Andre Kertesz and shadows

Andre Kertesz

In thinking about our next assignment on Light and Form my mind went back to this image from our class lecture. Andre Kertesz has a whole body of work dedicated to shadows.  So many of these are brilliant and wonderful. In looking at his images you can tell that he not only placed himself in locations that would create interesting shadows, but that he was patient and willing to wait for the right light. I think shadows are most interesting when the sun is lower in the sky, creating shadows that define the subject.  We become defined by our shadows and I find that very interesting.

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This work shows us that images can be made anywhere as long as we're willing to be patient and wait for the right light.
A short biography can be found at
http://www.icp.org/museum/exhibitions/andre-kertesz

Mark Appling Fisher
Garage Window - Leslie, Missouri
Photo from his book, Turn Left at the Blinking Light
www.markapplingfisher.com/#/turnleft/

This week's photographer is Mark Appling Fisher, who came to speak to SCC's Digital II class about his adventures in self publishing a book of photographs. He spent many hours on the road in Missouri and Illinois photographing small towns. Because his photos rarely have people in them, some may think his work is lonely or melancholy. His photography shows what happens in small towns. No one is there and business is dying. This particular photograph really spoke to me since it feels like the type of photo I try to take while I'm out. It tells a decades long story through the paint peeling, various colored boards in the windows and the weeds growing into the window frame.

A tag line on his website says it all "Common Subjects Uncommonly Photographed".  That tells me there is a world of images out there to be made and to never feel like every image has already been made. There's always another viewpoint, and another way of seeing things.

Julieanne Kost

It is interesting how you can feel a connection to, or understanding of, an artist the moment you see their work. Julieanne Kost is one such artist for me.

The class was given this link to her work on Aug. 25th: 

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/adobe-evangelists-julieanne-kost/passing-time-moments-alone

and I felt a real connection to her work. Interestingly enough, before this assignment I saw her composited (a photo combined from several sources) landscape image on page 101 in our book "A Short Course in Digital Photography". 



This is such a totally different type of photography than the collection of images that Kate shared with us that I didn't even realize, until days later, that it was the same photographer. 

Not only do I love both types of her work, I appreciate that she is doing such totally different types of work. I think it's too easy to feel like as a photographer you are supposed to be concentrating on one type of photography. "I take portraits" or "I'm a landscape photographer" or "I use photo shop a lot" or "My work uses no computer image manipulation". She has given herself the freedom to do it all. 

My favorite collection is on her website http://www.jkost.net/  under the heading of "moments taken I".