find myself instinctively drawn towards artists from Eastern Europe because I take such an interest in that particular culture and language.   As is true with photographer Nadia Sablin.  She spent the summer photographing her Aunt’s quiet lifestyles in a remote Russian village.   These photos touch on the notions of tradition, stillness, and simplicity.  There is a sense of isolation from the outside world but also a sense of content as the women saw wood for their wood burning stove, plant potatoes, and do crossword puzzles.  They don’t have a lot but seem happy just the same. 

Catherin Colaw’s “Original Sin” instantly reminded me of Brittany’s senior thesis with her photos of the nude female form imposed on different landscapes.  Catherin’s photos are kind of unsettling but beautiful in the way the figure is so distorted and twisted.  The woman’s head is never shown because it isn’t about a particular female’s identity but about how her body interacts with strange landscapes. Catherin considers each pose a performance almost, since each one requires a challenging stillness and trust.   

I think the images where the body seamlessly blends into the landscape are the most successful, especially the one pictured where her skin peaks through the tree’s empty spaces and you aren’t sure exactly what’s happening. I strive to explore sexuality, nakedness, and vulnerability in my own photography and never thought about the idea of photography as a performance before.