Alec Soth (born 1969) is an American photographer, based in Minneapolis. Soth makes “large-scale American projects” featuring the midwestern United States. New York Times art critic Hilarie M. Sheets wrote that he has made a “photographic career out of finding chemistry with strangers” and photographs “loners and dreamers”. His work tends to focus on the “off-beat, hauntingly banal images of modern America” according to The Guardian art critic Hannah Booth.

hen he photographs people, Soth feels nervous at times. He said: “My own awkwardness comforts people, I think. It’s part of the exchange.” When he was on the road, he’d have notes describing types of pictures he wanted taped to the steering wheel of his car. One list was: “beards, birdwatchers, mushroom hunters, men’s retreats, after the rain, figures from behind, suitcases, tall people (especially skinny), targets, tents, treehouses and tree lines.  With people, he’ll ask their permission to photograph them, and often wait for them to get comfortable; he sometimes uses an 8×10 camera. He tries to find a “narrative arc and true storytelling” and pictures in which each picture will lead to the next one.

Soth has been photographing different parts of the US since his first book, Sleeping by the Mississippi, was published in 2004. His second book, Niagara, was published in 2006. One of his photos is of a woman in a bridal gown sitting outside what appears to be a motel; he describes having made an arrangement with a particular wedding chapel in Niagara Falls which let him take pictures of couples getting married, by photographing them after their weddings.

Link to my project: Throughout my future project, I would like to include some portraits of myself and my dad, brother and mum. I think that deciding to attempt to take images in Alec Soth’s style will make successful and creative outcomes and I can link them to other image that will be in my project, as I would also like to include old family photos. Considering the layout of my final photobook I would like to place photographs that have been inspired by Soth next to old family images that have been found in albums, this will be to show the affect time and environment has had on my family.

Sleeping By The Mississippi

Much has been written about Alec Soth’s Sleeping by the Mississippi. First published in 2004, it is a landmark publication in the Magnum photographer’s career, which propelled him to international recognition and notoriety. First editions of the photobook are highly prized items today. At a talk in London in 2017, in conversation with Sean O’Hagan, Soth reflected on the work, almost 15 years on, and how he began to make what would eventually become the tightly-edited tome, Sleeping By the Mississippi.

“I was a morose, introverted young man,” says Soth of his early years, identifying with a version of a Midwestern American sensibility that was “dark and lonely”. Working in a photo-processing lab on other people’s pictures throughout his early 20s, he had (almost) given up the ambition to become a famous artist, yet it was this very relaxation of his personal ambition that eventually allowed him the degree of freedom necessary to accept the influence of the American tradition of road trip photography in his own work – to stop pretending he was reinventing the wheel, to carry on the tradition and make it his own. More detailed images of this book can be found: Alec Soth | Sleeping by the Mississippi.

He began to follow the Mississippi River in his car, driving from place to place, letting himself progress towards locations he had vaguely researched and “using the river as a route to connect with people along the way.” These were the early days of the web and the development of his process ran parallel to the growth of the internet. “It was like web surfing in the real world” he says, “it was like trying to ride a wave.”

“A miraculous time in my life,” is how Soth describes this process. He felt warmly welcomed in the region; he was allowed into the intimacy of people’s homes. Hyper-alive to the world, Soth had in fact just spent an intense month-long period with his mother-in-law, who had become very ill. He lived with her in her house as she died.

Image Analysis: In my opinion, this is one of Soth’s most successful images of all time, this is because of the clarity and message behind the image. I like the feeling of isolation within this image, as it makes the viewer focus on all different parts of the image within time, the fact this image has a sense of quietness means that all different aspects/ areas of it can be appreciated and analysed. Along with this, the coolest tones within the image mean that there is a sense of loneliness and isolation, and this is added to by the fact that there is no people or animals in this image. I really like how the focus of the image is on the gas station itself and how the brighter lights contrast with the title of the book. The lightness contradicts with the word “sleeping”, as they are not associated with each other, this creates contrast of the narrative of the book itself, and comes away from the original concept of the book.

Mood Board

---

---

Matthieu Venot is a self-taught French photographer whose pictures capture the urban environment in a most graphic and transformative of ways. Focusing on the part rather than the whole, his photographs abstract his surroundings into colourful graphical vistas turning the quotidian into the iconic.

