Matthew Ross

Matthew Ross

Henrik Knudsen,  "Lyme Regis"

Unknown

            It was hard for me to find a photo that really keeps my attention for long enough to think about all it has to offer. From a composition side alone, it has just about everything I look for when I try and take photos.  I never noticed the light post balancing out the more prominent picture of the fisherman. I also love the sort of grey line between land and water due to the color pallet of the image. It has a minimalist vibe that still doesn't fail to illicit plenty of different emotions. It really makes me think about living a simpler life where you actually have the opportunity to just get up and fish. In today's time when everyone is so preoccupied by so many different things in life, I almost feel like we're all missing out on something really special in terms of enjoying simplicity.

Siena Avila

Siena Avila
Robert Mapplethorpe, "Lisa Lyon"

1982, gelatin silver print

I chose this image because, to me, it depicts unsexualized feminine beauty. Lisa Lyon's body and lifestyle deviate from that which is sold as desirable for a woman in the western world. She is a bodybuilder and allows her body hair to grow long; both seen as masculine practices unbecoming of a woman. Yet she is still beautiful. The viewer's eyes are drawn along her figure and her curves are noticeable, but not exactly sexy. She is beautiful, but not objectified. This is strengthened, I think, by Mapplethorpe's skills in photographing portraits. This image also stood out to me because I see myself in Lyon. My body differs from that which is desired in a similar way to hers. I have distinct arms and shoulders as well, and, while personally this is more of an insecurity rather than something curated, I feel a sense of my own beauty through hers.

Daisy Tellez

 

Daisy Tellez
Annie Liebovitz (American, born 1949),
"Jeff Koons and La Cicciolina" 1991, c-print

Annie Liebovitz is a celebrated American photographer best known for her engaging celebrity portraits. She began working as a commercial photographer at Rolling Stones magazine in the 1960s, and still regularly contributes to Vanity Fair and Vogue. I chose this artist because I became intrigued by the emotion each image contained. In her work, she captures her subject's personality, inner life, and intimate moments.  Her images reveal the playful and expressive aspects of her models, for instance, the "Jeff Koons and La Cicciolina" that was photographed in 1991 for a wedding picture. This image was taken to use as a front image of their invitation.

Guillermo Fregoso

Guillermo Fregoso
Kevin Carter "Struggling Girl"
1993

This photo was taken by Kevin Carter who won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. This photo is about a starving child from South Sudan who is being watched by a vulture, a creature who feeds on dead beings. The child was attempting to try reaching a United Nations feeding center in Ayod, but collapsed in the foreground. This picture caught my attention because it is so powerful, that it humbles everyone in America. I chose this image because from this one photo, it is trying to send a message to the people with meaning behind the image. A child dying of starvation who will soon be fed to a vulture, which gives the people opportunity to check reality as to how well their lives are, compared to those of the starving, helpless children. This is showing the truth about the world that not everyone has a peaceful happy life.

Megan Wissner

Megan Wissner

Sally Mann "Candy Cigarette"

1989, Gelatin Silver Paint

I selected this image because there is a sense of innocence but also she is showing that she is mature and in charge. The photo was part of the Immediate Family Series she did which she incorporated her own children in doing. The girl in the photo is clearly too young for a cigarette but the ways she is posing with it looks like she is does it all time. The cigarette happens to just be one of those candy ones, so that can also represent her youth. The girl in the back most likely her sister is not seen so we can only depict why Sally would have her in the pic. I think it might be because it shows her being there with her sister so it shows the fun and youthfulness of children, but she isn't looking at her sister because of her holding and that represents the bad in the world. 

Daen White

Daen White

Alexey Titarenko, "Rainy Day"

2006, Toned gelatin silver print

    This image is part of a series of pictures taken by Alexey Titarenko centering around the city of Havana. Upon first seeing this photo, I was struck with a feeling not quite like unease, and can best be described as a person that is simply wandering and waiting for something to happen. The eye is drawn to a focal point in the picture, forcing it to travel up the scarcely populated road and the figures that inhabit it. No details can be made out from these figures, and they all have a somewhat ghostly feel. The rain only further emphasizes ethereal environment in combination with the crooked nature of the buildings and the roads. The greyscale puts the finishing touches on this sensation, blending the environment into one unnatural feeling.

Sebastian Meza

Sebastian Meza
Tim Kellner
"Headed into the new year," 2017

This photography shows an empty foggy road leading to who knows where in the middle of nowhere. I appreciate the emptiness of this image because anyone can relate to it since it could have been shot literally anywhere. The fog adds on to the question of where this image was taken. The fog is also what makes this image stand out. I relate to this image because sometimes I question myself where it is that I am going. It gives vibes that one has during an existential crisis in not knowing what comes next. It could be something scary in not knowing, but also something exciting because better things ought to come.
I have been a fan of Tim Kellner for a couple of years now. His works are very eye appealing since there is always so much detail but all is kept with simplicity. He is one of my favorite photographers because most of his works give out more than aesthetics. They put you in the moment of that shot. Not only is he an amazing photographer, but he is also a cinematographer and that interests me a lot being a TV Production major.

Kevin Ayala

Kevin Ayala

Robert Frank, "Trolly"

1955

I chose this image because it explains how everyone can be experiencing something drastically different at any moment in time. Personally when I'm feeling overjoyed and excited I never realize that the people are around could be feeling something on the other tail end. A perfect example is public transportation, nothing in the bus is purposely making someone feel a certain way but while we all sit in the same bus we can all be feeling extremely different emotions. In this image you can see to the far right that this woman is feeling cheery, but the man next her almost seems hopeless. These feelings are essentially opposites yet the environment around them has nothing to do with what they're feeling and both of them aren't aware of each other. 

Honestly the reason why I found this image so interesting is because I feel most people are stuck in their own world. Very few people notice that others are feeling terrible and disgusting, just because the environment they're in seems to be okay. Taking the time just to ask someone how they're doing is something that seems so small but is so important and essential.

Jose Medrano Velazquez

 

 

Jose Medrano Velazquez
Kenneth Josephson, "Chicago"
1961, gelatin silver print

Kenneth Josephson is a pioneer in conceptual photography who explores the idea of photographic truth and illusion, and how photographs can hold ideas. When discussing his work, he's mentioned the idea of shooting images that capture many possibilities. This image, which was shot under Chicago's elevated train tracks impacted me in an almost discomforting way. The figures are swallowed almost whole by the darkness that surrounds them, yet still spots of light land on their bodies. It reminds me of the countless hours I spend commuting to and from school and all the experiences I've had on Los Angeles public transit, as well as how that affects my depression. When you're underground for so long and you're always exhausted, there's this sense of weight and fear, of drowning in darkness. But then - the light in you keeps you going. There's this idea of "what if?" This photograph asks me "what if you keep going?" and "what if you find your way out of the darkness?"

Alex Redd

 

Alex Redd
Bruce Davidson, "Subway"
1980

I chose this image as I believe it exemplifies why Davidson set out to do this series, as it perfectly explores an inhabitant of New York's subway. The intensity of the subject's expression paired with the graffiti in the background perfectly portrays what it is like to lock eyes with a stranger on the subway. The scar on the man's face and his unusually colored garb all lend to this sense of mystery that draws you into the image. Even more interesting is the story behind the picture. This man didn't initially want his photo taken until Davidson showed him his portfolio and once he agreed to the photo, he gave Davidson his address so he could send the man prints of the photos. However, when Davidson sent the prints, the returned weeks later with a red stamp that read: "RETURNED TO SENDER—MOVED—LEFT NO ADDRESS". Adding to the mystery of the man in the photo.