Inspiration for portrait project: Alec Soth



     Alec Soth is an American photographer known for his large-scale projects that explore themes of American life, isolation, and the passage of time. Born in 1969 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Soth gained international recognition with his 2004 photobook Sleeping by the Mississippi, which features poetic and melancholic images of people and landscapes along the Mississippi River.

    His photo often focuses on the subject’s feelings such as loneliness, depression, and their complicated experience in the United States. Also, he drives around the USA to look for his inspiration. Many of the objects in his photographs don’t seem as interesting as the other photographs taken. However, his skill in integrating the object and environment makes the photography dramatic. 

    His photo usually puts a spot on people who don’t get photographed a lot. This is because he wants to see what the person is rather than visual pleasure. When he was working for a fashion company, he worked with models. He says that he stopped working with models because they know how to be attractive in front of the camera. It is something like what they are interested in, what they like to do, or what they don’t like. His photos show a little bit of awkwardness in the subjects since he believes the feeling shows who they are. I will also try to capture it. Sometimes he uses flash as an adaptability to varied lighting conditions, which is from his experience as a newspaper photographer. It creates the distinctive look that flash imparts to photographs. He notes that flash can introduce a certain quality of humor or aggression to an image, adding layers of meaning and engagement.

    This is one of his portrait photos. A guy is standing, holding two airplane toys in his hands. The background is just dried-up nature that is usually considered as boring. There are some blocks and a little dirty sheet on the ground. In total, he managed to make the photo look interesting image due to the unusual setting and the subject. Many photos in fashion magazines show their beautiful products, models, and bright colors today, but his approach seems to go against that. That is why his photos stand out. 

    For this portrait project, I want to employ a person who is attractive but is not used to being photographed, showcasing what they are and their interests. I will employ an ordinal environment that relates to the subject and has minimal direction on how they act in front of the camera. In addition, I will incorporate flash just like his style.  





Sauces:
https://museemagazine.com/features/2023/4/17/from-our-archives-alec-soth?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://aboutphotography.blog/blog/advice-for-young-artists-by-alec-soth?utm_source=chatgpt.com
















コメント

コメントを投稿

このブログの人気の投稿

Color and Light: Chip Simons

イメージ
I am a dog by Chip Simons      I chose to write about Chip Simons, the photographer who knows his style - vivid colors, wide-angle lenses, and unique lighting skills. He was born in Ohio in 1958, and he started photography at the age of seven. His skill got into it during high school in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and pursued art of photography at Kutztown University and the University of New Mexico later.  Light Painting by Chip Simons ( Light Painting )      Simon's work is often characterized by his humor and surrealism, featuring animals, interesting camera angles, and lighting. One of his representative works is "I am a dog" as you can see at the top. You can see all the photos from this link ( I am a dog link ). The colors and the extraordinary camera angle express the dog's goofiness and personality, and even let viewers explore the different characteristics of each dog. This series spread his name all over the world when Andy Warhol's interview ...
続きを読む

Edward Honaker

イメージ
       He is an American photographer, and self-portraiture is his main style. His photographs primarily represent his anxiety and discouragement. He was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 19, and he projects his experience into his work. In most of his works, he uses a form of expression that hides his face. Personally, I like this expression because it makes the photographs look like a group of people rather than a specific individual. It allows the viewer to see mental health issues, which can affect anyone, as his or her own, rather than as a specific individual's problem. It can also be seen as a way of saying that the feeling of insecurity is something that anyone can feel and that this insecurity can lead to an inability to sustain oneself and, ultimately to a loss of self.      Another characteristic of his photography is black and white. Black-and-white photography does not rely on color, so the composition and visual interest of the photogra...
続きを読む