For my ten favorite images I chose to pull together ten photos by some of my favorite photographers. Every one of these artists captured beautiful and striking images while they stretched the barrier in their own fields and subject matters. They stretched the limit with what is "ok to do" and "socially acceptable". This is one of the most admirable and inspiring things in my eyes.
1. Photo by Sally Mann
Context: Sally Mann works with large format cameras and glass negatives to get her high quality black and white prints. Much of her early work revolved around her three kids, and capturing every aspect of them from running around and eating popsicles wearing no clothes to busting their heads open and having to get stitches.
Content: Featuring Sally Mann's kids growing up in a rural area while being completely free of inhibitions and simply enjoying the land for what it is and what each one can offer the other.
Form: Mann shows the soft, simple, and relaxed, but happy and at ease life through her early works.
2. Photo by Joel Peter Witkin
Context: Re-creation of La Meninas by Diego Velázquez, with a tribute to Picasso(the sculpture). Witkin brings a beautifully disturbing sense of unity to his work, which includes subjects that aren't thought to normally be put together by some, and thought should never be put together by others.
Content: Originally a painting showing King Philip IV of Spain's daughter, Margaret, Witkin changed the subject of the picture to be more destructive and out of control.
Form: This picture has a dark decaying feel to it as if this grand room playing host to important people was forgotten and left to rot.
3. Photo by Weegee
Context: Weegee was a news photographer in the '30s and '40s in New York City, he had a police radio in his car and he would follow it around to get the latest new coverage.
Content: A transvestite is sitting in the back of a police van in New York in the 1940s. The transvestite is still smiling even though he is being arrested. This picture always reminded me that no matter what bad might happen in your life, always smile and have fun with it.
Form: The photo itself is a typical '40s style black and white, but the way it's framed gives the subject this larger than life persona.
4. Photo by Nan Goldin
Context: Nan Goldin photographed the post-punk scene in NYC. She documented the life struggles of her friends battling alcoholism, drug addiction, physical abuse, etc. She sought out to tell the truth with her photography, even when it came to photographing her friend's lost battle with AIDS.
Content: A young boy rushes to light a cigarette for an older man, presumedly his care giver, which makes you feel like the man's highest priority is having a smoke over this child he's supposed to be caring for.
Form: The look is very urban-grunge. It's the look of the drug culture of the new-wave movement, where the top priority is being anything but sober in order to forget about life's problems, and worrying about everything else later.
5. Photo by Chuck Close
Context: Close was formerly a photo realistic painter that later moved onto photography and a different style of portraits after a spinal artery collapse.
Content: All of Close's photographic portraits are very raw and personal. They want to get into the depth and realness of a person without the distractions of our everyday masks. This is shown in his portrait of the supermodel Kate Moss.
Form: The daguerreotype technique of printing used on these portraits help to expose the in depth detail on peoples faces that make them seem so vulnerable because they are hiding nothing from you.
6. Photo by Edward S. Curtis
Context: Curtis was a photographer who is know for his work with the western Native American tribes, the Blackfeet in particular. In 1900 he started to immerse himself into their culture and gained their trust in order to document their lives and traditions. This was a magnificent accomplishment because it's an old Native American belief that when your picture is taken, it takes part of your soul with it.
Content: Four old and tired Native American men sit on a hill side. They are sad and the look of longing for a happier time is written across their faces. This picture will make you sick to your stomach if you look at it too long because the thought of such an ancient and unique culture disappearing with out so much as a glance is disgusting.
Form: The look of this picture is solemn and tragedy-stricken. It shows a beautiful culture that has all but disappeared while the survivors are fighting to keep it alive with all they've got.
7. Photo by Walker Evans
Context: Walker Evans began taking candid pictures in the New York subway by hiding his camera in his coat. This pictures would later become apart of a collection called Many are Called.
Content: A little child is taking in what's happening on the subway car while their mother's face is buried in the latest newspaper. Even the man to the left is more concerned about what is happening on the page instead of the life that's going on around them. So much time is wasted trying to find the most current news that's going on when all one has to do is look up to see the suffering in front of them.
Form: This late Great Depression picture shows a family riding the subway with somber looks on every face. It takes you back to old stories you used to hear about the Depression and gives you a closer feel into how each and every individual was affected.
8. Photo by Garry Winogrand
Context: Garry Winogrand was a photographer in who most famous for his images exposing social issues in the 1960s.
Content: A blind and deaf man stands with his dog on a crowded side walk in one of the busiest cities in the world and out of all of the people walking around only one person stops to give him a few coins. This picture captures the inhumanity of people and how we have it in our heads that's it's ok to turn a blind eye when there are others suffering around us who we could easily help.
Form: This shot is very straight forward in its set up with no fancy camera angles or lighting. This picture is more focused on the subject and the message behind the subjects and not focused on making this shot in anyway glamorous.
9. Photo by Man Ray
Context: Man Ray was a famous photographer and painter. He is most well know for his surrealist spin on fashion photography.
Content: A model is holding three fashion masks that are painted with perfect makeup. There is a look of longing on the face of the model as if she would give anything to be like the inanimate, beautifully lifeless masks.
Form: This picture has a bit of the old Hollywood actress beauty shot feel to it. There is a sense of soft and accepted depression and over the entire picture.
10. Photo by Sebastião Salgado
Context: Salgado is a photographer as well as an ambassador for UNICEF Goodwill who is known for the many different cultures he traveled to and photographed.
Content: A young child in dirty clothing who is missing an arm sits on a make shift school desk with an old chalk board in the background. Despite the condition of the surroundings, the child is smiling showing pure appreciation for what he is given and the help that has come.
Form: All natural lighting is key in this work when it comes to telling the true story of suffering in poor villages in other nations. Even though the subject is heartbreaking, Salgado presents it in a way that makes you want to help fix the situation above anything else.
