"Drink Coca Cola," Weegee

“Drink Coca Cola”

Weegee

1942

Weegee was a very smart photographer, especially for what he was interested in, crime scenes. He had a police radio and would always listen in on what was going on in the community. As soon as he heard a murder happened, he would go straight to the scene of the crime and take pictures, before the police arrived, and before they started taking evidence and other photographs.

This picture makes me laugh because it is titled “drink coca cola,” so it represents what happens when you do drink coca cola, or take it. But really by the looks of his clothes and shows, he looks well taken care of or wealthy, so I am sure he’s not homeless and really didn’t die of a drug over dose, cocaine or “cola,” from the title. He may have gotten murdered from standing there or walking by, so he’s just trying to tell us that it was drugs, when it may have not been.  

Adams, The Tetons-Snake River, 1942

Adams, The Tetons-Snake River, 1942

Ansel Adams is very significant in the history of photography.  Ansel developed the Zone system for photography.  I’m sure if he hadn’t discovered this many photographers would not be where they are today.  The Zone System is a method of determining the difference between how you actually visualize your picture and how it looks once the photographer has taken it.  Helping the photographer choose proper exposure and contrast as well. 

The picture I have chosen is “The Tetons-Snake River”.  This picture instantly blew me away because you can see so much depth.  The contrast in this picture brings out all of the small bumps, and turns in the land.  It is a black and white photo but it seems like so much more than that when you look at it.  It seems as though there are several colors in it, the snow, the clouds, the river, and the trees are all different shades showing major contrast.

Symbolic Mutation, Jerry N. Uelsmann, Print, 1961.

Symbolic Mutation, Jerry N. Uelsmann, Print, 1961.

Born in Detroit, Michigan and developed an interest in photography as a high school student. Graduated in photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1957.  He studied under Henry Holmes Smith, a professor at Indiana University.  His most important teacher and influence in his life. He later became a photography professor at the University of Florida in 1960 and was a graduate research professor of art at the University of Florida.  He is retired.  His work is well known worldwide. Displayed in museums and art galleries and shows.  He currently has five books in print.  

His work is significant in photography because of the ways he used the darkroom to create ‘photoshop’ affects. 

I really like his work.  I love ‘photo-shopped’ images and pretty much all of his work is that way. Makes things very dramatic and creates a whole new meaning to photography.  I think it is interesting that he doesn’t title the majority of his work.  It sort of leaves the interpretation up to the viewer.  

Mississippi Delta Children

Mississippi Delta Children

Dorthea Lange

Black and White

1936

Dorthea Lange was an independent portrait photographer around 1917. She took pictures of homeless people during the Great Depression to draw awareness to the crisis that was going on. In 1935 she joined the Farm Security Administration and took pictures of the hopelessness (as well as the pride) of the people during those hard times. One picture, the Migrant Mother, was the iconic picture that really made her famous.

Personally, this picture seems very solemn and the kids seem like they don’t have a family because it’s just showing the kids; there are no adults. The two kids in the center seem like they are the oldest because of all the younger children encircled around them and the girl looks like she’s keeping an eye out on someone outside of the picture.

Josef Albers

Trees Covered in Snow, 1950s

Black and White Photograph

            Josef Albers was born in Bottrop, Germany on March 19, 1888. He taught design courses in Germany from 1922 to 1933 when he moved to the U.S. At this point he was the head of the painting program at Black Mountain College, before becoming the head of the design program at Yale. Albers used his knowledge of other arts in his photography, which helped to instill photography as an art form.

            This photograph is by no means a masterpiece, but is still pleasing to the eye. There is almost a perfect balance between the white snow and the dark trees, and the viewer’s eyes are drawn into the distance as if they are looking for something hidden among the trees. I personally like the feeling of solitude that comes across from the picture, as the trees block out any possible piece of society.

London, Robert Frank

London 

Robert Frank

Robert Frank often showed images like this that were controversial. Many of his well known images showed unfavorable areas of American lifestyle or habits. With his pattern of dampening reputation I feel like he may be trying to convey a similar message in this photograph.  

This picture shows London, England as a dim and macabre place. The main subject is a man wearing a jet black suit and is focused and contrasted nicely. The rest of the image is dull and hazy but it enhances the man the closest man to the subject has bad posture, he is leaning his head forwards a little with his collar up, this helps enhance the main subjects posture. It almost seems like he is fearlessly charging because his arms are folded behind him, exposing his frontside to the haze and uncertainty the London fog emits. He could also be seen with a relaxed or comfortable posture heading into a dark era with a positive feeling. 