Venot’s photographs are characterized by their bold use of color, clean lines, and strong geometric shapes. He often isolates a specific element of a building or structure and turns it into an abstract composition, removing it from its context and transforming it into a pure form. His images are often composed of a single primary color or a limited color palette, which creates a striking contrast against the white or blue sky.

Venot’s work seems heavily influenced by the principles of minimalism and abstraction. He is drawn to the simplicity and purity of geometric shapes and finds beauty in their harmony and balance. He takes a structured approach to his compositions, carefully framing and cropping his images to create a sense of order and symmetry.

---

To achieve this, he crops building parts out of context, zooms in on architectural detail or isolates certain building features thereby creating, in the process, strong geometrical compositions that have a life of their own. Balconies and staircases, for example, shed their utilitarian role to become two-dimensional flourishes while elsewhere façade segments lose their scale to become graphical abstractions. 

Venot’s influence to go out and take photographs is perfect weather which ensures both a clean, flat background provided by the clear blue sky and more powerful, vibrant colours enhanced by the shining sun thus allowing for clearly defined lines, crisp geometric shapes and saturated colours.

---

Image Analysis 1

Straight away from looking at this image you can see the simplicity Venot has gone for. I can also notice that he has got an angle from ground level, looking straight up which warps the shape of the building and makes it thin out into the horizon. It seems to be somewhat of a wider-angled shot taken with a wide-angled lens. By taking this photo on a clear sunny day when the sun is positioned behind the building out of sight means there is no shadows, creating a sort of surreal vibe and making the image look hyperrealistic. This is a common theme in Vernot’s work

I have scouted several buildings in Jersey where I plan to take images similar to this one, and I will be experimenting with different weather and lighting to try and reflect the theme of ‘Simple’.

---

Image Analysis 2

I have chosen to analyze this image as well because I like how it follows Vernots theme of brightly lit simplistic architecture, however in this image he has used a slightly more complex scene- although I would still label it ‘simple’. The image is almost entirely shades of grey – bar the small splash of red from the handrail. I like this image as it comes off as somewhat intricate and complicated at first glance, however the more you look at the harsh lines and blocked colours the image gets simpler the more you look at it. By using a straight-on angle from what looks like around chest height- paired with the noon sun position he has captured enough shadows to make the photo interesting but not too much to where it takes away your attention from the architecture.

---

Comparison / Link to similar artists’ work

These two images are from Gerry Johansson‘s collection of images taken in Tokyo. I found these images interesting when compared with those of Matthieu Venot. This is because the majority of his work captures unique settings in black and white – but it still conveys the same motifs. They both capture similar images of normal scenes but using opposing extremes in their use of colour.

“I think my definition of beauty would be something I like and can look at for a long time.”

Gerry Johansson, in an interview with CPH Mag

I find this quote quite useful in understanding his work as it shows some of his reasoning for why he creates his images.

---

How I can reference Vernot’s work in my project

I have chosen to reference Vernot’s style in my project as I like that the way creates really bright and vibrant images with minimal shadows, making them look almost like artwork. I think that this style is perfect to showcase the theme of “Simple & Complex”, and will be a good contrast to the other half of my work which will feature more complex, darker pieces.

One of Venot’s signature techniques is to shoot his images directly from the ground, creating a unique perspective that emphasizes the geometry and symmetry of the architecture. This is something I can easily incorporate into my imagines and will be combining with different lighting during different times of the day. He also often shoots in the early morning or late afternoon, when the light is soft and creates long shadows that add depth and texture to his images.

Photoshoot Locations

 I have chosen these sites as they are all relatively big/tall buildings with varying styles of architecture. My hope is that with them being tall buildings, I can achieve the vanishing/warped effect Vernot has in my chosen analyzed image. They also feature things like large amounts of balconies and windows which appear frequently in Valmots work. Each location has a different position/angle with regards to the sun path and so each will have unique lighting.

---

Response 1 – Fort Regent

---

Selections

---

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer and filmmaker born in 1954 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. She is considered one of the most influential contemporary artists, particularly known for her self-portrait photography that challenges the boundaries of gender, identity, and the portrayal of women in popular culture.

