It’s that time again – to wrap up last month’s challenge and start a new one.
Wrap up of last month’s challenge
Last month your challenge was to give yourself a limitation by picking and using only one lens, no others, for 30 days. There were over 140 comments and many dozen people put their name in as participating. However . . . only 10 people came back and completed the second part of the contest requirements which was: when the month is complete, comment again saying you’ve completed it, how it worked out for you, and what you’ve learned.
What people learned by only using one lens
There were some great images and comments and once again it sounds like this was a very valuable thing to do. Here are a few of the ones that completed the challenge:
- I have to say, this task was harder than I expected. My trusty Canon Rebel T3i, with its lens taped at 35mm, and I arrived at Tokyo a few days ago and I wanted to take some pictures but couldn’t quite get the shots I hoped for. I was quite tempted to take the tape off my camera a few times, but resisted the urge and decided to try different approaches to my photos. I realized that I don’t need a bag full of lenses to be a confident photographer, instead I look to get closer or further away, positioning myself to take the picture I have in mind, and if that isn’t enough, I can always find new perspectives, compositions or details to photograph. This also taught me that these are the pictures that are most interesting, and this has widen my view as a photographer. These last days I found myself laying on the ground, leaning over fences, and stopping in the middle of the streets to take my pictures. I really enjoyed this challenge, but I’m sure the japanese people who were looking at me on the street enjoyed it more! – Sackie Sakai
- I have been using my Nikon 50mm 1.8 prime for a month. I’m growing to love this lens. It makes me become more engaged with my environment and my subject. – Jim Ruse
- I did it, one month with only one lens. I was a little doubtful of my purchase of the Canon 50 mm f/1.4 since I already had the 1.8, but your challenge has made me love this new lens. I stuck with it and it paid off. I am quite amazed at the wonderful photos I made in different conditions, both inside and out. I passed the 1.8 on to my grandson who is taking photography courses in school and is loving it. It’s a great addition to his camera bag, and hopefully he’ll love it as much as I love my new f1.4. Thank you for making me see the full potential in this wonderful lens. – Jutta Bialke
- I missed several days of not taking photos during this challenge. I’m glad that I did take on the challenge. I learned how to better work with my lens. I had chosen to use the Lensbaby Spark I discover I could swop out and use different optics. It’s been fun. – Gloria Roldan
The winner is . . .
Drumroll please
The winner is – Jutta Bialke!
See what she learned by doing this challenge above. We’ll be in touch by email Jutta, so you can collect your $50 Amazon gift card.
New challenge – study photography and photographers
Okay you might be thinking, “This is going to be easy!”. But there are a few parameters for doing this I want to define.
Rules of the challenge:
- Pick a specific genre of photography that you enjoy doing. It could be anything such as: street photography, portraits, landscape, and so on.
- Select FIVE photographers whose work you are drawn you, are who are masters (top notch) of that kind of photography. They can be active, working photographers, or some of the great masters in photography history.
- Study their work. Really look at it closely. Find books of their work at the library or local bookstore. Look for online exhibits and galleries. See as much of their work as you can.
- What can you learn from their images? Look at one image and analyze things like camera angle, light direction, quality of light, can you tell what time of day it an image was taken, post-processing style or technique, aperture, lens focal length, and anything else you can gather just be seeing the image.
- How can you apply that to your photography? Now take a look at your photography and see how you can apply those same settings and techniques to your photography to make your own style.
How to find photographers to study:
I already mentioned a few sources about but you can also:
- Go through the Editor’s Choice or Trending Profiles sections in your chosen genre on 500px.
- Browse a stock photography site like Getty doing a search for your genre style images.
- Look at magazines. You don’t even need to buy them just go to a library near you and spend an afternoon. Or share with friends and do a magazine swap.
- Try this article for ideas 25 Famous Photographers in History.
- Ask your friends or fellow photography enthusiasts who they follow.
The contest
In order to be eligible to win this month’s challenge you must complete the assignment, and post a comment below by April 20th (midnight EST) that includes:
- The names of your five photographers and links (if applicable) to their work.
