Intro to Digital Photography Blog

Alec Soth: Kenny and Bill, Bad Newz, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, 2002

This portrait illustrates the balance I would hope to achieve with my photographs; the subjects are centered formally, staring directly into the camera, their expressions blank.  However the subtle details of the picture; the industrial kitchen setting their matching blue T-shirt and jeans and their postures reveal tons of info.

Hans Namuth; Walter Gropius, 1952.

Namuth photographed countless famous artists throughout his career, starting with the famous portraits of Pollock. This picture is quite formal, however the minimalist, geometric environment mimics Gropius’ architectural style and philosophy.

Shelby Lee Adams: 105 Degrees at the Napier’s

Everything about this picture feels honest; the rundown rusty shack in the background, the earnest smirks on their faces, their bare chests.  Unlike many photographs of impoverished people, Adams’ portrait of these Appalachian men doesn’t manipulate the viewer or turn the subjects into symbols of poverty, instead Adams photographs these men on their own terms.

Craig F. Walker, Ian Fischer: American Soldier.

Walker won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his documentation of a teen’s journey from enrollment, active duty, and return home from the army.  The photograph is stylized with a compelling balance between Ian and his father to the left, but the subject is raw and real.

Tina Barney, Thanksgiving, 1992.

I like Barney’s “directorial” approach to portraiture: setting up certain aspects of the scene while allowing his subjects to act freely. In this scene, Barney captures a semi-candid family moment, allowing us to glimpse details of her family while still arranging the photograph in a portrait composition.

Jim Marshall, John Coltrane in the backyard of his home in Queens, NY, 1963.
With the background out of focus, Marshall draws our eyes to Coltrane’s face.  Marshall manages to capture what seems to be a momentary expression that is ambiguous and contemplative and undeniably intimate.