Coal Miner, West Virginia

Eddie Adams was born June 12 1933, and died at the age of 71 on September 19, 2004.

He won a Pulitzer Prize and was noted for his photographs of politicians, celebrities, and of the thirteen wars that he photographed. Eddie was served in the Marine Corps as a combat photographer. He also won the George Polk Award in 1967, 1977, and 1978 for News Photography.

This picture looks a little sad. There is a guy who has been working in the mines all day, who looks beat, and all he has is his little horse. There is no one else around which makes it look like he is all alone, which makes me feel bad for him. And on top of him being alone, his horse doesn’t look to healthy either.

Jane Bown: Photo Brassai 1982

Jane Bown is a British photographer who takes portraits. She works for the Observer in the United Kingdom and has made her portraits of the 20^th and 21^st century famous and had been set up in London in 1980 for viewing. Her photos are always black and white and of people.

Her photograph of Brassi in 1982 really stood out to me. I like the look of this old man because he looked as if he has forgotten something or is confused and he is dressed as if he is at a wedding. His tie is black but his head is shinny and almost white which really stands out. The contrast looks amazing. I’m drawn to looking at his eyes since they are sticking out and his pupils are very dark. His facial expressions also stand out very well. I think this is a great portrait.  

Ernst Haas: “Misty Heights”

 I was initially attracted to this image because it made me think of A_____’s Symbol project. I remember our group brainstorming how to symbolize a cross without using the cross itself. This image is a great example of how this idea could be carried out as a beautiful image. While this image has the cross symbol, it is also a great image despite the symbolism. The mist adds an element of mystery and the angle is slightly misleading because at first I thought it was looking down from above the skyscrapers, but the lines of the buildings made me realize it was looking up at the skyscrapers from the streets below. From the first interpretation, it is mysterious because I wondered how high the buildings must be to be so high above the mist, triggering a slight fear from feeling to high above the ground. From the second interpretation, it is difficult to imagine how high the buildings tower over the viewer due to the interruption caused by the mist, making it feel as if the mist is encroaching on viewer, coming to surround them in a terrifying manner.

Ernst Haas immigrated to New York City in 1951, where he worked for Life magazine on a project called “Images of Magic City”. He photographed mostly documentary style and had an overwhelming influence on generations of photographers through essays as well as his photographs. While the image I chose is black and white, he also photographed beautifully in color. Before he found photography he attempted medical school before becoming a painter and discovering photography. He was a man with appreciation for all art forms and believed photography went beyond taking pictures and into a form of poetic expression.

The Three Thirds

Title: The Three Thirds

Artist: Minor White

Medium: Gelatin silver print

Year Produced: 1957

Minor White was involved with other photographers, such as Ansel Adams and Alfred Stieglitz and was influenced by both of them. His typical work usually was of things that were usually considered “mundane”, such as windows, sides of buildings, doors, the sky, etc. To make these objects appear much more interesting, he would wait for specific lighting opportunities to photograph them in.

I really like the meaning behind the piece. The “three thirds” caused by the window, the middle boarded section and the broken window implies three stages of life. The whole window is bright, whole and reflecting the sky represents youth, the middle with the boards in the center represents middle age, and the broken window represents old age. It’s just such an interesting way to represent aging, instead of using something like stages of a flower’s life or actual people of varying ages.

Alexander Gardner “Execution of Conspirators” July 7, 1865

Alexander Gardner  “Execution of Conspirators” July 7, 1865

Collodion Glass-Plate

Alexander Gardner was born in Paisley, Scotland in 1821. His interest in photography began in 1851 after he saw Mathew Brady photography at the Great Exhibition in London. He began working for Brady after he moved to the U.S. in 1856. During the Civil War, he was the staff photographer under General George McClellan. His photograph of President Lincoln was the last ever taken of the President, and he was the only photographer at the execution of the assassination conspirators.

Gardner did well in capturing historical events and people during the civil war. The image of the Execution of Conspirators has good composition, as it follows the rule of thirds and appears balanced. Viewing the deaths of four people by hanging is slightly unsettling, but that feeling is surpassed by surprise as I recognized that only a few in the crowd are looking at the execution. This makes the image feel much more interesting than it would if everyone was looking directly at those hanging.

Nadar, The Photographer's Wife, 1853.

Nadar, The Photographer's Wife, 1853.

Nadar is significant to the history of photography for a couple of reasons.  He started out drawing caricatures of well known political and cultural figures which "instantly made him a celebrity".  He was the first in france to photograph under ground and use artificial light, and the first to photograph Paris in the basket of a hot air balloon.  He did several other things to make himself well known, these are just a few to mention along the lines of photography.  