- What you learned about their work by an in-depth study.
- How your photography has been influenced, changed, or improved by this exercise.
The prize
This month is all about learning. A great way to improve and grow is to have your images reviewed and to get constructive, helpful comments. So the prize for the winner this month is:
FIVE of your images reviewed by me!
I do not normally do image reviews so this is a special one. I will take your images and do a spoken review of them, record it to video for you to watch on a private page for your eyes only. When I do image reviews in my classroom sometimes there is some anxiety around that, but fear not.
No one else will see it – just you.
I always find positive things to encourage you, and give a few tips on things you can either improve through post-processing, or in camera next time.
The goal is to make you feel good about your images and have something to move toward.
Cheers,
Thanks everyone. I left it opened an extra day and a bit to see any there were any last minute comments. I’ll be selecting the winner shortly and it will be announced in the new challenge which comes out tomorrow. I’ll be in touch with the winner by email.
As usual, I’m running late but I did do a lot of searching and reading about photographers who capture movement. There are so many that I was fascinated by on 500px but no one comes close to my heart like Eadweard Muybridge. I’m not even sure why but there is something about his work that truly touches me. Karolina Wapinska does such beautiful stop motion equestrian events, Danny Block and his dogs, Mathias Ahrens and his playing dogs, and Monika Bogner. I would never have been able to see these talented artists without the internet as they are from all over the world, not just in my backyard. I think that I have learned from each of them not to do so much post production that subject of the photograph is lost. So many photographs seem to be so over processed that you can miss what the artist truly saw and felt when they took the picture.
I began my search for motion photography. I found Roger Fenton, Creating Central Park, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Photographs of Edouard Baldus, Photography Between the Wars and Photographs by Eliot Porter. What attracted my to all of them is the time period the photos were taken. They were all black and white photography which I like. It was nice to see non edited photoshop photos. The people were in their natural state. Some photos were sharp and others had some blur. All the photos were film and you can see a story. Thank you for this challenge, Darlene.
Well done!
Thank you!
The
names of your five photographers and links (if applicable) to
their work.
Genre: I find that I gravitate towards
food photography – this is my passion; I am captivated by the images I see in
magazines, Internet ads, restaurant sites, cookbooks and even billboards. I
believe a well shot photo of food, in any setting, can evoke feelings and
excite the senses and even propel the viewer to make a decision; buy the
product, make a reservation at a restaurant or cook it at home. In some cases, it can provide a glimpse into
the intricacies of a people’s culture. As a photographer, I try to emulate what
I see with the little tools I have available in my kitchen, hoping to evoke
similar emotions. While difficult to choose just five, I chose the following
photographers for this month’s challenge:
Steve McCurry: http://www.stevemccurry.com
Nicole S. Young: http://portfolio.nicolesy.com/
Steve Hansen: http://www.stevehansenimages.com/
Christina Peters: http://www.christinapeters.com
Francesco Tonelli: http://www.francescotonelli.com
What
you learned about their work by an in-depth study.
Steve
McCurry:
Steve
McCurry transports the viewer, a voyager, to different places; no pretenses.
It’s street photography with an edge; he tells it like it is. No staging here. His
street food photography brings the viewer close to his subjects, evoking a sadness
and a closeness that almost hurts. The lighting is always natural and, as he
observes the world, in context, the emphasis is always on the people and their
uniqueness. In the particular photograph I studied, ‘Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi,
India,’ it is raining and the street is flooded – the street food vendor does
not know his photo is being taken as his head is turned away, the tortillas on
the stand are his only offer but no one is buying. Perhaps it’s mid-day because
the natural lighting is hitting the umbrellas from overhead and the flood
waters have an overall silvery shine. DoF is somewhat shallow as the person in
the back towards the right is almost blurred.
Nicole
S. Young:
When
I see Nicole’s food photos, I think happy thoughts. She changes her angles
(looking down, looking head on) and DoF depending on what she’s shooting. She even changes her camera angle so that the
plates look lopsided, and it works! She keeps her backgrounds simple and
sometimes uses a dark background to showcase the subject. One image that stands out is one of a red hot
jalapeño on a fork, with heat vapor coming off of it on a black background.
