Jeff Brouws (born 1955) is a self-taught artist and photographer. He took lots of typology photographs of America’s rural, urban and suburban landscapes. He used typology photographs to document the characteristics of the nation. He takes influence from the New Topographic movement and the writings of cultural geographers. He is the author of seven books and his photographs can be found in major private and public collections including the Whitney Museum of Art.

My Favourite Photograph

In this photograph Brouws used the fluorescent lighting from the motel to illuminate his photograph. This created contrast between the bright motel sign and the dark and dramatic background. It appears that a deep depth of field was used as the whole of the photograph is in focus. The photograph is generally quite dark so a low ISO of 100 or 200 will have been used along with a slower shutter speed of around 1/25 to let enough light into the lens.

There is lots of use of colour in this photograph – the bright red in the motel sign catches the attention of the viewer and it contrasts with the dark blue of the clouds. There is a wide tonal range in this image which makes it even more dramatic and interesting to look at. The photograph has lots of texture in the clouds which makes the photograph more realistic along with the 3D effect that the motel sign in front of the clouds brings. The central position of the motel makes it clear that it is the main focus of the photograph and it gives somewhere for the eye to be led to.

This photograph is one example of Brouws typology work. He worked to show the differences in the same style objects. He showed the diversity of structures all over America and the different cultures that could be seen. This helped to open the viewer’s eyes to each others differences and respect each other more.