Research Log

Joel Meyerowitz http://www.joelmeyerowitz.com/

Joel Meyerowitz is a "street photographer" in the style of Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson, but now he works exclusively in colour instead of black and white, he began photographing in 1962. He was one of the first photographers to use colour, and was instrumental in changing the public's attitude from a bad opinion, to being universally accepted. Meyerowitz is an influence for my work in this topic as I would like to begin with shooting street photography, and people in their natural setting, without knowing photos are being taken.  

Lee Friedlander https://fraenkelgallery.com/artists/lee-friedlander

Lee Friedlander is an American photographer and artist. In the 60s-70s, Friedlander shot photographs which included fragments of store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, posters and street signs which evolved an influential, visual language of the urban "social landscape". I enjoy Friedlander’s work because it similar to Robert Franks in the sense of being black and white. I also like his style of street photography, as most of his photos are unique. 

James Maher http://www.jamesmaherphotography.com/

James Maher traditionally shoots black and white photos, street photography, portraiture as well as fine art images. He is based in New York City and credits his love for this city for the inspiration in his photography work, because of the endless personalities and unique diversity within the city. Maher is also rather passionate about writing and continues to write about his work, primarily for websites. I think Maher is an inspiration for my work as I'd like to venture more into street photography as well as portraiture, and he shoots both. 

Saul Leiter http://www.artnet.com/artists/saul-leiter/

Saul Leiter was an American photographer and painter around the 1940s-50s. His early work was a major contribution to the New York School of Photography, as well as having his work in many public and private collections. Although Leiter is a dated photographer, I like his style of shooting through windows and car windows of people standing outside - not knowing a photo is being taken of them. I also like the New York vibe he has captured within his photography - featuring many yellow taxis. I would like to capture this vibe from the places I visit in my first few shoots of Brighton, London and my holiday in Menorca, Spain. 

William Klein http://www.artnet.com/artists/william-klein/

William Klein is an American born French photographer and filmmaker. Klein is known for his ironic approach to both mediums, in the context of photojournalism and fashion photography. He was ranked 25th on Professional Photographer's list of 100 most influential photographers. I particularly like his street photography that incorporates his fashion images. Again, Klein is a black-and-white photographer, but I like this with street photography because it makes the photos look classic. 

Beat Streuli http://www.beatstreuli.com/

Beat Streuli is from Switzerland, and is a visual artist who works with both photo and video based media. Streuli's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums internationally, and is known for his street portraiture. I think Streuli would be a good photographer to research for my project, as his style of work ties in street photography and portraiture, which would be the link i could make when transitioning from places to portraiture. 

Philip Lorca Dicorcia http://www.artnet.com/artists/philip-lorca-dicorcia/

Philip Lorca Dicorcia is an American photographer with a masters of fine arts in photography, which he received in 1979. Dicorcia alternates his work from informal snapshots of street photography and people, to more formal, iconic quality staged compositions. Again, Dicorcia is influential within my project, as he has transitioned from street to portraiture as well. I also like the idea of shooting informally - perhaps with a phone instead of a huge camera in order to capture photos of people, without them knowing more easily. 

Martin Parr http://www.martinparr.com/

Martin Parr is a UK based photographer, and has been interested in photography since he was very young. Since graduating from Manchester Polytechnic in 1973, he has worked on numerous photographic projects that have enabled him to develop an international reputation for his social documentation, and input to photographic culture within the UK and abroad. I like Parr's work, for the simplicity of it but also because it is quite blunt, particularly within his photographs from a beach, there is no harsh editing to reduce the redness of people's sunburn, or airbrushing of their skin - his photographs simply show what they are meant to show, they show society as naturally as possible. 

Franck Bohbot http://www.franckbohbot.com/

Franck Bohbot is a photographer who specializes in photographing public spaces, street, environmental portraits and architecture. Bohbot found his passion for photography through cinema, and his work from the cinematographic form is evidenced in his photographs. I like Bohbot's work because it is different to any body else that I have looked at within this project, I like how symmetrical and well crafted his work is. I also like that he is interested with the light and colour within our 'constructed' worlds - which will be an interesting concept for my places and street shoots. 

Judith Golden http://judithgolden.com/

Judith Golden uses her environment to inspire her work, such as feminism and society. Golden is known for her mixed media photographs, which have been collected and exhibited worldwide. These images are representing how society views 'beauty' and 'women' in real life, to how they are portrayed in magazines. I like this project, and it relates to identity because in some of the images, Golden is masking her own face with the magazine printed face. This hides her own identity and replaces it with another - socially accepted one. 

