(1)
Dash Snow
Nationality: American
Date of birth: 27/07/1981
Date of death: 13/07/2009 (aged 27)
Iconic style: Composite polaroids and documentary photography.
Other information: Snow stated that in an interview that he took photographs in order to tell a story and "persevere the moment" this idea fits with the fact that Snow also believed that the message behind a story was often more important than the image itself.
Why I have chosen this artist: I have chosen to look at Snow's work because I am interested in the way that he uses photography to capture moments throughout his life that may otherwise be forgotten as well as to tell a story.
Denotation: This image features a "Shell" petrol station with the lights out on the letter S making the sign read "hell". The image features contrasting colours of red and black making the image appear eye-catching and striking to the viewer.
Connotation: The fact that the petrol station is signed "hell" carries connotations of a mockery of the American dream and the cost for products deemed vital be society. The red carries connotations of danger whilst the green adds a sinister and surreal element to the image making it appear as if it may be from another world.
Context: This images context can be linked to the way that Capitalism is breaking down our society into what some may perceive as a "hell".
Denotation: This image features a sign in the window of an electrical shop with the caption "NO TIME LEFT". The image consists of muted colours and has been shot on a polaroid.
Connotation: The text on the sign can be seen as a statement on the way that our society ignores it's issues until nothing can be done to fix them. The muted colours and low saturation in the image lead to the image appearing washed out and bleak possibly a comment on the bleakness of our future.
Context: The image is a critique of our capitalist society.
Connotation: This image carries connotations of the chaos of youth and the way that the world is constantly changing so we should live in the moment. The feathers in the image also carry connotations of childhood as they can be linked to the idea of pillow fights.
Context: This image is part of Snow's polaroid collection which was intended to capture the memories from events which he feared he would forget as a result of alcohol and drugs.
Connotation: This image is different to many of Snow's other images as it shows youth in a soft and gentle light opposed to in a dangerous and rebellious light. This can be seen through the gentle way that the subject is holding the cat showing that youth are not always chaotic and violent.
Context: This image features youth in a more positive light than many of the other images shot by Snow.
Influence: This image has influenced me to incorporate Instant film photography in my project as a method of documentary photography. I feel that this will give me photography a more raw and unfiltered appearance and therefore allow my images to gain a deeper level of connection with the viewer.
Summary: I like the way that Snow's work focuses on capturing the present moments in time which may not seem important at the time but will become important memories as life progresses. I also like the personal edge to his portfolio as it documents his life opposed to a series of staged events. Snow's work also appeals to me because of it's political edge.
(2)
Collier Schorr
Nationality: American
Date of birth: 1963
Iconic style: Self identity based around youth and growing up.
Other information: Collier Schorr is best known for her blend of documentary photography and fiction to create a more idealistic picture of life.
Why I have chosen this artist: I have chosen this photographer as I am interested in both the photographers documentary photography and collage photography as a form of expression of self and discussion of personal identity with societal constructs.
Denotation: The above image is in landscape orientation and features a young man holding an icepack to his face. The image features largely dark colours with a high level of contrast being found between the subjects clothes and shirt which are dark and his pale skin and the light blue icepack. This contrast in tone gives the image a bold and striking appearance.
Connotation: The fact that the young man is holding an icepack to his head carries connotations that youth are violent and get into fights which can also be seen through the fact that he has a bloodied nose. This idea however is contrasted through the way that the subjects head is bowed as this gives him a vulnerable appearance.
Context: This image shows youth as vulnerable as well as violent and provides an interesting look into youth culture.
Connotation: This image carries contains of the blurring of gender roles as the young man is posed in a more feminine way the female model has a more masculine stance. This is interesting when linked to the abstract swirling patterns behind the photographs as it adds to the idea of chaos or confusion.
Context: This image is linked to the way that perceptions of gender and gender roles are shifting over time as a result of feminism.
Denotation: This image features a male model wearing lipstick placed below a purple image of a white picket fence. Both images have very soft appearances due to there slightly muted colourisation giving the images a gentle and appealing appearance when combined.
Connotation: The connotations from this image are the subversion of gender roles. This can be seen through the fact that a male model is wearing makeup and has been placed against a purple image which is a traditionally feminine colour but can also be viewed as the blending of pink a feminine colour and blue a masculine colour to represent the blending of gender norms and roles. The white picket fence can be seen as a symbol for society and home due to it's iconic symbolism of the "white picket fence and nuclear family".
Context: This image demonstrates the way that out current society is branching away from gender norms into an age of societal acceptance.
