Alexandra Sapp
10/26/2016
History of Photography
First Draft Essay
I find Bruce Connor’s multimedia art platform as one of the most inspirational subjects for my individual practice because it contains details in self identity and documentation of the “real world.” In most of Connor’s work, he creates a beautiful visual out of a horrifying event. How can something horrifying be beautiful? I personally find his short films to be the most inspiring due to the way each shot is cut and edited. It is also interesting to know that most of the footage shown in each film is not even his own. So how can Connor take credit for this? Nevertheless, “Three Scene Ray” (2006) has to be my favorite film by Connor because it is projected on three screens. Each fast-cut projection is chaotic in its own way, however it provides an individual narrative to its viewers and allows all three screens correlate together with music. I am interested in using this technique in my own video editing practices.
Another photographer I find inspiring for my work is Frances Benjamin Jonhston. What intrigues me the most about Johnston is the range of subjects she has throughout her work. Her self portrait as “New Woman” is very empowering for the female figure and inspires me to be a strong and independent creator like her. She documented the social progress throughout America which provided viewers with impactful images that created collective movements. Johnston’s technique is simple, yet complex in many ways. She simply documented the life she surrounded herself with, yet that was not an easy task to accomplish. I want to obtain Johnston’s wide range of subject matter and certain angles she captured to create a narrative for each subject. I document what I see and attempt to develop a story out of the focused subject. I believe Johnston mastered this technique of storytelling and created a historic imprint for creative women in the work force.
The technical process of autochrome from the early nineteen hundreds gave images a very realistic feel and provided so much more detail within a subject. I find color, light, and shadows to be three very important aspects within my work. Although this color editing process is not as commonly used in today’s age of digital technology I still find it very inspiring to my work due to the beautiful and textured tones it creates. I would be interested in experimenting with different filters than correlate with the autochrome style. I used lots of contrasted and saturated colors in my current work so it would be interesting to see softer tones within the images.
The abstraction through photomontage is what interests me the most with the style of Surrealism. I have always found photo collaging inspiring and enjoyable, yet I have never used it within my portfolio work. I find Hannah Höch extremely talented when it comes to photomontage and the way she strives to depict the social commentary of her subject. She portrays her subject matter in a very simple way where it is easy to understand for her viewers. I want to strive to be a visual storyteller and I believe photomontage could be a very productive way of achieving my depictions of a subject and their untold story.
Lastly, I believe I am heading down the path towards photojournalism so I find photographers like Malcolm Browne to be the most inspiring figures in my mind. Browne is known for capturing extremely graphic images such as the “Burning Monk” (1963). Photojournalist must choose to be a witness instead of a participant while documenting events that could possibly be significant to history. The reason I am so intrigued with photojournalism is because it gives me a sense of anticipation of the unknown. It takes a certain type of person to risk their own lives in order to capture an image for the world to see and know. I want to travel and understand the lifestyles of other cultures and the struggles they go through to reach their goals. I would use video and photographic still images as my medium of choice. I want to make a different in the world through visual storytelling and I believe photojournalism would allow me to accomplish this goal.
This is an image I took about two weeks ago on Gay Street in the West Village. The reason I love this street so much because it is so hidden and quiet; it feels almost as though I am no longer in Manhattan. I am simply trying capture the details and overall aspect of the street, however I’m trying to depict a narrative as well. Whose bikes are those? Who is the family walking along the side walk in the background? What kind of people live here? The questions could go on. This photo is interesting to me because it gives me a warm feeling and a true depiction of the city I love.
