Self Portrait

This self portrait photo mosaic was made by taking pictures of different parts of my face, and putting them together like a puzzle. The image as a whole represents how I am made up of different parts, and how all together they give me a unique quality.

Architecture

Here I captured different aspects of architecture in the surrounding area where I live. I concentrated on different angles as well as different forms of architecture (interior and exterior). I was particularly interested in the linear aspects of architectural forms.

People I Know

I found this assignment a lot easier than "People I Don't Know," because I felt more comfortable confronting  the people I photographed since I knew them.  As I photographed my subjects, I tried to also capture their personalities in the images as naturally as I could.

Eisenstaedt- V.J. Day

This iconic photograph, titled "V.J. Day" (Victory in Japan Day), was taken by Eisenstaedt at the end of World War II.  In this image, a young soldier kisses his mistress upon returning from fighting in the war in Times Square, New York City. There are other figures surrounding the kissing couple, with happy expressions on their faces as the watch these two embrace each other. I believe that this is a good photograph, because the kissing figures are centered in the middle of the image, with a strong linear perspective running along the sides of them.  These diagonals travel to meet direct behind them at the center building.  Even though is photograph was captured quickly, it could appear that there was a lot of thought put into how this picture would be taken and its final outcome.

People I Don't Know

For this assignment, I had to photograph people I didn't know. I struggled with this assignment, because I had some difficulty confronting these strangers. As a result, I didn't ask these people if I could photograph them, and just took the picture without asking instead.

Joel-Peter Witkin- Las Meninas

This photograph, titled "Las Meninas," was taken by Joel-Peter Witkin.  It was inspired by "Las Meninas," a painting by the famous Spanish Baroque painter Diego Velazquez. There appears to be other paintings by Velazquez on the wall in background, and other Spanish influence on the right side of the image (sculpture inspired by Pablo Picasso's Guernica). Witkin is trying to maintain the original perspective and setting, and some of the original figures from Velazquez's painting such as the young girl, the dog, the doorway and some of the paintings on the wall, and even the self portrait of Velazquez on the left side of the image.  However, some of the figures from the original painting are absent, and Witkin as placed some new figures in his remake of the image. I believe that Witkin is making a commentary on Spanish art in some sort of negative way, because the image appears intentionally damaged, and even some of the figures in the image appear harmed. The dog is lying down, there is a man twisted on the floor, and Velazquez's face is smudged where it should be.  There are also signs of modernity by placing a camera in the center of the room as well as some lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling.  Yet, Witkin maintains his reference to the Old Masters by imitating this famous painting and inserting old images on the back wall.

Sandy Skoglund- Walking on Eggshells

This photograph titled "Walking on Eggshells" was taken by Sandy Skoglund.  It has an overall warm tone, with the color of the eggshells matching the hue of the women's skin.  The walls, which have a Hieroglyphic-like lettering, the rabbits, and the bathroom essentials (toilet, bathtub, and sink) have this similar hue.  The eggshells take the form of a bathroom tile mosaic, resembling stones. It is visible where the women have walked through the room by the path of crushed eggshell footprints that travel in a diagonal, that begins from the bottom right of the image. There is a strong contrast in color with the presence of the snakes.  Both women have their backs towards the viewer, and rabbits are seen confronting the snakes.

Emmet Gowin

Richard Avedon

There was recently a Richard Avedon exhibit in my town, at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn, NY. Unfortuntely, I didn't have the opportunity to see it, yet I continue to admire and appreciate Avedon's work. Check out his portfolio at richardavedon.com.

Greetings!

Welcome to my photography blog! I will be posting current projects I will be doing involving photography, as well as inspirations I have and others' pictures I like. Check out some recent pictures I have taken here, or visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachweispix. Thanks, and enjoy!