Larry Sultan

The Valley

http://www.americansuburbx.com/2009/12/larry-sultan-valley-1998-2002.html

I chose Sultans work to write about because there is something seriously comic about the work.  He photographs houses in the valleys of hollywood but he is working with porn companies while he is in these homes.  The porn company rents the houses for a few days to shoot their "films" and this is so hilarious to me.  Everyone always accuses the porn industry of all of the wrongs in the world yet so many people give up their houses so willingly for some money.  It is great to see americans sticking to their beliefs and values.  Sultan has managed to get some amazing work out of these sets such as this last image (my personal favorite) of a child's bed room.  And the great thing is he doesn't focus on really crude and shocking images to get his point across he hints at them.  Such as the laungere (spelling?) on the bed with the back of a pornstars head in the mirror.  He addresses the concept of working on this set so non chalant it is just great work and i have so much respect for this photographer in every way.

I think that this is almost a successful photograph.  I think that he has kind of taken the idea of the simplistic everyday a little to far in this image.  It still has very interesting colors and is a unique subject matter but it just doesnt work for me.

This picture is interesting to me mostly because of the way the colors have been muted. The way in which it was shot is also very interesting it is not an angle that you see very often with subject matter like this.  The image has a very somber and depressing feeling which is a great achievement considering what it is of.

This last photograph is successful in my opinion because of the use of color to draw attention to a particular part of the photo.  I also think it is really interesting that he includes a self portrait in his work because it really stands apart from the rest of his imagery.  The way in which the space is divided into thirds by vertical lines is really amazing and well done as well.

Alex Soth

This picture relates to the article because it comes to sazarowski's idea that color can make an image wouldn't work without color or at least would be much less effective.  I like the way that he placed the bus directly in the center of the composition adding to the directness of the image.

Doug Dubois

This image by doug dubois i love the way that the muted color helps add to the feeling of the image.  Also the way in which the subject stands out from the choice of color and location in the composition.

Todd Hido

I am not usually a fan of landscape photography but i am making an exception in the case of todd hido.  His approach to landscape photography is so much different than most that i have seen and it is particularly interesting. 
Maybe it is the monochromatic color palette or the view through the window but for some reason this is just a more visually appealing image to me.

William Eggleston

1. The subject is an old car underneath the light of a street lamp

2.In black and white the image would really be as successful because the reason it pops and is appealing to me is that the break lights contrast the overgrowth surrounding the light really well and that would be lost in a black and white image.

3.As I said before I really like the use of complimentary colors from the tail lights and the overgrowth as well as the dramatic overhead lighting and the reflection of the water on the car and ground.

4.He uses very subtile colors in this image with the exception of the break lights which really pop out to the viewer.

1.The subject is a group of people what looks like a family gathering on a hill in remembrance of something or someone.

2.In black and white it would still be a very compelling image the desaturated colors are great and add to the image but it would still work without them.  However there would not be as strong a contrast between the earth and the sky as there is an a color image.

3.I personally really like this image because it reminds me of something that would be in a wes anderson film (he is my personal favorite) the use of desaturated color as well as the placement of the figures and the inclusion of just the tail light is perfect.

4. His colors in many of his images compliment each other or at least come close to it there is a strong contrast of colors which divides the image very well.

1. This subject matter is of a an older woman trying really hard to look younger than she really is as well as a tacky yet visually appealing diner.

2. Same as the images before it it could work as a black and white image but much of the work and thought eggleston has done would be lost.

3.I like this image because of the straight forwardness of the image as well as the use of desaturated complimentary colors

4. Like in the majority of his images Eggleston uses muted complimentary colors and an overall muted color pallette

 This photograph is by Dora Marr.  Her work is very surreal and dreamlike which i am usually annoyed with because I can't figure out how they did it.  This one however seems fairly straigtforward at least for a surreal image and for that reason I am drawn to it.  It is interesting how she has placed the figures to divide up the space of the curving hallway and adds to the sense of mystery.

This image is by photographer Lucas Samaras.  Much of his work deals with nudes and color work.  I have been trying to find some artists who's color work i really like and this is one of the first.  I really enjoy the way that the long exposure is used to give the figure a strange shape and feeling.  The colors all work well and also add a very strange and unusual feeling to the entire image which works very well.

This last photograph by Russell Lee is a very simple yet effective piece.   The shot through the window and the look of distain and boredom on the girls face reminds me of an image on the subway.  Ironically she in in the exact opposite setting.  In a field of some sort or in open nature.  The way in which the figure was placed in the frame(s) as well as the reflection were all very carefully thought out and executed.

This image is by photographer Bernard Plossu.  I chose this because it strongly relates to what i would like to accomplish in my current project.  The way in which he has the figures silhouetted against the strong and direct light source and the way in which he shows the figure in motion as well as the slight camera shake works perfectly for the feeling of this image.

This is by Gion Milli.  I thought the way in which he approaches time and the use of light and the multiple figures within a single exposure was very interesting.  He manages to literally paint with light and create an interesting figure to contrast his own.  It looks like he used a very long exposure with the match in his hand being the only light source to illuminate the room.

This photograph was taken by Letizia Battaglia.   The subject matter is once again. startling to the viewer but I is also a well composed photograph.  The camera is at the eye level of the man in the car and shows the observers off in the background looking concerned. It gives the viewer the sense that they are there on the scene of this event.