(How did she do that, I ask?) The camera is directly in front of the scorched
red pepper. The lighting is from above and from the front. Time of days is not
apparent as this is a studio shot. Everything is in focus.
Steve
Hansen:
Steve’s
photography looks like artwork. My favorite is the Figs-and-Honey photograph;
it’s a cheese board with viscous golden honey and succulent purple figs. The
colors are complementary, the lighting is coming from three different sides
(left, front, right); the background is black and brings great contrast to this
composition. The camera is head on but slightly left so that the right side is
cut off. Time of day is not apparent as this is a studio shot. Everything is in
focus.
Christina
Peters:
Christine’s
photos are crisp, clean and inviting – no clutter here; sometimes the food looks
like it’s floating on light. The one I like especially is a simple bowl of
pasta. The view is from the top so you’re hovering over the scene. The light is
coming from the top as well as from the left side, judging from the bottle. A
simple setting, the colors are grey and black to make the pasta with tomato and
basil stand out.
Francesco
Tonelli:
Amazing
work! Crisp and clean. I concentrated on ‘a poached egg…’ – the lighting coming
from the left and from the right, with a shadowed center, sort of inviting me,
and me alone, to partake of this
shimmery concoction. The camera, while slightly over, was tilted to the left;
the right side was slight higher. The shadows surrounding the food served to
frame the breakfast.
How
your photography has been influenced, changed, or improved by
this exercise.
I
have been inspired to use lighting, camera angles and DoF in a multitude of
ways to showcase the uniqueness of the scene. There is no one way to shoot food
as demonstrated by each of these photographers. The goal is to get an emotion
from the viewer, whether that’d be the sadness from Steve McCurry’s photos of
hard working people or the joy from Francesco Tonelli’s simple yet powerful
compositions.
Wow great job. I used to do food myself and it is an art!
Thank you, Darlene! I had no idea you did food. Would love to see your work in that realm.
You can see some here: http://digital-photography-school.com/11-quick-food-photography-tips-to-make-mouth-watering-images/
Ahhh, yes! I remember seeing that article awhile ago; great insights and suggestions that I’ve been practicing…thanks!
Also looking at Nicole’s image of the pepper the light is also coming from behind – that is how you get steam or smoke to show up on a dark background. I agree her food photography makes me hungry.
Please gang if you were working on this post your comments here on who you studied and what you learned by doing so before tomorrow if you can. I’ll be doing the next challenge later this week and selecting the winner from this one.
Sherry – did you complete it? Please tell us what you learned? Who you studied?
Five Photographer Challenge was a task that was far beyond my available time this month. I selected five photographers – Ansel Adams, Peter Lik, Bill Henson, Max Dupain and Bob Halstead. I have only managed to study two so far, Bob Halstead (Australian) who has produced some really exciting underwater photos, of which many are silhouettes with natural lighting above supplemented with extra lighting from below to clearly delineate the objects. Clearly his use of lighting both natural and artificial in the right position adds dramatically to the final images. I look forward to make more conscious usage of light in my photography. My second photographer is Ansel Adams (USA) in whose biography I am well into, but not yet finished as it is a most interesting book. Adams appears to have been a talented musician and well connected. He also travelled widely to source his landscape locations where he would camp out and travel around to scope out his chosen sites. His early morning climbs with his photographic gear must have been quite a challenge. His landscape photos reflect his dedication and patience in waiting for the right moment to close his shutter and with some excitement I look towards scoping my own scenes at different times so I can be onsite at the right time to get the “shot”. His involvement in developing Zones in a scene has, I am sure, encouraged many photographers to really study a scene carefully, really imagine the final image and use zones to get the best possible exposure. While only a novice, I look forward to using the techniques to better my photography.
Great lessons learned thanks for participating and sharing. It is about whether you got to all 5 but you learned something which you did. So well done.
I was very excited to spend this time
looking at famous photographers since I am fairly new to photography.