Sherman’s early work focused on creating photographic series in which she portrayed herself in a variety of personas, ranging from Hollywood starlets and socialites to clowns and grotesque characters. Her images often referenced historical paintings and film stills, presenting a critique of the stereotypical depictions of women in media.

One of Sherman’s most significant bodies of work is the Untitled Film Stills, a series of black-and-white photographs created between 1977 and 1980 that depicts the artist in various roles inspired by classic Hollywood films. In these images, Sherman used makeup, costumes, and props to create elaborate scenarios that conveyed the complexity of the female experience.

Her Untitled Film Stills (1977–80), in which she put on guises and photographed herself in various settings with deliberately selected props to create scenes that resemble those from mid-20th-century B movies. Started when she was only 23, these images rely on female characters (and caricatures) such as the jaded seductress, the unhappy housewife, the jilted lover, and the vulnerable naif. Sherman used cinematic conventions to structure these photographs: they recall the film stills used to promote movies, from which the series takes its title. The 70 Film Stills immediately became flashpoints for conversations about feminism, postmodernism, and representation, and they remain her best-known works.

Throughout her career, Sherman has continued to experiment with her own image, playing with different personas and identities. Her work has been exhibited internationally and has received critical acclaim for its innovative approach to photography and its contribution to contemporary art.

In addition to her photography, Sherman has also worked in film, directing and starring in several experimental movies that explore similar themes of identity and the representation of women. She has also collaborated with fashion designers, creating imagery for high-profile campaigns and magazines.

Sherman’s influence on contemporary art and photography is significant, with her work inspiring generations of artists to explore their own identity and the cultural forces that shape it. Her contribution to the feminist movement and her groundbreaking approach to self-portraiture have cemented her place as one of the most important artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey writes in her famous essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” about the subconscious way we see women and how they are depicted in Hollywood movies from the 1930s to the 1950s. She argues that the depiction of women in those movies is determined by a certain perspective that objectifies the female body. According to Mulvey, the movies made during that era are part of a patriarchal structure and they reinforce the portrayal of women as things to be looked at for the pleasure of men. The only purpose of women is to represent an object of male desire and to support the male lead in a movie but they carry no real meaning or have any importance on their own.

Mulvey describes women in this context “as a bearer of meaning, not maker of meaning.” This perspective in which women are used as passive objects that are fetishized and shown in a voyeuristic manner to please the male viewer is known as the male gaze. The black-and-white photographs of Cindy Sherman’s series Untitled Film Stills are reminiscent of movies from the 1930s to the 1950s and depict Sherman as she portrays women in different roles with the help of costumes, make-up, and wigs. They can be interpreted as challenging the male gaze mentioned by Mulvey and therefore as feminist art.

Many pictures of Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills show situations that come across as uncomfortable, creepy, or even terrifying since we see the depicted woman in a vulnerable position. The viewer becomes an inappropriate spectator. We find ourselves in the role of a voyeur who preys on vulnerable women. We become confronted with the negative implications of the way the media – especially movies – depicts women. The male gaze is often present in Cindy Sherman’s artworks but she subtly changes the perspectives, expressions, and circumstances. Those changes expose this gaze that wants to stay hidden during the act of observing and objectifying the female body.

In Untitled Film Still #48 we can see a woman waiting alone on the roadside with her luggage next to her. The picture shows her back and indicates that she is not aware of being watched. The ominous scenery is enhanced by the cloudy sky and emphasis on the seemingly endless road. The picture makes the audience part of a threatening situation they do not necessarily want to be a part of. It even indicates that the viewer who is only able to see the woman’s back is the one who poses a threat.

In the works Untitled Film Still #81 and Untitled Film Still #2, this uncomfortable perspective is visible as well. Both pictures show a woman in either their underwear or only covered with a towel while they look at themselves in a mirror. They seem to be so concerned with their reflection that they notice nothing else around them. Both artworks reveal the problem of constantly representing women in a vulnerable and sexualized light for pleasure by making the viewer feel like a predatory voyeur.

The male gaze is also criticized through the image that the women themselves try to imitate in the mirror. They recreate seductive poses and expressions from movies to make their faces and bodies look like the idealized and fetishized versions of women that are represented in popular media. Sherman’s feminist art can be viewed as critical of this kind of depiction of women.