The photograph is amazing I think.  The woman is wearing mostly black and a little white, with a black background.  The contrast in the picture, and where the white is placed in her jacket makes her stand out nicely in a black background.  The angle to the her face is straight on and the rest of her body is angled back, and she is right in the middle of the photo, but I think this all works for the picture because it gives it a since of seriousness, but it's almost like she is talking to you saying "hi, nice to meat you!" The angle of her body and the picture makes it seam like a sweet introduction.      

Magasin, avenue des Gobelins

Artist: Eugene Atget

Photo: Magasin, avenue des Gobelins

Date: 1925

Medium: Gelatin silver print, 8 1/4 x 6 1/2"

Eugene Atget was born in Bordeaux, France in 1856 and died in 1927. As an orphan after his parents died in 1861, Atget was raised by his uncle. As a young boy, he went out to sea as a cabin boy. When older, Atget tried to do theater, but was usually the villain in the plays he was casted to. After some time in shows, Atget turned to photography. He took photographs of throughout the city of Paris.

I like thispicture because, when I first looked at it, the main focus is the manikins (or maybe they are just creepy looking people) and the clothes that are being advertised in the shops windows. But the more I look at it, there is the reflection of others stuff. There is some tree and a building that’s across the street. It is cool how he took a picture of the store, but used the windows as a mirror to get more in the picture.  

Blog #2-Marion Post Wolcott

Colored Maids with Child, Marion Post Wolcott, Black and White photo, 1940

Marion Post was born in New Jersey in 1910 to a “well-to-do” family. Her parents divorced in 1923. She was close with her mom who introduced her to art. When Marion was older she was part of a group called FSA (Farm Security Administration) who sent her out during the Great Depression. It really opened her eyes to what kind of economic and racial fractures there were during that time. She also went to Austria during Hitler’s rein and really experienced what Nazism was like and how harsh it was in Europe.

At first I didn’t understand why this photograph was so significant besides the lighting and contrast are really good but after I researched Marion Post I think I started to understand why this is such an important photo. The conclusion I was getting was because she was a somewhat sheltered girl when she was younger and then experiencing all of these things during the Depression and Holocaust it made her truly dislike all forms of racial intolerance. This photo helps point out the racial intolerance Americans had during those times.

Martha Graham in "Letter to the World"

By: Barbara Morgan

Date: 1941

Barbara Morgan is an American photographer who was originally a painter and hadn’t realized the extent of photography until she met Edward Weston, when she began experimenting with and other types of photography. She has a reputation as being an expressionist and a modernist. At the beginning of other photographer career, she met dancer Martha Graham and was inspired by her, driving her to compile her work “Letter to the World”.

This image captures the dancer’s movement and emotion to create a beautiful photo. The lack of texture in the background makes the dancer’s dress stand out with the wrinkles highlight the movement that is taking place, making it obvious that the subject is in deed moving when the photo is taken rather than just posing in one spot for the photographer.  

“Ezra Pound, Poet, Rutherford, New Jersey”

“All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.”
–Richard Avedon

This is a portrait by Richard Avedon titled “Ezra Pound, Poet, Rutherford, New Jersey”, taken on June 30, 1958. Avedon was a brilliant American photographer, famous for his ability to use minimalism in his portraits while appearing very intimate with his subjects and their flaws to capture their “essence”. Avedon worked with Vogue, but combined commercial/fashion photography with fine arts, creating stunning photos that could sell while still being artistically appealing.

I find this photo interesting because the subject, Ezra, is so striking, even without any detail of the surroundings. Ezra seems to just have his eyes closed, but with his wrinkles, it is hard to determine whether he is experiencing pain, disgust, shame, or any other intense emotion. I find myself wanting to know more about the subject and am not sure why such a simple photo engages me so deeply.  

Arbus, Diane: Boy With a Toy Hand Grenade, 1962

Diane Arbus started out as a photographer for publicity in her father’s department store, and moved into the world of photography after World War II. She moved away from commercial photography and delved into more artistic methods. She specialized in the realm of severe emotions; she wished to convey severe mood shifts in her works, which could be related to her mental stability.

I have seen this piece numerous times in the past and it has always been one of my favorites. This piece is menacing and bold. A boy holding a grenade, with the expression as if he is about to murder all that pass through the park, resides in the middle of the picture plane. This confronts the viewer and imposes on them. I feel like this boy is looking at me, and might channel his violence my way.