I am interested in portraits. The first book I read was Eve
Arnold’s People. It highlighted her career with many photos and
comments from people that knew and worked with her. The thing that
struck me the most was that her photos all had the technical artistry
– balance, framing and isolation of the subject, but it also gave
you a sense of connection with the person being photographed. You
had a sense of being there and feeling the emotion of the scene.
From this, I was reminded of the importance of getting the connection
with the subject in addition to the technical aspects. It is the
connection that truly makes the photograph memorable.
I looked at Cristina
Garcia Rodero’s
photos. Her photos aren’t as photojournalistic as Eve Arnold’s.
They also show strong emotion. Her emotion seemed a little more raw.
I like the feelings of Eve Arnold’s photos better.
I
looked at Heleyna
Holmes
photography. She is an award winning photographer in the area I
live. I wanted to get ideas of what someone who currently does this
for a living creates. Her photos were beautiful. Her use of light
was gorgeous, combined with cute expressions from children. She also
has meetings with local photographers, so something to think about in
the future.
I
looked at https://500px.com/AdrianMurray.
His photos of his son were gorgeous! I loved the light.
I
looked at Steve
Curry
http://stevemccurry.com/galleries/school.
His photos were again very clear, with very clear subjects and
beautiful light. I love how his pictures also tell a story.
I
looked at Yosuf Karsh and was amazed by each and every photo.
I love how the light worked so perfectly to match the face and bring
out unique qualities in each person. I was interested to read about
creating many of his portraits how he brought a lot of equipment,
thought about different jokes, music or other things to help get a
true portrait of the real person. It made me have hope that great
photography isn’t just being lucky, it is work and thought and
preparation.
I
also read RobertoValenzuela’s book, Picture, Perfect Practice.
This book seemed to bring everything together for me. It helped me
have a deeper understanding of some of the underlying technical and
artistic things that make a photo amazing. He has specific practice
sessions, for example: focusing on just one thing, like creating
silhouettes with two people, one in silhouette and one in light.
After reading his book I can see how different photographers use
balance and color and environment to create the story that goes along
with the portrait.
The
first thing I noticed from all these different photographers was that
their subject was isolated, your eye was drawn right into the
picture. There was also a sense of story, something was going on,
you could feel the emotion. Finally, they had great technical skill.
It was a fun and wonderful exercise to look at some beautiful photos
and try to figure out what makes them extraordinary. Now, when I
take pictures of people I am going to try to make sure that my
subject is clearly isolated. I am going to practice every day one
concept that makes a strong photograph and practice looking for that
and figuring out the best way to capture that so when I am in a real
photo shoot I will “see like a photographer” and know what will
make the photo better. Thank you for encouraging me to take the time
to study. Thanks!
Great job tons of value there!
I’ve already started… M studying smoke photographers, portraits… trying to mix them together… got some results… and as far as I’ve come to know about myself…. i know nothing about .arw processing.. i’ve downloaded UFRaw and lots of articles on how to process…!!! anyways … here’s one of my photographs… “Maiden Luminance” #smokePortrait
p.s. To get this I had to take around 400 shots… of smoke from the incense stick in a dark room with a flash light…
Please share what you’ve learned by doing this? The challenge is ending and you must complete that part to enter.
Through with “The Hot Shoe Diaries”. Now Starting with “The Moment It Clicks” by Joe Mcnally again. Was totally blown away by Joe’s style and problem solving approach.
Please share what you’ve learned by doing this? The challenge is ending today and you must complete that part to enter.
I have poured over so many motion photographs it isn’t real! I am still enamored with Eadweard Muybridge and the fact that he did his motion studies with multiple cameras and back when a film camera was just a dream, much less the DSLRs we have now. For some reason the photographs that have the models throwing flour (or what ever it is) just leave me flat but children blowing bubbles and the movement of animals touch me very deeply. The frozen moments in time are so very special.
Nice you’re starting to see what style fits you!
So what have you learned? Who did you study? You need to complete that portion of the challenge to enter.