Laura Mulvey characterizes the depiction of women in her essay as passive, erotic, and accordingly made up to match male fantasies and desires. Cindy Sherman uses clothes, make-up, wigs, and different poses to imitate this portrayal of passive, sexualized women that comply with those fantasies. While Sherman still operates within the methods of the male gaze by portraying women in their underwear, heavy make-up, or typically female costumes, her artworks still criticize this way of representation.

The photograph Untitled Film Still #6 shows a woman in her underwear posing erotically in her bed. Her face, though, seems to parody the whole situation. The woman’s expression looks overly dreamy and even a little silly. It seems as if Sherman is making fun of the passive and typically feminine representations of women since she did not only pose for the picture but is also the artist that orchestrated the photo.

Some other artworks of Sherman also show women in a passive lying position, often seductively presenting their bodies or dressed in costumes that are considered feminine. The fact that these pictures are shown in an art context and not in a cinema as well as Cindy Sherman’s very active role in producing them indicates that the photos are critical of the male gaze. The woman, therefore, is no longer restricted to her role in front of the camera. By also being an artist, Sherman takes the active role of the creator. Her feminist art, therefore, criticizes the production of pictures by men for men by imitating stereotypical female representations from popular movies. They are a parody of an objectifying depiction of women in media and pop culture, made by an actual woman.

Judith Butler writes in her text “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory” that gender is not something natural or something that constitutes a person by birth. Gender rather changes historically and is performed according to cultural standards. This makes the idea of gender different from the term sex, which describes biological characteristics. This gender is fixed through the act of repeating certain cultural behaviours that are believed to make a person male or female.

Cindy Sherman’s artworks seem to demonstrate this performance of gender by depicting stereotypical images of women that can also be seen in movies. The pictures illustrate the performative act of “being female” through Sherman’s changing use of wigs, make-up, and clothing. Even though every artwork of Sherman shows the same person, the artist’s masquerade makes it possible to portray various types of women that are all subject to the male gaze.

Richard Avedon had a very distinct style of portrait photography that primarily focuses on upper body shots from either the waist up or chest up. His models would always be interesting people he found on the street. He would set up a portable studio consisting of a plain background. He used a large format camera that would capture incredible detail of his models as well as having up to two assistants that would use reflectors and light dampeners to create the perfect lighting on his models faces.

Image Analysis

This image from Richard Avedon has a plane background which was common is Avedon’s images as it ensures the viewers focus is on the model. The photo would have been taken in black and white due to the camera technology available at the time. The photographer took this image outside on an overcast day which is when he would go out onto the streets with a portable studio and ask people he saw if he could take pictures. He ran into Madelyn Monroe on the streets of New York when she was on a break from a movie she was acting in. There is a high contrast between the model’s skin and clothing as well her the background. The image was taken at eye level which gives the model accurate proportions when the photo was produced.

 “Masculine? Feminine? It depends on the situation. Neuter is the only gender that always suits me.” – Claude Cahun

Cahun focused on expressing themselves in various ways, exploring all aspects of the gender spectrum along with playing with the idea of stereotypes and societal expectations. They’re well known for their bodybuilder photoshoot in which they dressed and posed femininely [with hearts on each check, tights, hair styled and their legs crossed whilst tilting their head towards the camera] yet contrasts this femininity by wearing a shirt stating ‘I am in training don’t kiss me’ whilst holding a weight, embracing what would’ve been considered masculine at the time. This photoshoot mocks the idea of gender, deconstructing the ideas that society conforms to whilst bringing to perspective how there is no innate way to act as a gender.

Cahun rejected the idea of fixed gender roles, both within their work and their own life, from things such as shaving their head to wearing more masculine clothing – something that was considered rebellious until the 1960s. They always strived for authenticity within themself, not caring about how they were perceived by others which is especially impressive due to the historical context at the time as most people throughout the 1940s were trying to conform in order to heighten their chances of surviving WW2.

kj

---

---

---

Visual exercises. A Series of Diptychs

“i look for the unity between the human body and nature”

Alicja Brodowicz is a photographer born in Poland. In her series Visual exercises she captures a series of dyptychs which show the imilaritys between nature and the human form.

