My first photograph is "Identical Twins" by Diane Arbus. Arbus was known for photographing the abnormal moments in people. I have always found it easy to do this with multiples. This idea has always attracted me to the idea of photographing multiple to see how easily this may or may not be and what would come of the project. What I really find successful about this photograph is its blocks of tones. The clear black, white, and grey tones are visibly blocked out into different areas of the image which creates a dynamic feeling for such a static pose. This blocking makes the other wise weak and average composition and printing successful. To see more of Arbus' work click here.
My next image is one from Rineke Dijkstra in her beach portrait series. What attracted me to this image was its simple subject and bold colors. The subject is relaxed and centered but yet clearly posed. This is even more accentuated by the direct light and clear visible background. The sense of the light is also very clearly portraiture and seems kind of off in the setting yet not so off that the viewer can't accept it. Finally the bold tones and bright warm color in the middle of a cool toned setting makes the image pop even further. To view more of Dijkstra's work click here.
The final image for this week is Route 14, New Mexico. It is part of a series titled Stranded by photographer Amy Stein. The series is about the corruptions in American government post Hurricane Katrina. Stein spent five years working on this project as she traveled across the US to photograph broken down cars. During this time she marked each location on a Google Map which you can visit here. The cars are both symbolic for the American destiny and literal for their breakdowns. What I found most attractive about the photograph itself was its sense of atmosphere. The viewer clearly recognizes that haunting feeling of being lost and broken down on a creepy and eerily generic road. I think the thing that makes this so clear is its ambiguity in location. The viewer can put his or her own experiences on the photograph without being deterred by road markers, license plates or anything that is distinct of a specific area. To view more of Stein's work click here.
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