Olivia_Lockwood_Paragraphs

Harold Feinstein:Foliage

Harold Feinstein was born in 1931, and when he passed away in 2015 he was declared “one of the most accomplished recorders of the American experience” by the New York Times. Feinstein first began photographing with color in the mid 1980’s, using a 35mm lens. He admits to setting his camera to automatic exposure, if possible for the situation, with a large depth of field, and rarely uses a tripod. In 1998, he became one of the first photographers to use a scanner to execute their photographs rather than a camera, where he used his Epson 10000 scanner. This became known as scanography. Feinstein’s collection of work titled Foliage includes photos of plants and vegetables up close with a black background. All of these photographs have a really good light source, which helps create crisp, clear, and vibrant images. The viewer is able to see fine and intricate details within the plants and vegetables due to the sharpness and contrast in the photos. Plants that are slightly damp or wet react with the light and create a really cool effect, almost as if you can touch the wetness. I hope to replicate his style by also photographing close-up plants, fruits, or vegetables with lots of fine details that can only be seen up close. In order to do this, I could create a light box of some sort, where the areas surrounding the object are very dark, with a strong and bright light source coming from above.

Gotz Diergarten: Photographs

Gotz Diergarten is a German photographer who was born in 1972. Diergarten focuses his work on strong color palettes and geometric compositions. Most of his photos are very balanced, with a centralized focal point. Many of his photographs also feature a horizon line going through the background of the image. The main subject for his photography is architecture, including houses, buildings, doorways, window frames, etc. He also focuses his work on typography and the use of colors, as well as symmetry and asymmetry. He emphasizes the typography in his images, whereas other photographers will avoid “distracting” elements such as text. His style is also quite simple, in both their compositions and color palettes. He admits in his book that he primarily uses analogue technology, rather than digital technology. He even considers digital technology to be a “pragmatic issue,” and claims it is “just a tool.” He says in an interview with Rudolf Kicken and Sven Beckstette, “I have never thought about subsequently manipulating a photograph. I am interested in images that already exist. I don’t invent images, I find them.” Diergarten pays special attention to patterns, textures, and color schemes in his photographs, and finds a way to emphasize/ enhance them for the viewer. He takes everyday scenes and captures them in an unordinarily fascinating way. One way I could go about replicating his unique style is by first finding architecture similar to the ones he photographs. Once I find good architecture to photograph, I have to find a way to create geometric or symmetrical compositions similar to his. I also have to take into consideration the color schemes of the scenes I decide to photograph. Perhaps I could use typography as my main focus for my images, and base the compositions off of the typography. 

Robert Thompson: Close-up and Macro Photography: It’s Art and Fieldcraft Techniques

Robert Thompson is a natural history photographer, born in 1961. He focuses on macro photography, which is close-up photography, usually of things that are small (like plants or bugs), making them appear much larger in the photograph than in real life. Macro photography allows for small, fine details that usually aren’t seen with the naked eye to appear. Thompson records native wildlife for scientific records using macro lenses, focusing his work on animals and plants. He mainly uses a Nikon D3 with a 35mm lens to make his images and observations, as a D3 offers much higher ISO levels, though the 35mm lens gave him some restrictions. Macro photography requires the use of flash, which the D3 also offers. Robert’s images are extremely crisp and clear, and the colors are very vibrant. He claims the secret to the consistency and quality of his images is using a tripod to photograph them. To replicate the style of Robert Thompson’s macro photography, I would use a 35mm lens with flash, creating telephotos. I will use a high ISO with a great depth of field to imitate his style. One of the most important factors while taking these photos is finding the ideal lighting in order for the images to be crisp and clear. Although I would be using flash to photograph the images, I would still need decent lighting to ensure high quality photographs.