Online Sketchbook Prompt Fifteen

Candida Hofer, Deutsche Bucherei Leipzig IX, 1997

After looking at the image, read the following synopsis about the artist. If you were to take Hofer's approach to photography, what would you shoot?


I photograph in public and semi-public spaces that date from various epochs. These are spaces available to everyone. They are places where you can meet and communicate, where you can share or receive knowledge, where you can relax and recover. — Candida Höfer

Candida Höfer’s photographs reveal her interest in documenting collections of like things. Over the past twenty years, Höfer has created a systematic visual study of details within public spaces such as zoos, the interiors of office buildings, theaters, museums, and library reading rooms. Höfer’s straightforward and detached style at first seems clinical and purely documentary. Since the early 1980s people have been noticeably absent from Hofer’s photographs. Instead, she uses her camera to note repeated forms within public spaces such as furniture, lighting fixtures, ceiling or floor tiles, chairs, and tables, creating patterns and a sense of orderliness. Höfer also often emphasizes the ironic by drawing the viewer’s attention to things out of place. In Deutsche Bucherei Leipzig IX, the presence of people is strongly implied by the empty desks and lights, as well as by the books at the end of the room, evoking a sense of their purpose as vehicles of collected human history and knowledge.

Born in 1944 and raised in Eberswalde, Germany, Höfer currently lives and works in Cologne. Her works have been widely exhibited internationally: in Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and the United States. In addition, her photographs are held in private and public collections worldwide, including those at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris; Museum of Modern Art, New York; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among many others.

Online Sketchbook Prompt Fourteen

Justine Kurland, Slumber Party (Denver, Colorado), 2000

Describe what is going on in this image. How does this image make you feel? What does this image represent?

Online Sketchbook Prompt Thirteen

Scott Fortino, 2000-2002

Describe the personalities of these spaces. What people frequent these spaces and what do they do there? How do these images make you feel? What visual elements evoke those feelings?

Online Sketchbook Prompt Twelve

Paul Clark, 2004-2006

If you were to interview this photographer? What questions would you ask him and why?

Online Sketchbook Prompt Eleven

Jack Bridges, 2002-2004

How were these photographs taken? How do these images make you feel emotionally? What visual elements evoke those feelings?

Online Sketchbook Prompt Ten

Evan Baden, 2006-2007

When you look at these images, what is your immediate responce? What goes through your mind? After you take a closer look at the work, what does it begin to represent to you?

Online Sketchbook Prompt Nine

Next week we will be visting the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago. Visit their website and create a list of all the works you would like to see during your visit. With each piece listed, include a link from the museum's website detailing the artist's body of work and the reason why you would like to further examine the work.

http://www.mocp.org/

Artist Sketchbook Prompt Eight

Take a look at some of the work from a recent portfolio Ms. Cress created durng her time in Boston this summer. What thoughts cross your mind when you look at these images? What emotions do you feel?

Online Sketchbook Prompt Seven

Take a look at the recent images created by contemporary photographer Ernest Cadegan. Do you consider these images artwork? Can "pretty" artwork be considered influential? Why or why not?

Online Sketchbook Prompt Six

Take a look at the artwork of Barbara Kruger. What thoughts run through your mind when you look at her work? Which image displayed stands out most to you? Why does that particular image grasp your attention? What does that image represent to you?

Online Sketchbook Prompt Five

Take a look at the unique work of Sandy Skoglund. What are your immediate thoughts looking at her images? How do you think her images were made? What do these images represent to you?

Online Sketchbook Prompt Four

Take a look at the various works by Sally Mann. Do you find these to be powerful images? Why or why not? What makes these strong compositions? Which image do you feel a personal connection with?

Online Sketchbook Prompt Three

Take a look at the work of Christina McNeill and the following text written by the artist. What do you think about the work? What image stands out to you most? Why do you find that image interesting. What lessons will you take away from the text during your next shoot? Did you find McNeill's tips helpful? Why or why not?

Shooting Strangers, Christina McNeill, 17 March 2008

Shooting a stranger can be challenging, but if it weren't a challenge than anyone and everyone would be able to do it with flying colors! Be it an assignment, a random person you met off the street, a person you noticed on myspace or facebook, lets face it, no matter who they are, they are still new to you! I actually met all of these strangers from the avenue of the internet and thought I would share some words. Here are my ten tips on how to achieve an impacting, emotional and memorable portrait.

1. Don't be afraid to ask. As blunt as this may sound, grow some balls! Really, what is the worst someone could say to you? No! That's right, a measly no! You have to understand that some people really just don't like their picture taken, so respect it and move on. If they are hesitant then prove your worth. Show them some examples of your work, or fill them in on your creative ideas...pulling the student card always works too! If they say yes, than its your lucky day!

2. Offer Goodies. Nobody likes to work for free! Your models are doing such a huge favor for you so in turn you need to make it worth their while to take time out of their day to shoot! In my experience most people are honored and flattered that you want to take pictures of them. However, in any case no matter whom I am shooting I always offer TFP or TFCD meaning, Trade for Prints or Trade for CD. If you are a starving artist like me and your models want cash, just be honest and tell them you can barely afford to pay for the processing but are so passionate about the project. They usually give in!

3. Do your homework! Sometimes models, subjects or 'real people' don't even know where to begin. This is your job to use your creative mind! Find out what they do, where they hang out, what their hobbies are or what scene they are into. I tend to shoot the Indie scene. Reason? Because I love anything vintage, I love the lifestyle, the look, the wardrobe, the props, the demeanor. It all just reminds me of old family albums and inspires me to locate it in the "now", twenty-first century. The people I tend to photograph have somewhat of a sense of style; they have a plethora of fashionable outfits including accessories and neat-o props. Make sure to brainstorm before the shoot to get your mind going, one little object, color, location or piece of fabric might inspire you so write it all down!

