Paul Strand

All of Paul Strand's photos are black and white images. He seems to photograph a wide variety of things, including portraits, nature, buildings, and landscapes. One image that I like is of what appears to be a porch, with a chair, a broom, and a small hallway leading to an open back door. These things combine to form a very interesting composition to the photo. The lights and darks of the image are very balanced and overall this image, while of an average porch, is very interesting to look at. I also like the image of a mushroom with 3 leaves over it and tall grass. I am really interested in seeing this image in color, because I feel that the color of the mushroom in contrast to the grass would create a cool color scheme. One other image that I like is of leaves overlapping. The leaves almost look like long fingers entering from the photograph. The image is dark at the top and seems to get lighter as you near the bottom. The lines in the leaves add a level of detail to the photo that make it look unique.

Source: http://photography-now.net/paul_strand/index.html

Loretta Lux

Loretta Lux's photos of children are actually a little startling, they are very sharp and there is just something about them that makes them a little creepy. One image that I like is "Lois 2", of a girl standing in front of a background of waves and blue sky. Her head is tilted to the side a little as if she is somehow questioning the photographer. Another image that I like is called "Spring". It is of a baby wearing a cute green jacket and standing in a green field. To me these images go away from "cute little baby" in two ways. One, like I said before, the images are actually a little creepy when looking at the faces of the children and their eyes. Two, the children appear to be in their own little world where there are no adults, it's almost like an alternate reality. The image "Isabella" in particular is creepy to me, mostly because of her eyes. The children also look very doll like in the images which I think also makes them less natural looking and in turn adds to the creepiness of the images. Overall, I think the photos are amazing but I can't escape from the thought that these children just don't look normal to me, but I think that is done purposefully.

Source: Loretta Lux, copyright 2005

Bruce Davidson

One of Bruce Davidson's series is called "Subway" and contains pictures regarding the subways of New York. One image that I like from this series is of two women waiting for a train on opposite sides of a track/divider. They are in shadow so you can't see their facial features.  I like the composition of the photo a lot, because the women and the tracks make up the right part of the photo, but on the left you can see down below to the cars traveling along a road and it makes for an interesting contrast. Another image that I like is of a sunset over the city, with a train traveling along a track in the distance that leads right to the center of the photograph. There are a few things that I do not particularly enjoy about this photo though. In the upper left corner there are dark clouds, but to me there are not enough of them and it is only a distraction from the rest of the photo. If the clouds came into the photo more I think that it would improve the image composition instead of taking away from it. One other image that I like is of white walls covered in grafitti, with a girls head in the bottom of the image, as if she is sitting on a step or something. I like this photo because I think that the graffiti is very interesting, but what really makes the photo work is the girl in the bottom of the image. Without the girl the photo seems quite boring and usual, nothing too interesting. However, when the graffiti and the girl are placed together it makes for a very interesting composition and a unique photograph.

Source: Bruce Davidson: Subway; copyright 2004

Andrew Zuckerman

I first saw Andrew Zuckerman's photography while in Anthropologie. One of his books, entitled "Bird", was for sale and I decided to flip through it. I was immediately in love with his photography. His pictures are cut so that there is no background, only the bird flying through empty space. The photos have an almost unreal quality to them which makes you initially questions whether they are photos or drawings or paintings. One of my favorite images is the back of a parrot as it is taking flight. The colors of the bird are amazing and the wings are stretching out forming an almost heart-like shape as it takes flight. Another image that I love is of a brown eagle with yellow eyes staring straight into the lens. His mouth is slightly open and he seems to have a look of "what are you doing?" on his face. The detail in Zuckerman's images is exquisite. In each photo, it seems as if the bird is right in front of you, literally within 2 feet from you. I really like his technique of cropping out the rest of a photo so that you focus on the bird alone and the background of the image does not take anything away from that.

Source: "Bird" by Andrew Zuckerman, copyright 2009

Andrea Camuto

Andrea Camuto is a photographer who intends "to give voice to those who have been made silent by circumstance and war". Her one series focuses on Afghan refugees returning to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. In each of her images you can see a story of the people that are in them. My favorite image in this series is entitled "Broken Mirror" and it shows the reflection of a man holding his child in a broken mirror. On the sides of the photo are some sort of box and what appears to be a small container of alcohol. To me the image shows grief and hurt from seeing the destruction of a home upon return to it. However, the image also portrays hope in the little boy who will be able to grow up in a better time. Another image that I like is of a little girl holding the head of a baby doll, with no body attached. My favorite thing about the image is that it is mostly light and the little girl appears very dark as the focal point of the image. She appears to be comforting the doll head, telling it that everything will be okay. One image that I like which is not from Afghanistan is "Children Make Scrambled Eggs on Soda Cans", taken in Cambodia. I like this image because a group of about 15 children are all gathered around in a small area making their own food. To me it resembled a Girl Scout camping trip from when I was younger, experimenting with ways to make food and learning that not everything worked out as planned. The children seemed determined in their quest, and overall it is just an enjoyable image to look at.

Source: Black & White Magazine, Issue 71, December 2009

Jin Peng

After an earthquake in Sichuan in 2008, Jin Peng went there, to his home country, to photograph the destruction. Instead of photographing the chaos and rescue efforts, he captures the silence of the ruins in a very beautiful way. Some photos show destroyed buildings and rubble, but others include statues and wall art, portraying a sense of beauty and hope in overcoming the destruction. My favorite image is of a brick building with a giant crack in it. The photo is a close up showing only one section of the building. There are sculpted leaves on the building and other artistic elements which show the beauty of the building winning out over the crack of destruction. Another image shows a bridge that has fallen in half and has water flowing over it in the center. It looks strangely natural, as if the scene was a piece of artwork in and of itself, not something that had been destroyed.

Source: Black & White Magazine, Issue 71, December 2009