I am going to start by reading “The Hot Shoe Diaries” by Joe McNally.
Good choice!
It seems a good method to improve our photography and learn about methods and work of great photographers. I’m in!
So who have you studied? What have you learned from them? You will need to put a comment about this today in order to enter for the contest and prize.
I think I’m going to give this a try!
Did you do it? What did you learn? Who did you study?
I’m going to give this a go. It’s going to be quite a challenge, but that is what it’s all about – learning. Good luck to everyone who entered.
Jutta – so who did you study? What did you learn?
I believe I’m in…love viewing great work!! Ran across Graham Monro and really like his style…will choose 4 more and get started. Thank you!!
Hi Eric – I need to know who did you study and what did you learn if you want to enter the contest for this challenge.
So sorry. I studied Graham Monro, Garry Winogrand, Adrian Murray, Natalya Fedorova and Martin Podt. I have two things. First, the more I am studying the work of some great photographers I am seeing that it is more about the shot than how perfect the outcome needs to be. Many of the street photography is about capturing the expression, and not always the right focus, or shutter, but really allowing themselves to be creative and focusing on the subject, which is one of the ways I can see myself leaning. Secondly, photographing people, which is turning into my favorite photography, is always about the subject, but truly all about setting up the shot, shooting at the right time, finding the right location and really enjoying working and interacting with the subject(s). I have learned that it takes time to find these wonderful shots and lots of patience, as I am shooting people on my own. I’ve learned that continuous shooting mode really helps to grab that one moment on a child’s face. Also, I’ve learned that lighting is essential, and that I love natural light – no flash, if at all possible. I have to say that Graham Monro has been great to study because of his wonderful creativity and his huge personality that comes out when he is working with people. I’m sure I’ll continue studying more photographers, but I’m learning that I really enjoy photographing people, and dabbling in street photography.
Ok, at first I hesitated to do this but I’m jumping in because I REALLY want to get better at this.
Tell me why did you hesitate? Did you do it in the end? Who did you pick and what did you learn?
I hesitated because I wasn’t sure what types of photography interested me most. I have concluded that landscape photography is what really catches my eye, so I am researching the following photographers:
Landscape Photograhers:
John Fielder-Colorado photographer
Stephen Lyman
Adam Burton
Elizabeth Carmel
Emilio Robba
I’m very excited about this challenge as it will give me a chance to really explore different photographers and their shooting styles. Can’t wait to get stuck.
Folake – did you complete it? Please tell us what you learned? Who you studied?
Hi Darlene,
I did complete it and unfortunately I was unable to do my write up before the deadline yesterday. I can tell you that it was a wonderful experience to explore photography in this way and I’m now even more in love with photography than I ever was. The five photographers I studied who are mostly street photographers are Eric Kim, Joel Meyerowitz, Mary Ellen Mark, Steve McCurry and Vivian
Maier. As a result of this challenge, I shall be joining Eric Kim on his street photography workshop in Amsterdam this summer.
Although I was unable to be in the running for the prize, I’m so grateful for the opportunity you gave us through this challenge to take a closer look at our photography through the eyes of more established photographers.
THANK YOU for a most wonderful gift.
You are eligible, I will be selecting the winner later today. I extended it to allow a few folks like yourself to put in their finishing comment. I made the rules so I can change them. 😉
This is a superb assignment Darlene. When I read it earlier today I took down my copy of Orest Semchishen’s book of photographs “In Plain View”. I hadn’t looked at these photographs in quite a while but I would certainly say that Dr. Semchishen’s way of seeing and photographing has influenced my own. I first saw some of the work from his Byzantine Churches of Alberta project many years ago and was moved by his unassuming compositional style and obvious affection for the structures in those images.