Alexander Rodchenko: Stairs

                Alexander Rodchenko is a Russian artist who did photography starting in 1924. He loved to shoot his photos from angles not common which tended to be way above or below the subject. The photo “Stairs” was taken in the early thirties. It is an awesome picture since it is mainly very light or very dark there middle gray isn’t there.

                Personally I like that he takes his photos from a different perspective. It creates the feeling that some items are smaller than others when realistically they aren’t. I also like that a lot of his photos have very dark areas and light areas, not much middle making everything look much focused.

Jacob Riis Italian Rag pickers

Jacob Riis

Italian Rag pickers

New Jersey, 1888

This photo's subjects include a older woman holding her child. During this time, many lower-class American citizens along the east coast had taking up rag picking. Rag picking is basically taking litter and abandoned goods off the streets to sell and pawn after cleaning. It developed the name through originally finding rags in the streets or garbage and washing them to sell to others. These subjects were some of the many Riis would take pictures of at night. Being one of the first flash photographers, Riis liked to capture the New York slums at it's most feared hours.

Riis's photography was loved my the working and lower class. It showed the poverty endured by homeless and lower class Americans. It helped show the upper and middle class the masses of unemployed and how impoverished they were. Some argue that Riis's work shows how the immigrant populations would live together in large numbers just to save and not spoil themselves, but most believe his work was intended to inform the world of what they chose to ignore.

“Thomas Carlyle”

“Thomas Carlyle”

Julia Margaret Cameron

Albumen print

1867

Julia Margaret Cameron photographed many of her family and friends. She had her chance to photograph Thomas Carlyle, but she had to wait patiently for him, he was busy writing On Heros, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History. He only sat once for her, and she was only able to shoot two photographs, a frontal view and a side view. Attached is the frontal view. She also photographed many other famous people such as Charles Darwin, Sir John Frederick William Herschel, and George Frederick Watts.

I thought Julia Margaret Cameron did a fantastic job getting the photograph of Thomas Carlyle, especially since she was only allowed a brief time with him plus only getting two shots of him. The part that intrigued me even more was that both photographs turned out! They may be a little grainy and have some fingerprints on them, but for the most part they developed perfect! Reminds me of the pinhole prints, they all had a unique appearance about them, but for the most part turned out.

Dorothea Lange "Migrant Cotton Picker" Black & White, 1940

Dorothea Lange "Migrant Cotton Picker" Black & White, 1940


This photograph was taken during the Great Dust Bowl. "The impact of the picture was based on the image showing the strength and need of migrant workers." She photographed the poor and the starved and the hardworking American. She was the one who brought these issues to the country's attention. She photographed most of the migrant workers in the Midwest during this time period, trying to shed light on their true 
condition. 

This photograph made me feel empathy toward this man. His hands are extremely worn, and it reminds me of my father's hands. He was born two years after this photograph was taken, so it makes me wonder if that's how his father's hands looked and if this was the kind of life they lived. I liked that his hand is halfway blocking the view of his face. It makes me wonder if he was trying to hide from the camera when this photo was taken. I also like the way it's composed. It really only shows his hand and face. The rest is sort of cut off, and it makes me wonder what else could have been going on there. 

New York State Farm Interior

Title: New York State Farm Interior
Artist: Walker Evans
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Year produced: 1931 


Evans was one of many photographers who worked for the FDA documenting life 
during the Great Depression. His work focused on the time he spent living 
with and capturing the lives of three different farming families in the 
Midwest. This was significant, as it showed a much more true face to the 
reality of the United States at that time. 


I like how Evans captures a glimpse into the lives of farmers during the 
Great Depression, without involving people in the photo in the photo. It’s a 
rather disjointed and messy photo, with the pile of what looks like clothes 
in the right and the mess of objects on the cabinet, though I suppose this 
goes well with how chaotic and disjointed things were during the Great 
Depression for most people. I also really like the repetition of squares and 
rectangles in this photo, such as the chair, the hallway, and the small 
image that is hanging on the wall. I don’t think this photo would work as 
well if it didn’t have that consistent repetition of shape. 

Walker Evans *Steel Mill Workers' Houses*

Walker Evans
*Steel Mill Workers' Houses*
1936
Gelatin Silver Print 


Walker Evans, school dropout, photographed much of the great depression in his prime. He was hired by Time and Fortune magazines to supply photographic images for articles. He didn't develop most of his prints; however, he would review them. He is well known for mass producing images from the Great Depression, allowing a supply to the mass populace. He is an 
important figure because he contributed to the mass production of art. Many of his works reside in museums today, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

When I see this image, I get the sense that the industrial complex is beginning to overwhelm residential. I know this photo was taken near the end of the Great Depression, but the absence of human beings and vehicles make this image ominous. Is everyone at work? Is the economic crisis still being felt here? I think it is an interesting perspective, because the photograph is taken on a very high point, but the industrial buildings still appear higher. I feel like industry is taking over, and maybe it is the savior for this community. 