Denotation: This image features an androgynous model laying on the grass in a colourful jumper. The image is layered with another image of plants. The bright colours found in this image are very eye catching and interesting to the viewer.
Connotation: The bright colours and shaved head can be seen as an expression of identity whilst the use of natural imagery can be seen as recognition that personal gender expression is natural and does not have to conform to societies constructed expectations.
Context: This image shows todays youth breaking away from gender roles.
Influence: Schorr's work has made me wish to branch out into collage photography in my exam shoots and to experiment with larger scale collages to display self.
Summary: I am mostly interested in Schorr's collage work as I feel that this is what I will focus on in my exam most.
(3)
Nationality: Swiss
Date of birth: 03/02/1977
Age: 40
Age: 40
Iconic style: Orchestrated documentary photography
Other information: Shama is currently living and working in New York and works in both editorial field and the documentary field. He grew up with a background of photography from his mother who was an Italian photographer. He often focuses on youth photography and modern expression of identity.
Why I have chosen this artist: I have chosen to look at Shama's work as I feel that it represents youth and adolescence in a versatile and varied way avoiding boxing teenagers into any one box.
Denotation: The above image has a portrait orientation and features three friends embracing outside of a 7Eleven gas station. The artist has used bright and saturated colours making the image appear very eye catching and drawing the viewer in to the image.
Connotation: The bright colours used carry connotations of youth and childhood giving the image a nostalgic appearance. The fact that the friends are huddling on the floor outside of a gas station conveys the idea that youth are fun and happy opposed to violent and dangerous.
Context: This image is part of David Shama's series 7Eleven featuring a girlfriend boyfriend and her best friend. Shama has said that there is a love triangle aspect to the series.
Context: This image is part of David Shama's series 7Eleven featuring a girlfriend boyfriend and her best friend. Shama has said that there is a love triangle aspect to the series.
Denotation: This image has a portrait orientation and features a girl friend and her boyfriend kissing while the other friend looks into the camera whilst drinking his slushy. Parts of the subjects bodies are out of frame giving the image a more natural appearance and bright youthful colours are used throughout.
Connotation: The fact that the girlfriends underwear can be seen caries connotations of the fact that youth are seen by society as sexual (Ann Gould). Youth are also shown as being fun and carefree in this image as parts of the subjects bodies are laying outside of the frame and the friend is staring down the camera which is not a traditional documentary photography technique.
Context: This image is part of David Shama's series 7Eleven featuring a girlfriend boyfriend and her best friend. Shama has said that there is a love triangle aspect to the series.
Denotation: The above is much darker in coloration than the 7Eleven series but still maintains bright lighting on the subjects faces allowing puff of smoke to be visible a spotlight was likely used to attain this shot. There is a high level of contrast between the subjects pale skin and the dark shadowy surroundings making the image striking.
Connotation: The fact that the youths are smoking carries connotations that youth are rebellious this is intensified by the fact that the shoot has taken place at night creating a sense of mystery around the images subjects. A sense of care freeness can be seen in the way that the subjects are looking away from the camera and at each other highlighting the idea that youth are self centred.
Context: This image can be seen as a statement about the way that youth are portrayed in a negative aspect by modern media.
Denotation: This image is in landscape orientation and uses a range of black and white tones to create a high-level of contrast throughout the image. The black and white coloration gives the image a minimal and simple appearance which is amplified by the way that the image does not contain much aside from the subject drawing the viewers eye directly to her.
Connotation: The black and white coloration used as well as the use of a phone booth gives the image a historic appearance and makes the image appear nostalgic to the viewer. This makes the viewer look back on the good times of childhood and youth in an idealistic way. The fact that the subject is staring into the camera gives the image a more personal feel.
Context: This image shows youth in a nostalgic and simple light opposed to the complex picture often portrayed in the media.
Influence: David Shama's work has influenced me to focus on the fun times associated with youth and friendship and the significance that coloration can have in an image. His use of bright colours is particularly interesting to me as it is similar to techniques employed by Martin Parr in "Life's a beach".
Summary: I have looked at Shama's work as I enjoy the varied approach he has taken to youth representation throughout his portfolio.
(4)
Nationality: Canadian
Date of birth: 21/12/1992
Age: 24
Iconic style: Focus on youth culture.
Other information: Collin's is a well known fashion photographer and focuses largely on youth culture through colourisation.
Why I have chosen this artist: I am interested in the way that Collin's represents youth culture through her work specifically her use of pink and blue and reference to cell phone culture.