I think his gentle respect is conveyed in part by looking at the building directly, often centering the front facade in the frame. I recall the early images being quite high contrast but the presentation in the “In Plain View” book is very soft even when there is strong sunlight. His work remains strong even in flat shadowless light; the strength is in the iconic composition. (Ukranian Catholic Church, Craigend, Alberta, 1975 http://www.gallery.ca/en/see/collections/artwork.php?mkey=93447 )
In the newer landscape work I see two compositional strategies to appreciate and learn from. One is a greater use of foreground that locates the architectural subjects within a landscape environment. (Batiscan Quebec, 1983 http://www.gallery.ca/en/see/collections/artwork.php?mkey=93467 ) This approach is related to the second strategy which, for lack of a better term, I might call “natural seeing”.
By “natural seeing” I mean that the photograph has the look of a glance one might have in that place. The composition isn’t rigidly formal in the way that defines some photography; in fact one might even wonder how he would come to see a photograph with those elements. Upon examination, it’s plain that he composed very deliberately; this isn’t a quick snapshot. The effect is that the viewer’s eye is free to roam the entire scene in the same way that one would as if being in that place with him. This is a subtle strategy and it’s easy to pass over images like this but for me they reward the lingering view. I think images like this are subtle but powerful in their ability to record not just structural objects but also an authentic sense of being in that place. The soft overcast light in both images emphasizes the quiet mood.
(Grand Falls, Newfoundland 1983 http://www.gallery.ca/en/see/collections/artwork.php?mkey=93830 )
All of these images are black and white but they still provide a colour photographer with lots to appreciate and to learn from. http://www.kingphoto.ca/
I did just use just one lens last month but my pictures are so rough I wouldn’t dare show them to people in this crowd, I’m a real beginner. As for this month I love Eadward Muybridge’s motion shots but I guess part of that is being a horse owner and their movement fascinates me if I am riding or watching them in the pasture. I know this is probably one of the most difficult types of photography but I really want to learn how to capture my girl’s movements! I am shooting my puppy every Saturday while she is running and playing not only to improve my photography but so I can have a record of her growing up.
Hi CC, I began looking my search for motion photography and Eadweard Muybridge was the first one to come up. Very interesting reading! Since you mentioned you are a real beginner I recommend you get to know your camera. If you don’t have a full copy of your camera manual download it from the website. Get to know the functions of the buttons and wheels on your camera. Recently, I learned on my camera what I thought was a decoration actually has a function. Darlene has an article on motion. I have provided the link for you in case you have not read it. One of my favorite things about Darlene, if you have questions she will get back to you. Don’t hesitant to contact her. Enjoy the journey. https://dev-dpm-2.instawp.xyz/motion-shutter-speed-freeze-blur/
Thank you so much for your encouragement. If you could see my poor manual you would probably think it was years, not months old ;0) it goes everywhere with me and whenever I get a few minutes I re-read the parts of it I didn’t understand the first (or 2nd, or 3rd) time around. I also bought a field guide for it and have read it. The best thing I have found is just getting out and actually shooting pictures even if I end up just trashing them. So far I am really enjoying the journey.
I want to do this and I already know several landscape photographers I can study. But I want to also study portraiture. I can’t think of any top notch portrait photographers off the top of my head. Anyone have any suggestions?
Karsh, Arnold Newman, Annie Leibovitz are considered masters of the portrait. I recently came across http://www.thomasdagg.com/peopletwo who is doing some interesting contemporary work.
Ah Karsh, I should have thought of that one. The others, while the names are familiar, I can’t place them offhand.
Thanks for your input.
Authentic_Guy – so did you do it? Did you study those photographers? What did you learn?
I am in again. I did the “one lens for a month” but did not post my completion because I don’t know how to do that. Now that I realise a completion post is necessary I’ll get my grandaughter to teach me how. I did enjoy the “one lens” challenge. I used my 85mm f1.8 every day. At the end I was much more aware of how the manual camera operations worked as I did not use automatic settings at all. I submitted one of my photos to my local photographic club monthly competion and received some great reviews. Thanks for your contribution to my meagre skills. Terry Titmarsh, Beerwah, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
I’m in! Will be interesting to try and learn new things from those who are established in the field.
Charles – did you complete it? Please tell us what you learned? Who you studied?
This is my first monthly challenge and have put reminders in my calendar to follow up.
