Samantha Millan

 

Samantha Millan

Andrew Birkin, "Charlotte Gainsbourg with Cigarette"

1977

I selected this image because her face immediately caught my attention – worry. She is worried that she is getting caught or she is worried of what will happen to her if she doesn't do what she is told. I began to question this image because of the audacious object she holds in her hand – a cigarette. In our generation this image can be interpreted several different ways. This can be a foreshadowing picture of 2015 where children are growing up faster than they are supposed to. Or by her haunting look, it can show how easily children are peer pressured into doing things they don't want to do, but they wouldn't be considered "cool" if they don't give in. Or holding the cigarette can be a metaphor for death because second hand smoking causes more deaths than actual smoking. Either way, children are being affected in negative ways as years go by. And it needs to change.

Maggie Ayala

Maggie Ayala
Nan Goldin, "DAVID BY THE POOL AT THE BACK ROOM, PROVINCETOWN"
1976, cibachrome print on perspex

The photo I chose is from Nan Goldin. I selected this photo because I really enjoyed the color palate. You can see many things happening, but ideally, the main focus is on David. The way he is reclined on the chair makes him look relaxed. Although he looks relaxed, it is a mystery on how he actually is feeling. His sunglasses hide his real emotion, which can be compared to those individuals who smile every day to hide their own. A smile can be deceiving because you really do not know if they actually mean it or are using it as an act that everything is okay.

Kwesi Ogunde

Kwesi Ogunde
Lee Friedlander "New York City, 1966"
gelatin-silver print printed in 1973

Lee Friedlander, an American photographer born on July 14, 1934 who became known for his ability to photograph the social landscape of the environment that he lived in.

 

The images that I tended to gravitate towards were his self-portraits because they are generally considered taboo in photography. I enjoyed them due to his black and white style and use of shadows within his photos. I also liked that there was a disturbing darkness to his images, which reminded me of a 1960's horror film. The self-portrait taken in 1966 was my favorite because I can interpret it in two different ways each time I look at it. I can look at it one way, seeing a man who feels invisible to people around him and only views himself as a shadow to others. I can also look at it another way and see that Friedlander is actually having fun with his photographs by playing his own unique joke on others around him.

Fengzhu Liu

Fengzhu Liu

Rinko Kawauchi, " Kid's eye"

2003, Utatane

I selected this image because it speaks about a moment. The light in the image really attracted  me. The light in this image was warm and made me think of my childhood. And the background was out of focus and made a comfortable environment. This image is like "listening" the world, it made the time frozen and I like the details in the image.

Cassandra Sanchez

Cassandra Sanchez
William Rosenblum, "Girl on Swing"
1938

Judged by her body and not by her mind. She's insecure, emotional, dependent, a bitch when speaking freely, is everyone just blind? 

 

The photographer William Rosenbloom took this photo of a Girl on Swing in 1938 in hopes to promote the theme of his group, the Photo League; the goal was to capture the human spirit triumphing through one's struggle in the urban environment.

Looking at this photo, Rosenbloom's skill to extend and dramatize the content can be seen through his strong diagonals of the swing and dark contrast with the bridge, to emphasize the subject, the girl.

In my interpretation, the idea of courage shown through this little girl, who is not sitting on a swing like society enforces, but standing on it, ready for what the world has in store for her is absolutely aspiring. The girl represents the journey that every woman, must face. Since the discrimination of women's limitations is so blindly occurring everywhere, we must reach beyond the path engraved for us and take a stand in order to achieve greatness.

Achelle Peinado

Achelle Peinado

Bill Brandt, "Hands on the Beach" 

1959, gelatin silver print

Bill Brandt's photo Hands on the Beach reminds me of the connection between man and nature. The repetition of the fingers and pebbles makes this hand look like a part of the environment. This photo looks so far away from the digital, busy city life that most are engulfed in. We are organic and just as pure as the pebbles, leaves, sand and ocean around us. 

This photo serves as a reminder that people are connected to this natural world.  We get stuck in our concrete jungle and forget where we derived from. There is a disconnect as a result of human righteousness and self-involvement. Sure in the grand scheme we are much different than a pebble, but there is an unexplainable energy that connects us with everything on earth. 

Qi Zhang

Qi Zhang
Larry Chen "Mustang Meltdown"
2015

I selected this image because it shows the fusion of two completely different atmospheres. This image is all about contrast--color, movement, even the emotion, between a peaceful after-snow town and a drifting race car. They should not fit each other but in this image this combination looks so natural. At this moment, the wild car breaks the peace of the small town, at the same time the small town and the snow calms the car down.

Just like our life, full of contrasts.

Jeremy Miller

 

Jeremy Miller

Phillippe Halsman, "Untitled" 

1959

I really enjoy this simple yet elegant photo of Marilyn Monroe shot by Philippe Halsman. Usually you would see a photo like this on social media, of a bunch friends or family trying to time their jump perfectly for the camera, but this one image in particular is one of the best. In 1959 it was rare to see these types of photos especially of a model and actress. Today you may see an image like this of a celebrity but it would be no surprise. This image in my opinion is a lot better than a typical photo-shoot or headshot. In the moment of her jumping in the image you can see her true excitement and child like playfulness. It also humanizes her or anyone that would be caught mid jump. Halsman did a series called 'Jump' that this shot was included in. He has many images of celebrities from that time just doing the simple act of jumping. There may be a lot of pictures now that catch people mid air of jumping, but it doesn't compare to the number of pictures of people just standing and smiling for a camera. Having someone jump brings out that true smile and excitement that anyone would have.

Ashley Kritzer

 

 
Ashley Kritzer
Duane Michals, "The Unfortunate Man"
1976, Gelatin silver print

This Photograph was taken by Duane Michals, in 1976. This picture was captured during a time in which homosexual relations was not accepted. This photo symbolizes the silence that one feels when not accepted by other due to societal norms. The angle in which this photograph is taken can show the inferior perspective of how society looks down on homosexual relationships. In addition the colorless photo is one less element of the picture that are seen by human eyes just as people often times ignore homosexual people. This inspiring image brings me to the year 1880 when the use of sign language was banned from all classrooms while the oral method of teaching out numbered the votes for being the preferred method. The social norms prohibited deaf people from signing thus causing a form of silence over their hands. Duane Michals captures the utterly beautiful piece of art that still hold true for our society. Not everyone in society will accept the concept of humans loving one another regardless of sexual orientation.

Tinn Ou

Tinn Ou

Izima Kaoru, "Hashimoto Reika Wears Milk" 

2006, C-Print, Diasec

Izima Kaoru was feeling restricted from the fashion photography industry so he decided to step away from the world of contemporary art and find the freedom he needed. He started Landscape with a Corpse, a series he started in 1993, which shows a beautiful subject, a model portrayed in the moment of her death.

 

            What really speaks to me about Izima Kaoru's image, Hashimoto Wears Milk, is his contrast in subject matter. It's beautiful and haunting at the same time. I always admired photographers who were able to take two things that completely contrasted with each other and blend them together to make one new subject. The perspective created from the tables and counter makes the image stronger. The exposure of the image creates overexposed whites that make the bright colors pop. The high angle creates a more dynamic perspective. The light fixtures on the top, frames the scene perfectly. The subject is not centered so the composition is more much more interesting and thought out. Usually an image with too many objects distracts the viewer from the main subject, but in this case, it emphasizes the subject and enhances the scene of her death.