Artist (2/22/10): Olivia Frolich

all images
© Olivia Frolich

Olivia Frolich is a 25 year old Danish photographer. She became interested in photography when, after high school, she traveled to Switzerland to act in a movie and became fascinated by the set photographer. She then moved to New York where she enrolled in a few photography classes while working as an au pair. After acceptance into the Danish School of Photography: Fatamorgana, she returned to Denmark. After a year of school she decided to e-mail her favorite photographer, Signe Vilstrup - a fellow female Dane, and ask if she could assist her. The answer was yes and Olivia spent a year working as Vilstrup's assistant, from whom she said she learned a lot and was very happy assisting. She then received an offer to work for The Lab, a full production photography studio in central Copenhagen. There she says she received great experience but missed doing her own projects. Olivia then moved back to New York City, attending classes at the International Center for Photography while assisting local photographers. She was unhappy with the classes at ICP so after 3 months she relocated back to Copenhagen, where she currently resides, doing freelance work for The Lab and shooting for herself and growing list of clients, which includes shooting a campaign for the Danish label Ganni.
(- All this information was found in a great interview with Olivia on the fashion blog Wunderbuzz.)

I was immediately drawn to Olivia's images and was stunned to find out that she is 25. To me her images seem to capture a carefree, free-spirited beauty. They have a light, airy feel to them, even when somewhat darker, as in the two black and white images at the top of the page. She captures moments that seem very unplanned, which I like very much. The composition of her images also have a sort of unplanned feel, although I'm sure they are very thoroughly considered as they work beautifully. I believe that there is great skill in finding that perfect "unplanned" moment within a seemingly nonchalant composition. At times I feel as if I try too hard to get that "perfect image" that I don't allow for the spontaneous magic that can happen when you let the moment direct your shutter.

"If it’s a personal project it often comes from an idea, but then I actually try not to plan everything, because I don’t like to be tied up to one exact photo, instead working with the expressions and feelings which arise between the person I shoot and me."
-Olivia Frolich

Research (2/18/10): The Interesting Pose

All Images
© Sebastian Kim
"My Forbidden Love"
Numero Tokyo
Dec 2009

In an effort to move away from simple, predictable fashion images, I have been paying alot of attention to model's poses. An interesting pose can completely change the look and feel of a shot, as can be seen in the series by Sebastian Kim - with model Devon Aoki - shown above. When I came across these images I was immediatly drawn to them and their unconventional nature. Each pose is different and not exaclty something that one would expect to see in a typical fashion spread. In certain images there is a tension and rigidness to her body, while in others there is a flow of movement and ease. Each type of pose yields a certain feeling and emotion, allowing for a narrative of sorts to form on its own. What also draws me to this series is the use of the space in unconventional ways. The whole shoot seems to take place is one hotel-esque room (or maybe two) and yet each image is completely unique. The model is on top of the table, sitting up against a mirror, tangeling on the floor with a fallen chair. The interaction between the model, the furniture and the space is so compelling and soemthing that I would like to try and emulate. I believe that there is obviously a responsibility on behalf of the model to know their bodies and how to more them in interesting ways but a great deal of responsibility also falls on the photographer as they are seeing in through the lens and must direct movement to ensure that it is just right. In my past experiences, it has sometimes been difficult to direct the model as I tend to become completely engrossed with lighting and shutter speed and aperature. I think having an awareness of what I'm looking for and the skill set I want to posess - along with time and practice - will allow me to direct my models with confidence and creativity.

