From Alfred Stieglitz and Minor White to Man Ray and Laszlo Moholy- Nagy

by Alfred Stieglitz

by Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz was one of early Pictorialist photographers who promoted the photograph as art. In the end of 19^th century and early 20^th century, the photograph was considered the advance of science; photographs were not able to be as vivid as drawings and paintings. He considered that camera is a tool as same as brush for painting. The technique of manipulating is one of the tools to create the art as well. He usually used tricks and techniques in the dark room to process a photo.  Except the tricks, he was also a fan of “soft-focus lens” (lens of atmosphere); however, he preferred the naturally- occurring atmosphere rather than the “soft-focus lens”. In one of his early photo called “Winter-Fifth Avenue”, the snow gave the atmosphere, the fuzzy and soft-focus effect that soft-focus lens would not create. “winter-Fifth Avenue” could also tell how deep Stieglitz love photography; he used to stand in a driving blizzard to get this photo.

by Minor White

Even though, Stieglitz was a hard representive of Pictorialism in most of his photography career; it did not mean that he did not subscribed to Naturalism. Stieglitz changed from pictorialism to naturalism. Naturalism is a theory that the principle subject of a photo should be in sharp focus while secondary elements should be left out of focus.  In his photo “Spring Showers, New York” is a representive of his “naturalism”.

by Minor White

Minor White, who had contact with the work of Alfred Stieglitz, was a famous photographer as well. He looked upon the photography as medium of art. In the 60s, his style of photography had become the one of most models the photographers followed. Among most of his photographs, the nature is the theme, such as landscape, snow feature, and rock. He thought that clear and unchanging picture is the way of self-expression. White was a fan of spiritualism; he was interested in psychology which made him believe that the spirit is prior than anything else. From his work, we would see his attitude about art.

by Man Ray

Both Stieglitz and White are the painter of art. They devoted most of their lives to intent to “paint” the moment that could move theirselves and others in cameras.

by Moholo-Nagy

Man Ray, his photographs were basically focus on human body and countenance, and his objective were mostly on female than male. Also, some of his photographs were naked, he tried to specified artistic visions of females. Also, his photographs were absolutely different with Alfred Stieglitz, Stieglitz’s photographs were focusing on scenery, like building and city view. There only few of his photographs were focus on portrait.  



by Alfred Stieglitz



Moholo-Nagy’s photographs were usually using simple object or pattern, combine it together, and frame it with different lighting or coloring. His photographs were kind of nonrepresentational, with the special light, color and texture that he created for each photographs, each one of them were special and unique.

 After viewing most of Moholo-Nagy and Man Ray’s photographs, I believe all of their photographers are frame with their cameras. They used different techniques, lenses and lighting to create these unique photographs.  

Reference:

http://artsmia.org/get-the-picture/print/stieglitz.shtml#

http://www.masters-of-photography.com/W/white/white_articles3.html

http://alafoto.com/listing/thumbnails.php?album=51

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/stgp/hd_stgp.htm#slideshow5



The Role of Portraits in The Early Days of Photography And Portraits Today

Assignment 1: Photo Journal Part 1

Photography had been started in early 19^th century. The most mature and developed photograph skill in that period is Daguerreotype. Due to the cost of silver plates of Daguerreotype and the time progressed; it was hard and complicated to produce a photo.  As treasury as gold, the portraits photography was captured at most of time, especially the important and wealthy people. In addition, the people should stand or sit for hours in order to be taken the photo. They would not even change their facial expression and pose since they started.  Therefore, the people in the most of image of early portrait photography are uncomfortable and not smiling. Furthermore, exposing photos were longer. Later on, the cost of Daguerreotype had decreased the portraits photography began popular. However, it is only popular during the royal families and wealth families.  They used painted backdrop and wore colorful cloth, but the photo is black and white.

The biggest developing step was the invention of film. It took less time to record the image and wash a photo after it exposed. As technology grows, the photographic studios have been popularized as well. People just went there, picked a backdrop, sit in couple minutes, and pick up in next day. Photographer encouraged people to smile and look directly to camera.

Today, taking a picture is as ordinary as dining. Everyone has a camera; photograph could be taken in anytime and anywhere. It would clearly show the moment even you are running, jumping or swimming since the digital camera came out. People would take the photo and see the image right after it on the digital screen. Additionally, there is plenty of software to fix the photo in order to reach the satisfactory, such as Photoshop. At present, everyone would be the photographer. It divides into unprofessional photographer and professional photographer. Professional photographer is who devote their time to learn; unprofessional ones are those are either passionate or knowledgeable.

In the past, the complicated operation of a camera and huge cost of equipment was only afforded by those knowledgeable and rich people. The photographer should memorize all the steps to take and produce a photo. For example, Louis Daguerre who created the Daguerreotype was an artist and chemist from a wealth family.

The technology’s advancement affects the evolution of portraits from the earliest portraits sketching to the color painting to the black and white photography to today’s color photography.  In the past, the technology of photography is really simple; correspondingly, the operation of photography is complicated. The portraits photography in the past needed enough sunlight to expose the photo; therefore, most of the photography was happened under the sunlight. Since the incandescent lamps had come out, the lighting has been improved. Photographers could use the lamps in the studio room instead of the outside; or they could use the lamps to strengthen the lighting in the outside of room.

Today, lighting system has been developed to LED (light-emitting diode). Photographers still use the lighting system to increase the quality of the photograph, especially the portraits photographs in the magazine. On the other hand, the one of the new technology is using in photograph is the using of Photoshop Software.

 References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_photography

http://www.vam.ac.uk/school_stdnts/schools_teach/teachers_resources/image_identity/portrait_photography/index.html

http://photo.net/history/timeline

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_photography