Who is Marcus DeSieno?

DeSieno us a lens-based artist interested in how the advancement of visual technology is changing continually and enhances our view of the world. DeSieno received his first MFA in Studio Art from the University of South Florida and is currently the Assistant Professor of Photography at Central Washington University.

His work has been displayed nationally and internationally at various places such as the Center for Fine Art Photography, Candela Gallery, Aperture Foundation etc. the work has also been used in a variety of publications such as National Geographic, Slate etc. Marcus DeSieno focuses on the idea of surveillance and  macro lens photography as seen below:One image that I particularly liked and decided to analyse was ‘Archival Pigment Print From a Surveillance Camera Feed’ which won the Lens Culture Emerging Talent Award 2016.

Technical:  Marcus DeSieno’s piece consists of hacking into surveillance feeds to capture interesting imagery, the image itself seems to be taken on a gloomy day, capturing the silhouette of the mountain range in the distance whilst incorporating the Ansel Adams system throughout capturing a range of shades. The picture seems to have been deteriorated creating an old feeling to it whilst maintaining much of the crisp qualities of the original photo. A depth of field can be seen partially used through the use of the graininess and how the road snakes off into the distance removing detail from the image, but at the same time keeping out focus on the road.

Visual: The image consists of a huge range in tone, with a big difference in the contrast between black and white allowing for the photographer to make certain parts of it pop out and draw the viewer in. The snaking road positioned in the center of the image is the focal point of the picture as the light shades of it balances the rest the darkness, seen throughout the rest of the photograph.

Conceptual: His photography consists of the exploration of how surveillance is used in our everyday lives, with the idea that we are constantly watched. Marcus takes advantage of this and uses camera feeds that look upon landscapes to capture the beauty of nature using Archival Pigment Prints to capture the image.