Sun Land -- Melanie Schiff
Melanie Schiff is a photographer in
Los Angeles, California. She previously
lived in Chicago, Illinois, and when she moved to LA, she had to spend a great
deal of time adjusting to the difference in light. LA has a dry, sharp sunlight, compared to the
softer light found in Chicago. This
concept of light is a consistent theme in all of Melanie’s work. The use of light in Schiff’s work is more of
a material subject than the actual object itself. Along with the use of light is the
incorporation of shape and everyday scenes with an exotic twist, as well as the
depiction of women in a direct manner.
Schiff says that she likes
photographing places with a creative history, places that give her a strange
feeling, and allow her to experiment with natural light in unique ways. In an interview Schiff states, “ever since
graduating I really felt that I wanted to make work as easily as I could, and
still feel authentic and true to my intention and aesthetic sensibilities. I think that’s one of the reasons I became really
interested in natural light. I had to do
something that allowed me to experiment with making work. I became invested in using what I had, you
know, using my surroundings and the light I had.” After looking through Schiff’s photos, I
would say that the main theme is the use of natural light to create different environments.
Flowers – James
Welling
James
Welling is considered a postmodern artist, and is another Los Angeles-based
conceptual photographer. This book, Flowers, refers to a film series
completed in 2006. As the book’s
description states, the series was created by placing “the blossoms of a common
southern California plant on sheets of 8x10 film and exposed them to light. The negatives were then projected onto special photo
paper through a color mural enlarger and color filters, to produce the
dramatic, spectral, almost sun- or moon-dappled images reproduced here.” According to Welling, this series is very
different from many of his other works in that the Flowers series is beautiful while other series of his has a darker
feeling to them.
The Flowers series creates a portfolio that
stands with the present, while many of Welling’s other works look to the past. I feel that this is why he decided to create
these images in the first place – to stray from his normal path. The “present-ness,” as he describes it, comes
from the deciphering of the image. From
the shape of the leaves to the mass of colors filling them, you can really see
the photos transition and come to life in front of your eyes.
Jets – Thomas
Florschuetz
Thomas Florschuetz is a photographer primarily known for
his large-scale photos of his body entitled “ Early Bodyfigures” where he captures
parts of his body. However, this
monograph, Jets, the main focus is of
airplanes. Since the “Early Bodyfigures”
series, Florschuetz focused on planes and flowers using close-up photographs
from various angles to allow the viewer to experience the entire subject. A constant theme throughout the monograph is
the tight angle images. The zoomed-in
photos allow for great detail and a unique look at the subject, especially with
the main focus of jets on airplanes.
The book clarifies that Florschuetz does not have any
specific interest in the military or aircrafts, but that he instead is
attracted to the “haptic quality” of the planes surface. The purpose of the Jets series is to explore the colors, textures, and lines of the
planes.
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