Contact Sheet #3

Ryan McGinley - Sun and Health

I love the care free life McGinley shows in his images, they're extremely positive and refreshing which is something that when compared to other photographers work I've been looking into, isn't something i'm particually interested in portraying in my work. However this photographers work shows his life through bold bright tones/colours with interesting framing. I like how some have been clearly set up, the notion of portraiture being shown through out. This is something I could bring forward into my work - so have elements of surprise but also elements of a set up experience. I feel this would only enhance the idea of being close with the people around me - the fact that they feel comfortable to pose in front of the camera, rather than just me slyly snapping their lives. 

Anders Petersen

Like Larry Clark I like the element of black and white images to capture moments. Anders Petersen is another photographer that did this. This images are very poised and posed, however there is elements of the natural. They look more professional rather than the snapshot aesthetic I was originally exploring.  I like the range of framing and view points, not only this the confidence of the subjects he uses is apparent which is an element I really like - Connotes trust.

Jh Engstrom - La Residence, Journal 2009.

This particular work doesn't match my theme 100% but I like the idea of looking at different ways I could show my work. By putting his work in a triptych, I feel that it has been used to create a story of the situation he is capturing - you get more information about it due to the three different frames. He also has been daring with the nude shots which although they have been clearly set up, so this notion of 'invading privacy' isn't shown, I like the idea of capturing more intense, gritty images. 

Leigh Ledare - Pretend You're actually alive

Leigh Ledares work is an interesting one for me, he has the shock element and the snapshot aesthetic I want to portray in my images however I have to admit the actual topic of his work, I dislike. Images of his mother having sex with young men isn't the route I exactly want to go down but it's the fact he has taking my idea of 'invading privacy' to the extreme and has executed it extremely well.  The images below are the ones I would take inspiration from rather than showing all his work because honestly, some of them I feel are far too explicit and not my taste at all. 

Like Nan Goldins work this is expressive, shows emotion and a natural vibe. This image leads you to wonder what the mother is thinking, what the situation is, who the male is etc. It connotes a story and makes you wonder about her life or even more, feel sorry for her. The tones of this image are also very much like Goldins, they're soft yet interesting at the same time. The slight orange tone slightly contradicts / goes against the negative elements of the image. It's like the Ledare wanted to add a positive element to the image. 

Slightly different to the last image, this one has very cold blue tones. Its expressive in the fact that the mother is looking away where as Leigh Ledare himself is very aware of the camera and confident. It's a mixture of two personalities.  It's bizzarre because due to the nature of the other images it would suggest that the mother would be posed in the same way as Ledare however this could express what her actual personality is like/ current mindset. - She's not as happy with life as what it may seem. 

Larry Clark - Tulsa Series

I feel like I've hit a road block when it comes to my work, so with this I decided to look at photographers with similar ideas and themes to mine. However, they portray them differently. Larry Clarks work stuck out for me the most. His photographs are gripping and stylistic, they seem poised and carefully shot - this slightly going against most of what Nan Goldin was doing - Yet still the same due to the people he shot and the life he lead, with the drug abuse and the friendship.

His images in black and white take away the natural element of capturing the private moment, yet I also think they enhance it. It causes the viewer to look at the images in more depth, connoting you to a story. There's something beautiful about them that attracts me to make similar work - but of course still keeping the same aspects I've been researching already. There's something about black and white that makes the images look more emotive, due to the life the people led in his images, I think it represents a true deeper meaning and is portraying a serious aspect to them. 

Not only this, Clark also captures everyday objects. This is something that intrigues me due to the fact, the images are still 'snap shot' appearance and they're objects that are being used in those moments he captures. If anything they help enhance the images of the 'friends/models/family' etc. This is something I could also experiment with in my work. 

“i was born in tulsa oklahoma in 1943. when i was sixteen i started shooting amphetamine. i shot with my friends everyday for three years and then left town but i’ve gone back through the years. once the needle goes in it never comes out.” -Larry Clark

Richard Billingham

Richard Billingham is a photographer that works extremely well with my theme this term. He captures his family in their everyday life. By invading their privacy and not being scared to show his true life, he has created some astonishingly amazing, gritty and intense images. A positive I take from his images is although the subject matter is close to him, he hasn't been afraid to show them in a negative light. The images aren't particularly beautiful yet the way he has frames them and the tone really adds beauty to the scenarios - slight beauty. The snapshot aesthetic is apparent through out the series, there's clear links to Nan Goldins work.