Bodowicz’s photography is characterized by its focus on color, form, and texture. She is particularly interested in exploring the interplay between light and shadow, and many of her images feature strong contrasts and bold, graphic compositions. Her work often straddles the boundary between abstraction and representation, challenging the viewer to question their assumptions about what they are seeing.

 Human body and nature. Microcosm and macrocosm. The human form: irregular, wrinkled, saggy. Imperfect. Nature: wild, mysterious; sometimes incomprehensible, but always extraordinary. Abnormalities and perfection.

The diptychs show non-obvious analogies between the human body and nature. By comparing that which is tainted, burdened with imperfections, old, damaged by time, wounded, with elements of nature, which in the common perception are devoid of defects and which we do not judge through the prism of age and aesthetic imperfections, I try to “disenchant” the way we perceive the human body and show its beauty in ugliness, old age, sagging skin, wrinkles and scars. 

Humans and nature share many similarities, as humans are a part of the natural world and have evolved over millions of years in response to the same environmental pressures that have shaped the natural world around us. Some of the key similarities between humans and nature include:

1. Dependence on resources: Like all living organisms, humans are dependent on the resources provided by the natural world, such as clean air and water, food, and shelter.
2. Need for balance: Just as ecosystems rely on a delicate balance of different species and environmental factors to thrive, humans also require balance in their lives, including a balance of work, rest, and leisure time.
3. Resilience: Both humans and nature have shown remarkable resilience in the face of challenges, such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and other disruptions to the environment.
4. Cycles of life and death: The natural world is characterized by cycles of life and death, with organisms being born, growing, reproducing, and eventually dying. Similarly, humans also experience these same cycles, from birth to death and everything in between.
5. Adaptability: Just as plants and animals must adapt to changing environmental conditions, humans also have the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, whether it be changes in the natural world or changes in society and culture.

Many ancient cultures believed in the healing power of nature itself. For example, the ancient Greeks believed in the concept of “nature cure,” which involved using natural remedies like herbs, plants, and mineral springs to heal the body. Native American cultures also have a rich tradition of using natural remedies and healing practices based on the plants, animals, and other elements of the natural world. Ancient beliefs about the human body and nature were often deeply interconnected, with the health of the body seen as intimately tied to the health of the natural world. Many of these beliefs and practices continue to influence modern approaches to health and wellness today.

Overall, the similarities between humans and nature highlight our interconnectedness with the natural world and the importance of living in harmony with the environment.

I believe Brodowicz work is so important because it creates a huge sense of unity between humans and nature. It emphasises that we need to keep the planet safe to keep ourselves safe and that as humans we thrive from the planet. Spending time in nature is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood, mental health and emotional well-being. Feeling connected to nature can produce similar benefits to well-being, regardless of how much time one spends outdoors.

Combining

smaller/bigger picture

close up- zoomed in then zoomed out to reveal strange/weird pattern, shape, abstract- Andreas Gursky

close up of someone’s head- zoom out to reveal whole body shot – wearing strange clothes, animals- the unexpected

false perception- illusion.

Joiners, make them strange, facial expressions- David Hockney

Tableau- story telling, panoramic- Seamus Nicholson, Jeff Wall ( a sudden gust of wind) , Cindy Sherman (feminist outlook)

Projections- abstract, pattern, shape, story telling (hidden truths)

time lapse photography- weather- people in an area throughout the day, long exposure, light photography (time)

Human vs nature- show the similarities, skin and bark, hair and grass etc…- Alicja Brodowicz

“My work captures an awkwardness, but it’s also a celebration of some kind of beauty or empowerment.”

Michelle Sank was born in Cape Town, South Africa and moved to England in 1987 which is were she has been living till now. Sank has centred her work around topics such as socioeconomic diversity and growing up. Sank’s images explore the pressures and hopes of young people in suburban and coastal towns. Sank’s photographic gaze is highly inquisitive and non-judgmental due to her growing up during Apartheid. Sank describes her portraiture as a form of social documentary, she seeks to empower her subjects through their photographic experience with her.

