Author: cywbeatriz

This book was bought from The Photographer Gallery. It was the first time known Nick Turpin, a street photographer. I was attracted by the book cover because the image seemed like a painting. After reading the book, I really stuck on his work.

Nick spent three winters between 5.30pm and 7.30pm to shoot these images. He used long lens to achieve the portrait of people who took the bus travelling home from their jobs. Because of raining day making the environment inside the bus humid, the observation to these people became easily. I think the biggest challenge is standing in the cold and wet weather to observe a sudden that is unpredictable. The camera must being ready in any moment.

What resonates most is the drawing on the window. This behaviour would be interesting for children. The figures would keep on the glass even the mist is gone. Until the next humid time, the drawing might show again. So the new combination with new passengers makes unique image.

I fancy this project because I like to observe people on the street. The colour of bus makes the photos more interesting and vitality. My work is used to be black and white, maybe influence by Japanese and Taiwanese photographer. Through Nick’s work, I think bringing more colour to street photography might make photos more reality.

Earlier I mention this work is like a painting, I think it could be developed into a combination. This idea can match with my project “Uncertain Reality”. Distinguishing the reality and virtuality maybe is not important in this digital society, but eyes would be cheated especially in some blurry area. Bringing out this thought can make audience aware.

Tim Walker is a fashion photographer. The first time I heard and accessed Tim Walker’s work was in V&A. That was a wonderful experience in the “Wonderful Things” exhibition. It brought me into a wonderland which looked like the fairy tale.

The most remarkable work was this series, that I enjoyed the work and the exhibiting method. The main aim of the wood box was protecting the clothes. The photographs relating to this series were protect in wood frames. That made me so impressive.

This series of shadow inspired me the thought of reality and virtual theory. How the shadow exists? If there’s a shadow, can it prove the reality?

This series also brought me deep into the fantastical story. The elements such as princess’s dress, soft colour tone and some foggy made the atmosphere more uncertain that I felt I was not in an exhibition.

The portraits Tim Walker shot were seemed like making a new character. That’s likely he creates his own world through his work.

After seeing Tim’s work, I learned how to use imagination to create the fantasy world. The first thing is going crazy. (Just joking)

Using smoke to create the foggy scene makes the image into an unpredictable phenomenon. Using black object to create an uncertain reality shows the mystery. Creating an unordinary character presents the difference of the reality. All what I learned is creating a new planet. That’s why someone said “Imagination is your superpower”. Tim’s work brings me into the new field of photography. As an artist, being more creative is still my aim. Keep work on it!

“I hate the word ‘celebrity.’ I’ve always been more interested in what people do than who they are, and I hope that my photographs reflect that. I have the opportunity to work with people who are the best actors, and writers, and athletes, and dancers – a broad spectrum. I feel like I’m photographing people who matter, in one way or another. I’m photographing my time.”
— Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is a well-known female portrait photographer. The first photo that I recognised her was John Lennon and Yoko Ono which took on the day Lennon was murdered. In the screen, I can feel full of love between this couple.

She is a fashion photographer. Though her work with celebrities, the portraits make me feel emotional. She is not only doing her job, also makes friends with them. They will behave more real and comfortable in front the person who they trust, that is what I learn from her. So before taking a portrait, the communication is important.

I like the colour tone of her fashion photographs. It shows between the reality and fiction.

“Good Jeans” the series of work she took for Vogue is recently my favourite. These photos seem to be unfinished work because they showed the rough background of the studio. But why every thing should be perfect? Maybe that how I treat to my jeans, nice but rough.

I learn a lot from Annie’s work because she works with people, especially celebrities. I rarely take portrait for who I do not familiar with. Maybe I do not make connection with them, so I feel hard to do it. For further work, I should try how to take comfortable and confidence portrait. While, the lighting she make also a great lesson to learn. By seeing the recording of her working process, lighting brings an important role in fashion and portrait photography, especially taking group portrait.

Moriyama is a Japanese photographer who takes photo for over 50 years. One of his series of work “Record” is continuing recording and publishing. This series is documenting how he engaged the city. The photos mostly come with rough grainy and blurry monochrome that makes his unique style. His work is close to urban life, so that is include the dark side of the city.

The ways he seeing the city are quite special from others. Sometimes the advertisement board would be in his work presenting an interesting view.

“To copying the outside world, I keep copying those copies, and then the copies of those copies. And while I’m at it, I even copy my own image.” he said. That why some of his work shows himself.

Moriyama is also a writer. “Memories as a dog” is not only a photo book also an autobiography of Moriyama. The stray dog is metaphor of himself. He wrote the memories from his family, work, friends to relationship. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, he shot the environment around him – the streets and alleyways around his Shinjuku home, the roads on which he travelled, the television which he watched. The words and photos relevant strongly emphasis his mood.

Moriyama is a street photographer. What I learn from his work is following your heart to observe the world, even a tiny corner in the city. Recording daily life is a nice way to keep the memories, that is the prove of your living. As a photographer, observation is the most important way to get the inspiration. While, his personal photography style is the one that I should learn cause it shows the identity of myself.

“I don’t invent anything. I imagine everything…Most of the time, I was inspired by my everyday life. I believe it is the most sincere and humble depiction of reality, of the most trivial, that leads to the fantastic.” –Brassaï

The first time I saw Brassaï’s photos was in V&A, series of Graffiti. At that time I did not really pay attention on who’s the photographer of these artworks, I just knew I like the photos. While I saw Brassaï’s exhibition in Foam, a photography gallery in Amsterdam, I suddenly noticed I was already a fan of Brassaï. After exploring lots of his work, I totally became a big fan of him.

His work “Paris de Nuit” played a great example of night photography. The long exposures of night photography was totally not the trend in 1920’s and 1930’s. The European photography at that time celebrated mobility and speed. But his images showed sharp and stable.

Brassaï was observation on street and even in social occasion. He took a lot of photos of people engaging in entertainment at night. These photos presented the reality of different social class and the desire of humanity.

Brassaï’s work inspired me of exploring the shadow. The shadow would not only show under sunlight, also happen in night time. Even the dark side of the city, it still shows the reality. I really enjoy his night photography cause at that time he insisted his own way to record what he saw. That brought me stunning and respect. Further I will spend time on analysing his work to make my practice developing.

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Reference

Brassai “No Ordinary Eyes” (Thames & Hudson , London, 2000)