Research Photographers (1)

Rinko Kawauchi

     Rinko Kawauchi is a Japanese fine art photographer. She started off as a commercial

 photographer working for advertising agencies which eventually influenced her aesthetic for her work which can be described as "a serene, poetic style, depicting the ordinary moments in life."  Kawauchi's book "Cui Cui" shows a more personal side to the photographer as memories that she has captured of her family and personal life is portrayed throughout the book. The ethnic religion, Shinto plays a major role in Kawauchi's work, in the eyes of Shinto “all things on earth have a spirit” which is portrayed seamlessly since Kawauchi views her work as “part of series that allows the viewer to juxtapose images in the imagination”

    The first image is named Pier 24. Although the image depicts a scene that could end with a tragic outcome, it's also pretty calming. The scene itself reminds me of the power of the elements and how it has no boundaries and although it can take everything from us it also has the healing power of giving as well. There is a thick dark "wall" of smoke that blocks anyone from seeing anything but give it some time and everything will be clear and "at peace" once again.

    The second image is an up-close photo of a person. I personally love photography that depicts different body or facial parts. It's just a reminder that everyone looks different and has different features and we should be proud and celebrate ourselves instead of trying to fit a cookie-cutter image. The image gives off a sense of calmness as the light softly illuminates the subject's face and their eyes are open but in a relaxed state, their freckles are the first thing I noticed which are a natural occurrence that not everyone is born with, which just emphasizes the theme of real beauty which exists in everyone.

Source: “Rinko Kawauchi.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinko_Kawauchi.

Lee Friedlander

    Lee Friedlander is an American artist and photographer. Friedlander experienced the world of photography at a very young age (age 14) which lead him to study photography at the Art Center College of Design in California. His work was initially influenced by Eugene Atget, Robert Frank and Walker Evans (which were all photographers). One of his many famous pieces appeared in the September 1985 edition of Playboy, which was black and white nude photos of Madonna from the 1970's. Over the years Friedlander's style changed and he ended up focusing on the "social landscape" where he used urban life, store-front reflections, framed images by fences, posters and signs to combine and represent modern life. 

    

    The first photo is very busy, it looks as if the image was taken from the drivers seat looking out of the window but focusing on the rearview mirror of the car which shows the city. This image shows how he represent modern and past life. The "past life" is represented by the view outside the window (as it looks to be of a mundane building and car driving by) and "modern life" is represented with the view in the rearview mirror (buildings stacked upon each other and lots of ad / building signs)

    The second photo portrays an eerie and sad mood. It reminds me that not everything that people post up on social media is their true self, they tend to only show the good parts or sometimes fake the best parts just to show the world. On a smaller scale, a lot of people wear a "mask" to show that they're okay or happy when they're probably not, and tend to hide how they really feel.

Source: “Lee Friedlander.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Friedlander.

Gueorgui Pinkhassov

    Gueorgui Pinkhassov is a Russian photographer. Similar to Lee Friedlander, Pinkhassov was interested in photography at a very young age, this lead him to enrolling at Moscow Institute of Cinematography. He joined the film crew at Mosflim after her graduated from college and served in the army for two years. He worked his way up and became a set photographer at the studio, which payed off as his work was recognized by Andrei Tarkovsky, a film director, who invited Pinkhassov to work on the set of his film Stalker. In 1994 Pinkhassov became a member of Magnum Photos, an international photographic cooperative owned by its members' offices based in New York, Paris, Tokyo and London.  

   The first image reminds me of late night outings that people do when they visit a new place or even in their own city. A night filled with laughter, conversation, food and music, taking in the city nightlife and just being present in that exact moment surrounded by the people you care about making memories. The intense red light on the two subjects shifts the atmosphere from lighthearted and carefree to exclusive and serious. 

    The second image contains harsh shadows and light to create and combine two stories into one. The shadow of the lady on the wall is a stern but calm sight, she looks as if she is reading a paper while smoking. The image of the hand holding the paper of a person's face is illuminated by light, a direct contrast from the lady's shadow. Together the piece gives off a thoughtful and calm vibe, the hand is holding the paper fairly delicately although the shadows and light is being used in a rather harsh manner to create the different elements within the single photo.

Source: “Gueorgui Pinkhassov.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Nov. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gueorgui_Pinkhassov.