Tag Archives: photographers

curation, photographers

turns in Fashion Photography

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the great reveal in photography styles, for me, is that of what is classified as fashion photography. it is rather surprising, even after all this time, that I discover a photographer of great appeal, and it turns out that there was much work done in Fashion photography. some of them, like in the 50s with William Klein and Saul Leiter, were just a few commissions likely to bring some income— yet, we can see their daring (at the time) work as superb. this work by Annelie Vandendael may not be classified as such, but it could be. perhaps Annelie Vandendael‘s work is a more of a work of post-Fashion Photography that may have been begun by the likes of Deborah Turbeville. any way that one would like to map this progression, the results here are wonderful.

via: Lensculture(where the series is presented)

Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH

from the series Sois Belle by Annelie Vandendael

books, curation, photographers

Saul Leiter: the quintessential form

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sometimes, luck strikes. for Saul Leiter himself, I am not sure, as he was dismissive of praise, but lucky for us, because it is the rare instances in art when a talent makes it through despite how they approached a road to fame. since Early Color was released in 2006, and now on its 6th printing, the embracing of Saul Leiter has been one of those rare moments of happiness in art that a deserved talent has a reach. we can realize this rise by noting how people have come to identify the indelible Leiter style: misty windows, big negative spaces, and more importantly, a big room for the imagination by cropping. (mind you, this is cropping by elements in the scene, and not some André Kertész style cropping of the negative.) aside from the obvious taste in composition and elements that have made Leiter such a favorite among many, it is the cropping that makes the biggest impression on me. below is, perhaps, my most favorite photo from him.

link: Gallery 51 (Antwerp), an early proponent of his work.

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by Saul Leiter from Early Color

books, curation, photographers

IOWA by Nancy Rexroth

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unlike the previous post, in that I am very familiar with Michael Kenna’s work, I am not familiar with Nancy Rexroth. thus, I cannot say what her style, if she has one, is like. however, I can glance at her work in the magnificent re-print of her book IOWA, and know that it is a plastic “toy” camera: in this case, a Diana.  this is exemplified by the photo below, which I think it is exemplary of the use of a plastic camera. for example, the increased contrast in the center is nicely utilized to accentuate geometry/form, along with the lower contrast, vignetting, and blurring on the edges to include the subject of the photo.

 

links: at ASX and Robert Mann Gallery

 

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by Nancy Rexroth, from her book IOWA

photographers, photography

what does the camera do?

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fundamentally, photography is about freedom— there should not be any rules, as it is already difficult to work with the few decision-points in the journey. the recent book from Michael Kenna reminds me of such a decision-point: is one’s style (if we have one) to be ever dominant, and all cameras are just a tool? or, is the transition from one camera to another a chance to exploit the new medium as how one’s style (if we have one!) is affected? André Kertész notoriously would learn how a camera worked, and exploit it— most notoriously with The Polaroids series— and I am on this camp. the differences between a Hasselblad and a Holga could not be farther in terms of common cameras. yet, Kenna‘s Holga could have been much more interesting to me, rather than a continuation of his previous work with the acceptance of increased vignetting and some edge blurring.

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from Michael Kenna’s Holga book.