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I took a different approach when completing this assignment. Instead of gathering countless images of current day photography, I decided to go back in time and find true “Masters” for my inspiration. I truly believe by spending the extra time to research less unknown photographers (less known to me) I’ve gained a better understanding of photography.
For example, the image(2nd attachment) taken by André Kertész during the 1930’s is so inspiring to me. Not only did he take a picture of one of the most recognizable landmarks know to man, he took it from an entirely different perspective while preserving all of its beauty. Furthermore, he added faceless people to it and created a whole different experience for me. Had the picture been taken sans people it would have still illustrated the beautiful lines and contours of the amazing structure. Add in random people and the image takes on a totally different life….is it a holiday? springtime? is it one group? or just a collection of strangers taking in this iconic landmark? is this the first time the couple in the bottom left hand corner have ever been to Paris? The questions are endless and that is very interesting to me. I had never seen an image of the Eiffel Tower that had such a unique human element incorporated into it.
I instantly fell in love with Kertesz’ work because of the story it told by not really telling a story. I love his pics of people in NYC and Paris as he froze their lives for one second, yet has made it last for decades. We as the viewer get to decide what certain people were doing, thinking, feeling, saying, etc. on that one particular day 70-80 years ago. The unknown stories, questions, mysteries and legacies of photography is what inspires me. People doing normal things shot without them knowing or caring is what is so beautiful about Kertesz’ and so many others collections.
Another inspiring element is the lack of technology all of the “Masters” had to create these pieces of art. Imagine what it was like to simply get photography equipment up to this level of the Eiffel Tower circa 1930. Once up there he had naviagate all the bulky low tech cameras, lenses, filters,etc. only to have to wait until it was develop in a darkroom hours after the shot was taken. I get upset when my flash card is full or battery is dead, imagine their frustrations.
Kertesz last published works were actually taken with a Polaroid camera mostly from his NYC apartment(see 1st attachment). They offer a unique perspective of his reduced world through the use of that period’s “high tech” gadget. The beauty of these pictures are enhanced by the thought of how badly all of my Polaroid pictures turned out as a 10-yr. old kid snapping pictures in Indiana. Check out this interesting collection: http://www.bulgergallery.com/dynamic/fr_artist.asp?ArtistID=8&Body=The%20Polaroids
After this assignment, I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for photography which is ultimately my overall inspiration….thank you Andre Kertesz!
Thank you for sharing this.
You’ve touched on a few photographic ideas both from a technical and from a creative standpoint.
Your comment you made stuck with me:
“…faceless people to it and created a whole different experience for me”
It made me think of a documentary I just saw recently called “HOME”. The production company has published for free in the YouTube screening room if you wanted to watch it. But essentially they did the same thing. We normally see wide landscape shots or people shots where the landscape acts as a background element. However, this documentary captures humans from aerial perspectives which helps the audience identify ourselves as animals. You never see a human face, only the human form.
Again, thank you for sharing this and I look forward to seeing your upcoming assignments!
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