Artist Lecture #2: Hank Willis Thomas

©Hank Willis Thomas
"Branded Head"
2003
Branded Series

I really enjoyed the lecture given yesterday by Hank Willis Thomas. After viewing some of his work online before the lecture I wasn't completely sold but hearing him speak allowed me to view his work in a whole different way. I appreciate his desire to use his work to bring about change by effecting one's subconscious. He described this by saying that he was "using the language of advertising to comment on things that advertising never could." In a world where advertising is such a part of our daily lives and brand names and logos are as recognizable as religious symbols, he is very clever to use that language as his platform for change. He was an excellent speaker, thoughtful and intelligent while still being humorous. I appreciated that he started with his early work and brought us through to the more recent things. It is always interesting to see the evolution of someone's ideas and the incarnation they take over time. My favorite part of the lecture was when he was speaking about the images in which he had people hold frames out in public places. The last image from that series was the one with his mother holding the frame inside the restaurant and the girl outside looking right through the frame to the camera. He said that that image was his favorite and did everything that he had wanted for the images in that series to do. He explained how it had been a complete matter of chance that all of the elements had lined up that way in that moment. It allowed me to consider how much chance really is involved in photography. A painter is in complete control of every element of his art while as a photographer, I am very dependent on so many outside forces to come together in an instant to make a beautiful or meaningful image. And while excessive shooting is not to be placed above a well-planned, thought out shot, there is something to be said for simply allowing a moment to present itself and clicking the shutter at the right moment to capture it. I also love that he works in collaboration with other artists on a regular basis. I think so often art can become such a thing of seclusion and it is almost impossible to grow when one lives and works in an insular manor. During the question and answer section of the lecture someone commented on this fact and Willis Thomas said that it allows him to "think beyond himself." As I progress in my art making, I plan to make it a priority to think beyond myself by becoming involved in collaborative works.

Artist (2/15/10): Camilla Akrans

all images © Camilla Akrans

Camilla Akrans is a Swedish fashion photographer. She has shot ad campaigns for Hermes, Neiman Marcus, Tommy Hilfiger, Eres, and Missoni and regularly shoots spreads for Vogue, Harper's Bazar and Numero Magazine. I have been trouble finding a suitable bio on her, as there doesn't seem to be a lot of info out there on her personally and she doesn't have a website. I did read in a small wright-up on the Ykone website that said she has training as a fine artist and that she prefers to work outdoors, and a comment on another website said that she's in her mid-thirties. I find her images to be both romantic and edgy at the same time. She has the ability to take a beautiful model in a beautiful environment and do something different with them, not simply the same old "look pretty while I take you picture." She has a definite eye for unconventional or unique composition that I believe is an important part of why her images are so striking. I would like my work to speak in a similar way and I am hence forward going to make a conscious effort to look for ways in which I can break away from predictable compositions and poses and explore a more creative and experimental way of image making.

Research (2/11/10): How does Kalle Gustafsson do it?

© Kalle Gustafsson

I am completely enamored with the work of Kalle Gustafsson and am very interested in understanding the Photoshop techniques that he employs, not to copy him obviously but to further my own skills and breath of knowledge as I seek my own personal style. In an interview with Digital Design Magazine that you can find here, Kalle confirms his use of Photoshop to give his images a certain look, but he's not giving anything away - and rightly so.

So I have been doing some research to see what tools other people think he is using. The Swipelife website described the images as having a "warmly desaturated, level-adjusted (meaning richer blacks) quality. " In a forum on RetouchPro, there were many different answers given: channel mixer and some masking, selective color layer, custom gradient map. Two of the more informative responses are shown below.



Another comment on a website that I can not find again said that they thought it was the Shadow/Highlight filter that was being used. I had never used this filter and found a few tutorials online that showed the basics. None of them were good enough to post though and didn't show how to use it in a way that would resemble Gustafsson's photos. I am currently working on some images using these new techniques and will post those soon. Apart from learning what Kalle may or may not be using, I am advancing my own Photoshop skills and am very excited about that!

Artist (2/8/10): Kalle Gustafsson

all images
Kalle Gustafsson
www.kallegustafsson.com

Kalle is a young photographer, born and raised in Sweden. After two years of studying photography in Paris and a year and a half studying film production in Sydney, Australia, Kalle moved back to Sweden, settling in Stockholm. There he assisted the fashion photographer Bersa for 18 months before establishing himself as a freelance photographer. He has shot more than a dozen advertising campaigns, including Fila and Paul Smith, as well as numerous editorial spreads. His website also includes personal work which is just as compelling as any of his commercial projects. All of his images have a sort of ethereal quality, and his ability to capture a model at the perfect moment can be seen clearly in each image. He obviously uses some Photoshop techniques to desaturate and "stylize" his images. Although all of his work carries a unique and personal look, he definitely tailors the look to work for each project precisely. I am truly in love with his work and am so thankful that I came across it. I am striving to find my own personal style and am excited to play with some new Photoshop techniques. The possibilities are endless in that realm, just as they are with what I choose to put in front of my lens.