Sixteen

Michelle Sanks ‘Sixteen’ project was focused on tenneragers lives while growing up in the UK, she used a questionnaire and portraits to show the person who she was interviewing as well as hand written answers which I felt gave the project a lot more depth. Throughout the different questionnaires Sank asked multiple different questions changing with each person, but the first question always stayed the same “What does sixteen mean to you?”.

Sank what to explore the meaning of Sixteen and wanted to answer her own question of ‘what is it like to be sixteen years old in the UK now?’. This project was a joint exhibit where some of the UK’s foremost documentary portrait photographs collaborated in opening conversations with young people about their hopes and fears, who or what sustains them. The photographers wanted to give these young people a voice and to have them heard by the bigger world. Michelle Sank focused around Cornwall as she was interested in exploring how the economic poverty and physical isolation of the county impacts the future of its young people. Sank chose to work in areas such as Camborne, Falmouth, Penzance and Treneere. Sank stated that she felt ‘privileged’ by the connections she was able to make which her subjects, their families and guardians who had shared their stories with her. She also got a closer look into their social and family structures and their domestic surroundings. This helped Sank to have a better understanding of the social challenges that people face which are hidden.

Image Analysis

Sophie Calle is a French photographer and writer as well as a installation and conceptual artist. Calle’s work mainly depicts human vulnerability and looks deeper into identity and intimacy. Many people recognise her for her ‘detective-like’ tendencies where she follows strangers and will investigate their private lives. A lot of her photographic work will include panels of her own writing giving context to her images. With her work spanning across photography, film and text her often controversial projects provide thorough documentation of other peoples lives as well as her interaction with these people. A key example of this is her work Suite Vénitienne (1980) where Calle followed a stranger from Paris to Venice and documented the whole experience. Calle states “Establishing rules and following them is restful. If you follow someone, you don’t have to wonder where you’re going to eat, they take you to their restaurant. The choice is made for you.”

Blind

“I met people who were born blind. Who had never seen. I asked them what their image of beauty was.“

This project turned out to be one of Sophie Calle’s most controversial photographic endeavours. She visited an institute for the blind in Paris and asked if she could speak to them about the subject of beauty. Calle made a series of 2 images for each persona as well as text from what they thought was beautiful. Calle types the subjects own works to go along side the portrait and image of the scene that they named was beautiful. The final piece of work included 23 interviews and over 80 photographs of the subjects and ‘beautiful’ scenes. The project was debuted at a Los Angeles gallery in 1989.

 

The question that Sophie Calle asked every person she interviewed was to describe their “image of beauty”, as this project was based on people who had been blind since birth this sparked up a lot of controversy in the photography society as well as the general public who viewed her project. Her images included black and white portraits of un-named subjects, many with dishevelled hair, cracked lips, and closed or blankly staring eyes. One of the woman photographed mentions the actor Alain Delon; another names a Welsh hillside. A young boy tells us that “green is beautiful. Because every time I like something, I’m told it’s green. Grass is green, trees, leaves, nature too … I like to dress in green.” She represents green, with a manicured lawn. Calle wanted to emphasize the contrast between the subjects choices of beauty and what visitors with sight might understand as beautiful.

The Blind caused disputes in the disability community, as Calle was asking subjects to tell her about what they cannot see and developing a a gaze which cannot be returned. Many say that Calles portraits are harsh and unflattering as the subjects seem caught off guard by the photograph being taken. These images also sit beside photographs of objects, people and scenes that the subjects will never see as well as text that the subjects used to describe why they though these things were beautiful. Viewers initially call her project moving but in contrast the disability politics today say a different narrative.

One of the key controverses over this project was first noted by a deaf artist, Joseph Grigely, who was a well known teacher at a school for the the education of deaf and gard of hearing students. Grigely, originally wrote 35 post cards to Calle about her photogray work on the bind, in these post cards he asked questions whihc many would dsay were thought-provoking refections on the serises while also exposing the projects uneven power dynamics. Grigely stated that the work revels “not so much the voices of the blind as the voice of Sophie Calle.” Calle controls her subjects, not only selecting the quotes and images on display but shaping the project’s very premise. In this way, the project, while presumably about or invested in the blind, has been formed by a sighted artist for a sighted audience.

Image Analysis