Matt

This one is short but sweet. To all who don't know, this is Matt Minor. I was never fortunate enough to have a class with him, but I got to know him seeing that we were both in there so often. I went to a show of his one night and was completely blown away. Truth be known the images I saw that night are what really got me into photography. He is one of my favorite photographers professional or no. His images above are very personal. They tell you a lot about him and how he feels. These two images are self portraits taken in the studio, which are printed with images from his trip to Europe. I have tried my hand once at this method but my results were nothing compared to his works here. He has amazing composition, contrast, and technique. I really do look up to him for this. I would like to try more of this and work to getting results and print quality like his.

Chris Birdwell

I've decided to do local photographers that I admire this week (and the ones to make up for last week). I am very interested in shooting concerts and have been asked on occasion to shoot for one band in particular and I can never seem to get the results that I would like. My problems include and are not limited to, movement in the performer, being blown out by the flash.

This is Chris Birdwell. He graduated from here a year or so ago. I had the pleasure of having a class with him while he was here. He uses a film (35mm and 120) camera to shoot concerts. I'm am a huge fan of his work and have asked him on occasion to give me his secret to shooting the the low light conditions that he does. He told me that I needed a fast lens, around f-stop 1.4, a swivel flash, and a handheld light meter. I found that my lens is not fast enough by any stretch of the imagination. He has produced many beautiful photos using this process. He also incorporates light painting to some of his work, which is something I have already written about this semester. I'm going to continue to work at getting better results and will continue to look to his work as an example.

Colin Stearns

Colin Stearns may sound familiar to some because he was a photography instructor here at the University of Alabama for two semesters. I was lucky enough to have him during the Spring and Summer which he was here. Colin encouraged me to try different types of negative manipulations including bleaching, scratching, and burning. Also encouraged was different types of printing including ortho-film, salt printing, van dyke, argyrotype, etc.

In his work he uses the same van dyke, salt, and argyrotype processes that he shared with us. He shoots with a 5x7 film camera and contact prints the negatives in the sun. I thought this was fantastic seeing that you do not have to have a darkroom to do this type of printing. The series of his work that I wanted to share is called "I cannot see the forest for the trees." He has more photo series, but I feel like this is the strongest one. This is a rather ironic name for the series because the works portray the clearing of forests. I think that this process give an extra touch to this images because of the natural look that it brings. It is also not on a glossy surface or even mass manufactured paper, but on handmade paper for an even more natural element.

I have some work that I have done with these types of alternative printing and I would like to try and possibly incorporate them into a collage with digital and darkroom images. I still try to experiment as much as I can with my photographs and processes. I am very interested in learning different ones.

Dorthea Lange

This image is probably her most well know. It is called "Migrant Mother."

"Next Time Try The Train"

"Shack"

Dorothea Lange had a very large influence on the world of photography and photojournalism. Many of her works were from the era of the Great Depression. I am interested in her work and this kind of work because it, in a way, goes with my project I am working on in darkroom photography. I am shooting images of "old" landscapes and buildings, etc. I am working on capturing the things that will be gone in 20-30 years. In the same manner Dorothea Lange when captured the time period that is now gone of the Great Depression. She photographed everyday people in their environment. No posing or backdrops, just natural. These images often dealt with poverty, migrant workers, and people who were unemployed or homeless. Her images, in my opinion, need no words to go tell the story of these people and the land. They evoke many emotions while viewing them. In her case, I suppose a picture IS worth a thousand words.

Burn Blue Photography

While watching a demo in a photo class I became intrigued with the idea of "light painting." After researching it on the internet I came across Burn Blue Photography & Design. Toby Keller, the photographer, uses light to create or manipulate, if you will, images.The process is rather simple. You must open the shutter on the camera to the bulb setting, then simply take a flashlight, laser pointer, or what ever you prefer and shine it into the lens. You have the shutter open for so long that you can walk in front of it to do this and the camera will not pick you up in the image. Toby Keller leaves his open for so long that you can see the star trails in the skies of the images while he makes intricate designs with his lights. (Keep in mind he does this at night) I have given this a try a few times and they have been interesting but never what I am really looking for. I suppose the difference is that I did mine in 30 seconds while he does his within several hours.

http://www.burnblue.com/