Sam Taylor-Wood Pietà

This was actually an interesting pick for me because I didn't realize it was the same photographer as the last picture I wrote about until I looked for the name.  For anyone familiar with art, this is a contemporary version of  Michelangelo Buonarroti's Pieta sculpture, which is located in Vatican City.  That was the reason it caught my eye originally as well.  I believe that while the image is easily copied because of the basic form of two people, I think the photographer did a great job here in making it more modern.  The old stair case and rails framing the sides of the picture are a nice touch and I enjoy the way the stairs lead the viewer up and down the sides of the picture and ultimately into the middle. 

Sam Taylor-Wood Self-Portrait

This picture is another that has be questioning how it was accomplished.  The photographer has positioned herself seemingly hanging in the air without any visible support.  I love the form that she puts herself in for this picture.  The lightly stretched leg and slightly bent one combined with her hanging arms provide a sense of calm and serenity to a picture that is seems as if it is a flash in a moment of action.  Also her bent back with her raised chest makes it seem as though she is floating up rather than falling down.

I love how she positioned herself with the window as her backdrop and the contemporary white washed walls and wooden flooring is a great combination.  Again, this is a picture that you have to look at because it makes the viewer think.

Tim Kellner, Self Portrait

I had to use this picture because of how uncomfortable it made me while looking at it.  This is a self-portrait according to the article I got it from but it doesn't say how he shot it which I would be very interested to know.  The water is so still so he had to be submerged for atleast a short period of time to wait for their to be no ripples and he must have had a timer or someone else release the shutter after he set it up.  The eerie stillness of the water with his pale face beneath the surface of this grass clogged water is just too much to handle in my opinion.  It certainly catches the viewers attention though and makes them think about what, where, why, how, etc.  and in doing so is a very successful image.  

Self-shot/nude

Helmut Newton self-portrait


The brilliance of this picture is the dynamic angles of the views of the different individuals within the picture.  My eye first travels to the middle of the picture and focuses on the photographer and nude woman.  Their location within the mirror which reflects a white background behind them automatically draws my eye.  The woman's gaze makes me want to look to the right after that and I notice the woman sitting on the chair staring at the nude womans real form outside the mirror.  She seems to have a mixture of boredom but also a kind of acceptance that has led to her being interested in what is going on.  From there I look at the back of the form of the woman and the excellent way she frames the mirror in front of her with her arm and side.  This picture seems so balanced to me even tho there are so many sections and patterns and textures.  The way the different parts work together from the woman to the mirror to the woman on the right to the window or door behind her.  The pair of legs that peaks out from behind the nude woman's hip add a little bit of mystery and perhaps even a little more sensuality to the photograph.  

Gérard Uféras, 'Salzburger Festspiele #1, Salzburg, Austria' (1996).


This image caught my eye because of the great capture of the moment.  The photographer make a great choice with the moment this picture was taken.  I like the great depth that the curtain shows and the way it leads the viewers eye from one side of the image to another.  
I also really like the way the figure is half wrapped within the fabric and seems to be standing rigidly while it flows over him/her.  There also seems to be another figure at the end of the fabric walking behind it or into it and that helps add some questions to the photograph beyond the obvious.  The smooth gradual tones on the fabric on the right also contrast nicely with what hard angles of the stairs and the ladders on the left.  

Photoshop in photography

Uelsmann, Jerry N.

"Untitled, 2003."

I picked this photograph mainly because it wasn't just a photograph.  When I take photos I often try to manipulate them to enhance the idea I was originally trying to show in a photograph or to warp it into my own contrasting usage.  I enjoy making images come together fluidly to produce a completely new feeling and had experience with Photoshop before photography.  This photograph/digital art has that same concept of merging pictures that I like to use.  The water ripples cupped within the hands provide an easy focus point while the light on the landscape in the background holds a force of its own that draws a viewers' eyes. The lighting on the hands doesn't match the light from the back directionally but its intensity is very similar and that really helps the picture maintain a healthy balance.  Different pieces of this photograph could stand by themselves and be decent alone but the combination creates an interesting compilation that is very pleasing to the eye.  

Gardens of the Villa Melzi, Lake Como, Italy, 1996/1997

John Pfahl

"Gardens of the Villa Melzi, Lake Como, Italy, 1996/1997" 

This picture is very peaceful for me.  I enjoy the subtle colors and light.  I usually like pictures with brighter colors or black and white and more drastic lighting whether it is a lot less or a lot more.  I like the pale grass and contrasting dark silhouettes of the trees.  They give a sense of intensity that lot of the picture tries to hold back.  The building/dome poking out behind the trees adds a sense of mystery and curiosity to the photograph as well.  The softness of the photo is also different  from what I usually like but it suits the peaceful quality as does the smooth lake that isn't quite glassy.  The water also mimics the soft but gloomy clouds.  The clouds feel like they are almost opening in the middle for some celestial being and bring another sense of mystery to the photograph.  The asymmetry also works well and provides an interesting balance for the viewers eyes as they examine the contrasting sides of the image.