Assignment #2

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Though there are many Masters of Photography that I find inspiring, such as the great Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, I find myself drawn to more contemporary photographers such as Richard Ross. I find his use of strong lines and minimalist approach to content and color very inspiring. He manages to evoke strong emotion from a very small amount of focused content in his photographs. This particular photograph is from his book “The Architecture of Authority.” The cover of the book is minimalist as well using simple white Futura font and a institutional-esque gray background. Everything in each photograph is arranged in such a manner that it works together making the whole greater than the sum of the parts. In the photo below there are only a few colors and some shadows, but the red phones against the somber institutional colored walls and the brown table with it’s restraints evokes a feeling of sheer terror. What are the telephones for? Why are there two? Does the red color denote a sense of urgency such as in the old television series Batman. Is that an air-conditioning unit in a room designed to put people to death? This thought evoking aspect of his photography is what I hope to achieve in my own work. I intend to do this through minimalism and creative use of muted tones with highlighted colors as in the photo with the pair of red telephones and brown table.

[Duncan Rawlinson]

Thank you for sharing this with us.

This is an uncanny photograph indeed. In fact, as you make your way through the course, you’ll notice our focus on color organization, theory and simplicity. We also try to encourage our students to become visual story tellers beyond just taking aesthetically pleasing photographs.

I look forward to watching you progress in the upcoming lessons now that I see what you’re striving for.

Best wishes.

[Author]

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