Research log

Research Log

Photographer Website CommentLennette Netwell http://

www.lennettenewell.net/

Netwell is an American fine art photographer that has done extensive work into photographing all kinds of exotic animals. I was particularly drawn to this photo as the model has been done up in makeup so to look like the snake she is holding. This photo has come from a series of work that Netwell did. I like how the snake and model blend in together yet you can still subtly see where the two bodies are in the photo. The sterile background has allowed for them to stand out in the photo and for there to be no distractions, something that is important here as the model and snake are made to look so alike. I like how there is on clear focal point in the photo (there is no eye contact and all the colours work harmoniously together) yet it is still visually very interesting.

Andre Brito http://www.andrebrito.com/

Andre Brito is a Portuguese photographer. He has an interesting body of work that extends from advertising to editorial. This photo that I fund by him looks at the human body is a more natural state. I like the way the body has been painted and the colour of choice is similar to the background – the lighting has really made the shape of the body stand out against it, which looks effective. I like the pose of the model, it is different and almost looks a little distorted with the angle at which the photo has been taken. This is something that I could link in well with my project. There is a contrast change between the background, the skin and hair of the model, but this has all been kept subtle with the use of the colour used.

Lou Blanc http://loublancphotos.com/accueil

Lou Blanc is a French photographer. His work caught my attention as a lot of what he does looks at photographing the human body, but in such a way it looks distorted and unnatural. This particular photo that I found I love! I like how the photo is in black and white as I feel this gives that photo more emotion and depth. I like the pose of the model and how his limbs look twisted and uncomfortable. The eye really stands out and provides a striking focal point. Although you cannot see the entire face and expression of the subject, the eye holds so much of what is going on in the photo it pulls the viewer in.

Alexander Khokhlov http:// Khokhlov is a Russian photographer that I have

www.alexanderkhokhlov.com/

admired for some time. He specializes in fashion and beauty photography now and I particularly like a series of work he did called ‘Weird Beauty’, this photo is an example from it. All the photos saw the models done up in black and white paint. I like this as the silhouette of a face has been drawn on the models face – I think this has made the photo visually interesting to look at as well as it being playing with the viewer’s eyes a bit and making them look at the photo more (because they have to recognize the silhouette to understand what is going on in the photo). There is no eye contact being made in the photo but the tight cropping and composition of the piece, along with the fact the audience need to look more carefully at the photo to see the makeup, compensates for this though.

Alexa Meade http://alexameade.com/

Alexa Meade is an artist who is renowned for painting directly on the skin of her models or sometimes 3D objects and making them seem two-dimensional. Her work is so different to anything I have seen before. This photo was one that stood out from the rest for me as rather than having her work photographed in a studio environment, she took her painted model out for the public to see. You can see the reaction of some people in the background – this is important for me as it shows how different people like/dislike your work. I think she is a very innovative, inspiring artist, and I would love to try something like this myself.

Yago Partal http://www.yagopartal.com/

Partal is a photographer who studied in Barcelona. He has an extensive body of work, including the series of photos he did including the image on the left, which looked at photographing animals and putting them in human clothes/ on a human body. I think this particular photo is cute and fun to look at – you don’t expect to see a pug in clothes! I think his work is contemporary and visually interesting. I like how in this photo he used a sterile background and not the natural environment of the animal as this helps to eliminate any distractions. I think the editing work that has gone into this is seamless and high quality – it has inspired to work on my own editing skills.

Klaus Kampert http://www.klauskampert.com/

Kampert is a German photographer. He describes his work as showing the ‘body and mind united’ and explains how his work is not trying to show an

index_en.php external beauty. There were many shots I found interesting in his body of work, this being one of them. This pose of the model and the fact she is coming out of the water reminds me a little of a creature. I like how you cannot see the face of the model and it is literally her body language that provides a focal point. I love how the water photographer here too, with the light reflecting off it. This photo looks very raw and natural.