Denotation: This is an image of a set of neon lights designed in the shape of text messages. Bright pink and blue tones are used which provide a bold eye catching colour palette for the image with high levels of contrast being found between the white neon and the black shadows of the wall.
Connotation: This image carries connotations of teenage text culture and social media by showing the way that serious statements such as "hating myself rn" are matched by flippant responses such as "lol k...". This is a series issue as we live in a society with high rates of teen suicide partially due to the barrier built by society that displays a show of emotions as week. The pink and blue text can be seen as representation of gender which is important to note as suicide rates are particularly high in teenage boys due to a feeling that the will lose masculinity by opening up about their emotions.
Context: This image is a comment on the way that text culture is influencing our interactions as a society.
Denotation: The above image features two girls on their phones in a dimly lit room. The image is framed in landscape orientation and one of the subjects is leaning out of the frame positioning her phone in the images centre third.
Connotation: This image carries connotations of youth as seen through the young girls and the brightness of the phone screen in contrast to the rest of the image suggests that technology is the main means of communication throughout our generation. This is made more evident by the fact that the girls are not speaking and are instead taking selfies and texting.
Context: This image relates to our current societies selfie culture and the way that we are obsessed with technology.
Denotation: This image features three girls sitting in a dimly lit bedroom and smoking. The girls appear to be in their early teens with the image in a landscape orientation.
Connotation: The smoking of the girl carries connotations of the fact that the younger generation is growing up to fast with the short short and strappy shirts giving indication of the way that girls are sexualised from a young age. This is added to by the fact that the image has been shot in a bedroom with the girls posed on a bed. There are connotations of childhood present in this image seen through the drawings stuck to the wall and delicate framework on the bed.
Context: This image carries context of the way that girls in our current generation are forced to grow up too fast as a result of societies expectations.
Connotation: The fact that the subject is being shown in the bathroom carries connotations of vulnerability whilst the fact that she is wearing short shorts shows that she is being sexualised from a young age. The overwhelming white colouration in this image carries connotations of purity and heightens the idea that she is vulnerable.
Context: The context for this image is the fact that in our society girls are forced to grow up at an accelerated rate by society.
Influence: I have been influenced to look at youth culture through my examination of Petra Collins' work as this is what she seems to focus around predominately in her personal shoots.
Summary: Collins' use of colour and imagery throughout her shoots interests me as it shows unusual ways identity can be represented such as text based imagery.
(5)
Nationality: Lebanese/Palestinian/American
Date of birth: 1964
Iconic style: Documentary photography and exploration of self through photography.
Other information: Matar's main subject focus is the lives of refugees in the middle east however she also focuses on self identity. Her most prominent subjects are female subjects mostly young girls and women.
Why I have chosen this artist: I am interested in the way that Matar forms a critique societal norms through her work particularly in the way women present themselves in public and in their homes and rooms.
Denotation: The image above features a young girls posed in front of the brick wall of a house. The image contains largely dull tones aside from the pink of the subjects dress creating an element of contrast.
Connotation: The pose of the subject shows the way that girls are shown the "correct" way to present them selves and succeed in society from a young age as seen from the hand on hip pose generally associated with older teenagers and younger women. The pink of the subjects dress is important as pink is a traditionally feminine colour showing the way gender norms are still presented in our society.
Context: This image shows the way that social constructs can lead to developing traits in childhood.
Denotation: This image features a woman laying in a field of wild flowers. This image has a landscape orientation and features bright tones in order to give it a striking appearance.
Connotation: The wild flowers infer that the subject is a natural and free spirit as well as gentle.
Context: This image is part of series about self identity.
Connotation: The bright colours of the girls possessions shows that even in her bleak surroundings of danger and chaos that she still finds happiness in her room as it is a form of sanctuary.
Context: This image is part of a series of girls bedrooms from around the world this room was shot in a refugee camp.
Connotation: The amount of pink in this image can relate to the fact that pink is a traditionally feminine colour whilst the image of the girl in bed hung on the wall and the pink bra show a link to the way that women are sexualised. These stereotypical ideas of women are contrasted through the green crocs on the floor as they are a non-feminine shoe and exist is a room someone may expect to find a pair of stiletto shoes opposed to crocs. This shows that the girl in the picture feels that she can do whatever she wants to do and be her own person in her room.
Context: This image is part of a series of girls bedrooms from around the world.
Influence: Matar has influence me to explore shoots based around my life and the ways that we are viewed differently by those around us such as family and friends.
Summary: Matar's work based around youth and identity interests me due to it's personal and political levels as well as it's unique style.
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