4. Be inventive! We all have seen the same cliche image of someone in a cemetery or someone near a railroad track. You are in the big leagues now and need to step outside the box. Juxtapositions are what make images. Think: fat and skinny, night and day, hot and cold, tall and short, happy and sad...whatever contrast you can think of. I have found that shooting people in their own natural environment brings out the best in them. They are usually much more relaxed and willing to do more "out of the box" concepts. Take advantage of your model, location, props and wardrobe. Don't confine yourself to just one location or idea, have your subject move around and try different things. Change your vantage point or have them change their outfit. Also, don't get discouraged if a certain idea doesn't work. Move on and try something new.

5. Get a Model Release. And, I stress this, GET A MODEL RELEASE! The model release is one of the most important things you need to obtain from your model/subject. Once you have it your future options for that particular image is endless; stock photography, greeting card companies, editorial use, you name it. Make it as standard as brushing your teeth in the morning! Do not shoot until the release is signed because chasing someone down after the shoot is not easy nor fun. ASMP is a really great source to get free model releases.

6. Don't be nervous just be cool! Be honest with your model. It does not matter who they are or how famous they are, what matters is the limited time you have, so shake off the nerves or the "star struck" feeling and get to work! If you are nervous, it shows and is contagious. You can simply engage in a little conversation, ask questions and get to know them. You do not want your model to be nervous! The more real you are, the more your model with respect you and relate to you and in turn your images will be fabulous.

7. Avoid the cliche. Why is it that every time I shoot an inexperienced model they result in putting their hands on their hips? This is a mega no! Think back to tip #4, be inventive! You are the director so you are responsible for capturing the right moment. It is easy to detect images that are too forced or feel like both the photographer and the model tried way too hard, which results in an unsuccessful image. Make it simple and make it easy. The second you feel you are trying to hard to get something good from your model, take a break and shake it off. When you acknowledge you are forcing it, you learn and you grow. I tend to have people turn their heads away from me and when I say "go" they turn into the shot while I snap it. The reason I do this is because I try and stay away from the static and too forced pose. The end result is much more real and often unique because everyone is different and always brings a different feel to the image.

8. Let it be. What I mean by this is watch them and figure out their unique characteristics. Every person is unique and has something completely different to offer you. You want to capture their essence; you want to capture the mood and the ambiance. Need inspiration? Spice it up by having them jump, twirl , or scream! Do whatever you can to get their souls on film!

9. Change outfits! When I schedule a TFP (trade for prints) shoot I always tell my models to pretend we are going to play "dress up". You can also suggest a theme or style of clothing. With some girls I have done a "party dress" theme where they bring an array of different princess dresses. With guys I have gone with a color theme, a suit theme, or even a tie theme. Possibilities are endless. I understand that playing dress up might be easier for women, but it's easy to get creative with guys: Suggest to them using their images for Christmas presents, or their avatar on Myspace!

10. Tell their story. You want to shoot more than just a portrait. Take advantage of your opportunity and tell their story by documenting everything. Confining yourself to just a portrait is selling yourself short. Shoot every detail, close-up portraits, environmental portraits, landscapes, props and still life. You will be amazed as your story evolves; you never know how their story flows until you see everything laid out for you. One of the hardest things for me is to step back. I tend to shoot up close too much and it does not allow for any imagination by a viewer. A good environmental portrait evokes an emotion that is related by the viewer, it has props that are relevant to the subject and an environment that helps to tell the story.

Online Sketchbook Prompt Two

Take a look at the work of Eamonn Aiken and the following text written by the artist. What are your reactions to the work? Do you find the work interesting? Why or why not?

Brooklyn Nights, Eamonn Aiken, 27 March 2008

The first night I spent in the Terminal Market Warehouse yard photographing the progress of its demolition I stood in awe of a modern ruin. The building's commanding presence, even in its crumbling form, was remarkable. Among the most recognizable and historically significant buildings in Brooklyn (Civil War ironclad USS Monitor launched from these yards), the structure was destroyed in a 10-alarm fire that called greater attention to the issue of land use in Brooklyn's continuously escalating real estate market. Though being considered for landmark status protection when it was destroyed (under suspicion of being an intentional "developer's fire"), the site was a reminder that history won't protect modern ruins the way it does ancient ones - the land is too commercially lucrative to be left to cultural importance, and it was therefore important to me to begin making as complete a record of the place as I could before it was (as it is now) completely leveled.

This was something of a new direction in the project I'd been working on in North Brooklyn. I'd been photographing sites that appeared completely uninhabitable, and yet were immediate or almost immediate neighbors to dense residential housing. Waste transfer stations, refineries, sites of chemical contamination, an underground oil spill - all within a few blocks of my home, sometimes just down the corner. Though the burning of the complex released unknown quantities of toxins into the neighboring residential blocks and threatened more widespread severe fire damage had nearby fuel tanks lit, this was the first time the images had begun to also focus on the impact of redevelopment on historic and culturally significant locations. I began shooting the sites at night using long exposures on a large format camera as a storytelling mechanism - these were sites I passed by everyday, that were typically paid no second mind. By leaving the shutter open for sometimes several hours, lighting the scenes with moonlight, street lamps, factory lights, and passing cars, the landscape took on a surreal quality that echoed my own emotional reaction (and disbelief) regarding the health of the land we live on.

Online Sketchbook Prompt One

Untitled, Sarah Cress, 2008

Tell me about your summer. Where did you go? What did you do?

What goals do you have for yourself this year in photography? What type of projects would you like to explore? What techniques would you like to work on? What steps will you take to grow as a photographer?