Natalia Pereira http://www.cocodmor.com/cocodmor_fotografia.htm

Pereira is a photographer, artist and graphic designer from Spain. This photo is so weird and it really caught my attention. The photo comes from a series of work that Pereira did photographing models like this. The face has become distorted and creepy looking through the help of the bands that are placed around her face – it’s such a simple concept and yet so effective! The photo looks like the saturation has been decreased and this has added a nice effect and the darker colours suit the mod of the photo more. The simple background has proved effective here there is so much going on in the face there are no distractions. There is only really one eye making contact with the camera and this has immediately become the focal point. I usually don’t, but I like the ‘messy’ elements in this photo (such as the hair) and think it adds to the effect more.

Michael Rosner http://www.ilovebodyart.com/body-painting/michael-rosner/

Michael Rosner is a body paint artist that has created some of the more intricate designs on the human body. This particular look he created put me in mind of my project and how you could use every day tangible things to represent human figure. For example, this photo put me in mind of technology (e.g. phones, laptops, Internet etc.) and how we rely on it so much these days. I love the black and white colour scheme and think it adds to the contemporary feel the photo has. This is an area of art I would like to photograph and explore myself. I also think the editing that has gone into the piece around the face is very skilled and has added to the overall effect the photo has. I like the pose and expression of the model – it’s very modern.

Marie Murphy http://www.ilovebodyart.com/marie-murphy-make-up-and-body-artist-ireland/

Marie Murphy is another body paint artist I found. Here work is often very intricate and focuses on details on the face. I loved this look that she created on her model as she looks like a smashed statue of some description. I like the black background against the white face and body – it has really accentuated the shape and angles of the model. I like the colours that have been used on the other half of the face too – they have a gradient effect and have photographed beautifully. The expression of the model is black and she looks distant, but her eye contact with the camera has helped to provide a focal point and add emotion to the shot. I love how a gradient effect has also been created towards the bottom of the photo as this has meant the strong white colour can faded gently into the black.

Akradiusz Branicki http://www.fineartnude.pl/

Branicki is a Polish photographer. This photo came from a series f work he did where he looked at using the human figure to represent the 12 zodiacs – a concept I find interesting and links well with my topic. This photo was from Taurus. I like how the photo has been executed and how simple and natural everything has been kept. For example, the hair has been used to represent the horns on the bull, and other than that the rest of the photo is down to pose and expression. The model has such a strong look in her eye and connects well with the camera, and this shows how Branicki knows how to direct his models in such a way to ensure he gets the best possible photo. I like how the photo is in black and white; I think this has intensified the photo further.

Christopher Bucklow http://www.chrisbucklow.com/

Chris Bucklow is a British photographer. This photo is from a series of work he entitled ‘guests’. All the work in the series was executed in a similar fashion to this, showing the silhouette of a person appear – this particular photo looks like the silhouette is made up of stars against the night sky. I think this photo looks contemporary and is rather innovative. I like how all the attention in the photo is brought in with the light and where it is most predominate in the photo. It’s almost like a gradient effect and this has added to the star like look that the photo has and makes it look pretty. I like how there are no facial features or expressions present in the photo, yet t is still able to have such surreal and calm emotions about it.

Jack Spencer http://www.jackspencer.com/

Jack Spencer is an American photographer who has relied on traveling to acquire the inspiration for his work. I really like this photo and it made me think about how I could represent culture through the human figure. I like the colours that are present in the shot and how they still stand out against the dark lighting. This photo has incorporated a location as opposed to shooting in a studio and this has really added to the overall effective of the photo; which is very haunting. The model has connected well with the camera – her eyes have been accentuated through the use of makeup and this has provided a focal point within the photo.