Erwin Blumenfeld http://www.erwinblumenfeld.com

Erwin Blumenfeld was a photographer and artist in Germany, specializing in fashion photography, which was published in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. As well as fashion photography, he has shot portraiture, fine art, as well as artistic drawings. I like Blumenfeld's work because of the distortion and optical illusions within his portraits, which could be seen as showing no identity or more than one identity. I think Blumenfeld's work would be influential for my editing skills within this project as I can experiment with different edits for my photographs. 

Bill Brandt http://www.billbrandt.com

Bill Brandt was a British photographer and photojournalist, although born in Germany, Brandt moved to England, he then became known for his shoots of British society, later his distorted nudes, portraits of famous artists and landscapes. I have chosen to look at Bill Brandt because of his landscapes, but also because of his nudes. His landscapes relate to street photography, which will be influential for my own shoots. But also, his portraits of people's backs, hair, hands, ears, legs all show parts of their identity and I like the mystery of this idea - particularly as all his shots are in black-and-white, which enhances detail and creates even more mystery. 

Berenice Abbott http://famous-photographers.com/berenice-abbott/

Berenice Abbot was an American photographer, well known for her black and white architecture photography based in New York. I like the classic look of black and white photography, particularly street and architecture because it makes the photos look dated, in comparison to modern day. I also like Abbott's style of photography as she shoots from different angles and perspectives, such as through a window. 

Gavin Gough http://www.gavingough.com

Gavin Gough is a freelance travel and editorial photographer, and has photographed in over fifty countries around the world, currently shooting in Thailand. I think Gough's work is extremely inspirational for my project as he travels to so many places, and captures the culture, people, and streets within all these countries with stories behind them. I'd like to have a similar effect with my London and Brighton landscapes and tourist attraction shoots. 

Annie Leibovitz http://www.biography.com/people/annie-leibovitz-9542372

Annie Leibovitz is considered to be on of America's best portraiture photographers, and has developed her trademark use of bold colours and poses while at Rolling Stone magazine. Leibovitz herself says she likes to capture emotion and the living energy within photographs. I think studying Leibovitz would improve my skills within shooting portraits, as well as developing more skills of how to take self-portraits.  

Jill Greenberg http://www.jillgreenberg.com

Jill Greenberg is an American photographer and artist, specializing in portrait and fine art photography. Greenberg has done a large number of celebrity portraits, and uses painterly effects that are drawn using computer technology. Greenberg states that commercial photography had influenced her portrait work. I have chosen to include Jill Greenberg within this project as I would like to experiment with editing techniques, but also she captures real, genuine emotion within her images, which I would also like to capture within my own photographs of street and portraits.

Vivian Maier http://www.vivianmaier.com

Vivian Maier was an American street photographer born in New York City, although she grew up in France. In 1956 Maier moved to Chicago, where she enjoyed the luxury of a darkroom, which allowed her to process her prints and develop her own rolls of black-and-white film. Maier is another classic, black-and-white street photographer, but I particularly like how she focuses on individuals rather than a busy street full of people. 

Nick Turpin http://nickturpin.com

Nick Turpin is a UK photographer, born in London. Turpin is a street photographer, but his work is far more modern-day compared to the other street photographers I have researched. I like that Turpin's work will be easier for me to relate and emulate, as it is modern day London. I also like how bizarre some of his images are such as people lying down in the middle of the street, or close-ups of pigeon's feet.  

Michael Heffernan http://www.michaelheffernan.com

Michael Heffernan is also a London based photographer, and has been working for over twenty years. His photos are authentic and honest and show real emotion. Again, I particularly like that Heffernan is a modern-day photographer as his photos are colouful, and show a true light to what society is like nowadays. I like that most of Heffernan's work focuses on individuals, but a few show people socialising in public places, without knowing the photo is being taken, which enables Heffernan to capture their natural expression.

Lee Jeffries http://leejeffries.500px.com

Lee Jeffries is a UK photographer, but I particularly chose to research him because of his project with homeless people. After meeting a young homeless girl by chance, Jeffries decides to photograph them - but does not describe these photos as a type of photojournalism or portraiture. He instead wanted to honor and praise the homeless, not pity them. Therefore, he captures their true identity, because he doesn't sugar coat the truth, and this is portrayed through the set of images that he shot - although the photos are dark, this project gave the homeless that were involved, a little happiness in their lives. 

Gillian Wearing http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/gillian-wearing-obe-2648

Gillian Wearing is an English photographer and video artist, and describes her work as 'editing life'. Wearing's work could be seen as political, as for one of her projects, she shot a series of images of people holding up signs, with their biggest confession written on them. Wearing's work shows the view of the public, as well as her own view. She also has a set of images, whereby she used old photos of her family members, had their faces sculpted and created into masks, and shot photos of herself pretending to be them, i.e. her sister and father. I like the idea of photographing yourself as somebody else, thus changing your identity and seeing what you look like, and what it is like for you, afterwards.