I’m in! This sounds like a wonderful exercise. I have been obsessed with Vivian Maier lately so this is a great excuse to branch out.
Brenda – did you complete it? Please tell us what you learned? Who you studied?
Hi All,
The five photographers I studied were Nan Goldin, Diane
Arbus, Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke-White, and Camille Lepage .
I learned something from looking all of their work but the three that struck me the most were:
Nan Goldin (1953- ) (http://www.matthewmarks.com/new-york/artists/nan-goldin/)
Her use of available light in the days before super High ISO is amazing. From her I learned use the light you have, get inside, present your subjects as people versus objects. Her photographs seem like snapshots when you first look at them but then you can see that her shots show you much more than what is presented. Much of her early work was done with slide film and was presented with music when it was shown. My favorite of her photo books is “The Other Side”.
Dorothea Lange ( 1895-1965) (http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/) Dorothea
Lange used her skills at photography to garner support for those individuals
that were suffering during the 1935 depression. Her black and white
photographs, published in newspapers are amazing portraits. Her use of the
available light and documentary style of photography are great examples of how
photography can be used to improve people’s situations, Her work documenting
Japanese Internment Camps was confiscated by the United States Government and
not released for more than 50 years.
Her iconic picture of Migrant Mother, 1936- Florence Owens Thompson is one of her best known photographs.
Camille Lepage (1988 – 2014) (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/camille-lepage-photojournalist-whose-career-was-dedicated-to-chronicling-conflicts-often-underreported-by-the-mainstream-media-9428477.html)
Camille Lepage’s photographs are some of the most powerful images that emerged from conflicts in South Sudan. Her photographs are intimate, detailing the horrific results of armed conflict. Her fearlessness in presenting war, genocide and its aftermath, ultimately led to her death in 2014. Like Lange she wanted to draw attention to the suffering that was and is still going on in South Sudan. Her ability to capture portraits in intense daylight and tents was remarkable.
From these three women photographers I learned and will apply to my photography:
1. Use the light you have, get the shot.
2. Create intimacy through closeness to your subjects.
3. Do not be afraid of your work being unpopular because of your subject matter.
This was a great challenge, as an obsessive researcher this was a very enjoyable exercise.
Great job and thanks for sharing all that!
I’m in too…but would it be alright if I researched people who made music videos? When I was in my mid 20’s I went to a Jr. Collage to learn how to operate and fix TV studio cameras. I made 1 video for the class, but didn’t finish the course. Right now I have this fear I will fail. I have a camera that can make videos Nikon D5200, but haven’t made one…please let me know what U think.
Hi Mick – I’d say if you’ve never made a video this would not be the time to start. You need to know the technical and “how” stuff first before you can study style and technique. This assumes you’ve already done some photography and want to improve your work. So for your benefit I’d suggest not picking video for this challenge – not to say you can’t still study it – but start with the basics first.
Thanks Darlene, I’ll do the assignment as suggested. W. Eugene Smith’s book on Minamata inspired me, also Jerry Uelsmann style did too.
Hi Mick – did you complete it? Please tell us what you learned? Who you studied?
No I didn’t finish the assignment. I studied Bert Stern, Robert Alvarado, Jerry Uelsmann, a little of Joe Conzo Jr and some of David Hamilton’s photography that was controversially in the early 19070’s. The assignment was to study one field of photography and look at 5 masters of that style, at least that’s the way I understood it. Hopefully I’ll do better next time…Mick
So there is no failing here because you did something, you took action. What did you learn?
Hello Mike, as I began my search for photographers I came across this site and thought you might find it of interest. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eadweard_Muybridge#Exhibitions_and_collections
Hello Darlene, I’m in. Last year I said 2015 is going to be a year of reading and studying and it truly is. I’m a reading tutor in which I’m reading two books at a time. So it will be three books at a time LOL. Thank you for the challenge.
NO worries – fun thing is for this one you technically don’t have to READ anything. 😉 Just look at the pictures!
Thank you!
Gloria – did you complete it? Please tell us what you learned? Who you studied?
Illiterate people using the Internet? Wow.