Brooklyn Family, Diane Arbus, 1966

Brooklyn Family, Diane Arbus, Black and White, 1966

Diane Arbus married when she was eighteen. She worked as a fashion photographer with her husband for a while. Then, when they split in 1959 she traveled around taking photographs of “freaks” because she thought they were exciting and interesting. One main reason she was drawn to them was because she lived “typically and sheltered from adversity” when she was younger so her photographs were something to help keep her life away from that.

At first when I saw the Brooklyn Family picture I didn’t think it was that exciting of a picture and I couldn’t understand why it was so famous. However, once I researched Arbus and this picture it started to make sense. They are a lower middle class family with a son who is mentally retarded. What makes this picture so interesting is that they try to hide their quirks and pretend that they are in fact what society would consider as “normal.”

Self Portrait as a Drowned Man

Photographer: Hippolyte Bayard

Title: Self Portrait as a Drowned Man

Year: 1840

Medium: Black and White

In France Hippolyte Bayard was born on January 20 1807 and died May 14 1887. He was one of the earliest photographer. He took thirty of his picture and put them on display and is thought to be the first photographer to put miltiple of his pictures on display.

Hoppolyte Bayard’s photograph, “Self-Portrait as a Drowned Ma”, looks a little creepy. At first it looks like he is just leaning up against the wall asleep, but the more you look at it, the more it looks like he isn’t alive. Hoppolyte Bayard looks like that he was placed in that position after he ‘drowned’ instead of floating on the water, which makes it not a creepy as it could be. Personally, I do not want to look at this picture a long time, 

*Octopus, *Coburn, Alvin Langdon, 1912 (Platinum print)

Coburn is a key figure in the development of American pictorialism because he took photos that had elevated viewpoints. He started out very young. He was given a kodak camera from an uncle in his early teens and his talent grew quickly. His cousin was already known for his photography and he had taken a few of Coburn’s prints for an exhibition in London and that’s how his career got started. 


To be one of the first to take a photo from a different prospective is definitely a highlight. It would start a whole new realm of ideas and perspectives for what is right and wrong to do in a photo. It questions people’s expectations for specific interpretations. (like the rule of thirds for example… does it make a photo inadequate to have it centered?) What’s interesting about this piece is that its lines bring your eyes to look at the whole picture. The circle in the middle of the paths is intriguing, but yet the spokes of the wheels/ or paths draw me to look at the outskirts of the photo. The shadow makes me think about what it might be a shadow of, then it is interesting to see the comparison of it vs the small trees in the park. Compositionally there is a lot going on in the photo, yet it is so simple. 

Garage, 1936 Atlanta Georgia

Walker Evans was a North American Photographer living from 1903 to 1975. His goal in photography was to make the ordinary sights interesting or beautiful in a photo. He made common places look significant. His work has been show in the Metropolitan Museum in New York previously. In the 1930s-40’s his work was mainly of farm families, of those his most famous are 8X10 and of a woman named Allie Mae Burroughs. He showed the known lifestyle in his photos.

I find Walker Evens work very interesting. His perspective lets you really know how life was like when the photos were taken. I also like the look of all the rolling tires in this picture the “Garage.” His family photos tend to be sad though, which makes it seems times were bad. His photos give off a feeling which makes me drawn in.  

*Powerhouse Mechanic*

*Powerhouse Mechanic* *Hine, Lewis* *1925* Lewis Hine often showed the impact of American Industry on it's workforce. He is most commonly known for his photography showing American poverty through children in factories or men and women constructing or working around large machines. Some of his more powerful photos were taken in industrial areas of children lining up for food, or with hardened expressions showing their frustration or damaged lifestyle created by America's thirst for Industry and it's job hungry citizens. This made Lewis Hine unique to photography, although socially controversial photos weren't undiscovered, his approach through industry and children were bold and one of a kind. Powerhouse mechanic was a powerful photograph. It showed the intense labor the common man must go through to make an honest living, and helps unveil how small we are compared to the things we depend on. It could also be interpreted as a distinction between the lower and upper class. The lower class is often shown in Hine's photography as hard working from assembly line kids to the middle aged man suspended over hundreds of feet hanging on nothing but a cable. I believe he could have been trying to send a message to the upper class or government about proper wage distribution or labor laws.