Karla Powell http://www.karlapowell.co.uk/

Karla Powell is an international makeup artist from the United Kingdom. I have admired her work for a long time and she has worked with some of the biggest names in photography too. Her artistic design in makeup is always reflected in the photos that are produced by the photographers she works with. I love the colours in this photo and the dark creepy feel that is has. The expression of the model is very striking and really draws the viewer in to look at it – the eyes have been made very haunting to look at and this in turn makes it more visually interesting and captures attention more. There are so many different textures present in this photo and these have all photographed beautifully against the lighting. I like the contrast you see in them such as the soft feathers against the rough twigs and the smooth skin against the glossy hair etc. I would like to explore makeup design like this in my own work.

Andre Kertesz http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/Andre-Kertesz.html

Kertesz is a Hungarian photographer; he is also one of the photographers suggested to look at on my exam question. I found his work very interesting – it’s all very raw and natural. He photographs real people in ‘real life’. This photo caught my attention as Kertesz has photographed the shadow of a person (presumably his own). I love this idea and concept for my own project as it is a really great way to represent human figure. The shapes are very strong in the photo as this has made up for the absent colour. Nevertheless, I think the photo being in black and white has created more emotion and this is important as there is no expression from a model or subject to identify to the viewer what is going on.

Catherine McIntyre http:// Catherine McIntyre is another photographer

members.madasafish.com/~cmci/

suggested to me in my exam paper. I was really pleased when I looked up her work and as I found it interesting and inspiring. This photo I found is ideal for inspiration for my own project as it as it can be linked to representation of the human figure. I like the colours here and how the blend into a perfect gradient across the photo. It makes a nice change from a single colour sterile background and it has complimented the model well. I like how you can see the muscles and tendons etc. of the body – it is an unusual concept that has made the photo more visually interesting. I love the pose of the model and though you cannot see her face clearly or her expression, the photo is filled with a sensual emotion that is flattered with the shape of her body.

Annie Leibovitz http://annieleibovitz.tumblr.com/

Annie Leibovitz is an American portrait and fantasy photographer. I was particularly intrigued by this series of work she did inspired by Disney. I thought it was a good way of representing the body in another form of a character. I like the crazy, chaotic feel that this photo has and the way everything in the photo is going in all different directions. Despite this though, the model still has a strong expression that is clear in the photo and provides a focal point. All the colours are so harmonious yet the shapes in the photo are so bold and stand out against each other. I like the concept and idea behind this piece and think it would a great way to start thinking about my own project.

Scott Mead http://scottmeadphotography.co.uk/

Scott Mead is photographer from London. I liked the idea of photographing everyday things or items to represent the human figure and Mead’s work seemed ideal. I liked this photo of the washing – the straight lines in photo make it nice to look at and I love the array of colours seen on all the clothes (they are chaotic together but the arrangement of them clams this down). This photo is simple and honest with its concept and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to it. I think this is something that is important in photography when you are trying to get across a clear point, message or meaning behind a photo. The photo has been taken on location is a ‘real’ environment – I think this has made a refreshing change to working in a studio with a sterile background or set, and has inspired me to look at doing this more in my own work.

Angus Thomas http:// Angus Thomas is a British photographer who is one

angusthomas.com/Home/1/

of the UK’s leading specialists in location photography. This is not something U normally would look for in my own work but I think it is important to consider this with my project of choice. I like the revitalizing and fresh feel his photos have, like this one I found. It’s so raw and ‘unplanned’. This subject’s in the shot are unaware it has been taken and that is what adds to its beauty and gives it a completely different feel from a planned photo in a shoot. Thomas has been able to make the most of his lighting and worked with it, adapting himself and his camera angles in order to get the best possible photo.

Debra Johnson http://www.debrajohnsonphotography.com/p324997044#h1ac633c5

I liked this photo from Johnson because it is so bright and colorful. I like the expression on the model’s face an I think this has brought a lot to the shot, making it more fun and entertaining. I like all the different textures of the sweets that have been captured in this photo has beautifully and inversely they have photographed against each other. This is important as there is so much going on in the photo but the different textures as well as the bold shapes have helped to make everything more ‘organized’. The angle of the camera is interesting as it is close to the models face, distorting her features and making the shot more ‘ugly’ – it is rare to see this in photography today yet it is a quality I like about it.