Research (2/4/10): Sienna Miller in Alfie

In continuing with my research of how to portray the "tragically flawed heroine", I was reminded of Sienna Miller's character Nicki is the remake of the movie "Alfie". She is the perfect example of a tragically flawed heroine: beautiful, troubled, excessive. The cinematography throughout the entire film is amazing but a particular sequence shown in part below (please disregard the music) seems to capture her perfectly. I have been very drawn to film lately and have even considered how I could incorporate it into my work this semester. Although I think it may be a bit ambitious at this point to change mediums, this sequence gives me an idea of how it could be done. As I evolve my ideas and build my own character that embodies the "tragically flawed heroine" I will surely look to this amazing movie for inspiration, both in characterization and artistic production.

Artist (2//1/10): Roy Cox

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Roy Cox

Roy Cox is a 35 year old fashion and advertising photographer. He began his career just 8 years ago, when at the age of 27 he decided to turn his photographic hobby into a full-time passion. Having no formal training, he spent a few months immersed in teaching himself the technical aspects of photography before opening his own studio in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. He quickly began making a name for himself around the state doing portraits and portfolio shots. After less than a year in business he got his first commercial assignment and his career took off from there. He began working with large advertising agencies, musicians and designers. Today he has done countless magazine covers and editorial layouts and hundreds of advertisements. He has an easily identifiable style that seems to fuse fantasy and reality. A lot of his more artful images use creatively detailed sets which is something I have been playing around with in my own work. I particularly love the Wizard of Oz themed shoot shown above. A few of the shots seem to have been done is a studio while others seem to be on location. It is helpful for me to see the things that are possible in a studio, as well as the what can be done in terms of lighting a location to make it blend and work with the series.

Artist Lecture #1: Alec Soth

Alec Soth
Natalia
from the series "Fashion Magazine"

Alec Soth
Sonia
from the series "Fashion Magazine"

Alec Soth
Jane
from the series "Fashion Magazine"

I very much enjoyed the lecture given yesterday by Alec Soth. His manor was very engaging as he seemed to strike the right balance between humor and seriousness. I appreciated that he began the lecture by speaking about other photographers, giving quotes and explaining how their work influenced him and his photographic journey. Even the title he had given to his lecture, "A Paralyzed Cyclops in the Democratic Jungle," was a reference to quotes and work by David Hockney and William Eggleston, respectively. It was refreshing to hear someone at that level of success refer to and reference other photographers so often. I am reminded of previous artist lectures where the artist simply spoke about themselves and their own work the entire time. Soth allowed us into his art making world and made the point of the lecture about the journey and not the final product, which very much relates to his images and the way he creates them.

In a world where everyone has a camera and "people with cell phone cameras are taking the great documentary pictures of our time," Soth believes that the way to rise above that is through storytelling or narrative photography, which is not a dramatic arch from start to finish but a series of unconnected points that together form a whole. To have him explain it in this way was very helpful to me as I seek to often tell a narrative of sorts within my own images and have at times gotten lost in the details of telling a classically fashioned story, which is not entirely necessary or pragmatic . He also made a comment that helped me to put the "entire world as photographers" into perspective. He said, "It is not hard to make one great image but to make a great series is difficult." That is what sets those of us trained in photography apart from those who simply snap a great photo once and a while. It is easy for me to get discouraged sometimes when I see people who do not have the education or experience that I do, be praised for taking great pictures. It is a jungle out there but those who work the hardest and want it the most will ultimately rise above the masses and I think Soth is right in believing that storytelling is the perfect way to do it.