Who is Donald Weber?

A Canadian photographer who originally trained as an architect, Donald Weber worked at an urban theorist’s office named Rem Koolhaa’s for the Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Since this Weber devoted himself to the study of how power deploys an all-encompassing theater for its subjects, where secrets are recorded and collaborated with both masters and victims. From this Weber published three books: Bastard Eden, Our Chernobyl, dealing with daily life in a post-atomic world. This won the Photolucida Book Award: Interrogations, about post-Soviet authority in Ukraine and Russia, which was selected to be included in a Martin Parr and Gerry Badger’s seminal photo book: A History, Volume III; and Barricade: The EuroMaidan Revolt which was a collaboration with a Ukrainian photographer called Arthur Bondar.

Here Weber receives numerous rewards and fellowships, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lange-Taylor Prize, the Duke and Duchess of York Prize, two World Press Photo Awards and PDN’s 30. Because of this Weber was named Emerging Photo Pioneer by American Photo and became shortlisted for the prestigious Scotiabank Photography Prize. His photography has been displayed at exhibitions, screenings, festivals and galleries worldwide including at the United Nations, The Museum of the Army as Les Invalides in Paris and the Portland Museum of Art. From this he has now become a dedicated teacher notorious for his lectures and workshops, as well as being a trainer with the World Press Photo Projects, represented by Circuit Gallery in Toronto. Here are some examples of his works:From here I decided to analyse one of Weber’s images, by doing this it would allow me to understand the thought process and concept behind his photography, whilst looking at the different techniques used to produce his work. From this it would allow me to create a more appropriate response for future shoots regarding rules of the camera, as it would enhance my insight into techniques used by the camera to make the desired product. The image I chose is called Vorkuta (2008):Technical: The image itself uses a low shutter speed to capture the snow drifting in the wind, because of this it creates the impression of an almost dreamy and surreal isolated located. This use of shutter speed perfectly blurs the snow-covered ground, making it almost feel like the buildings are coming out of the ground. A relatively normal exposure is used to create contrast against the white backdrop, accompanied with a slightly tinted black border this breaks up the blank space from becoming too overpowering.

Visual: Visually the piece uses composition as its main focus to portray a certain situation to us as viewers. This is done through the use of blank space as snow, with the buildings acting as a separation between land and sky. However this on its own would become overpowering and so the implementation of an electricity pole breaks this up, and instead becomes the main focal point for us as viewers. The use of the darkened border prevents the whiteness from being too overpowering, and can be see as giving the otherwise predominantly white picture other definition.

Conceptual: The piece is meant to represent the isolated communities in Russian society during the harsh winters. Presenting this through a harsh but eerie beauty from a distance, whilst identifying the conditions that many people will live in within Russia’s rural environment. However this does attempt to draw beauty through what would usually be seen as a bleak and ill constructed block of buildings.