Task 4 | Essay

Task 3 | Contemporary Artist

GEORGE HOLZ

George Holz is an American photographer whose work spans 30 years and includes nudes, fashion, and celebrity portraits. He is a native of Oak Ridge Tennessee, and graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1980. While at Art Center, Holz assisted for Helmut Newton, who urged him to move to Milan to pursue his vision. In Europe, Holz’s work appeared in Italian Vogue, Lei, Linea Italiana, Madame Figaro and French Elle. 

After five years in Europe, he returned to New York City in the mid 1980’s and opened a studio in the Village.

In New York, his fashion and beauty  editorial work appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Interview Magazine, and the New York Times Magazine. Holz photographed many advertising campaigns for diverse clients including Max Factor, DeBeers Diamonds, and Elizabeth Arden. His “Gold” campaign for the International Gold Corporation won him a Clio Award.

 In the early 1990's Holz’s work segued into celebrity portraiture. He began shooting in LA and NY for clients such as Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, and In Style.  He photographed major celebrities in music, film, sports and politics including Jack Nicholson, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce, Madonna, Michael Jordan and President Bill Clinton. Holz photographed movie posters including  “Face Off”  for Paramount Pictures with John Travolta and Nicholas Cage.

Holz won a Grammy award for his photography on Suzanne Vega’s “Days of Open Hand” album cover. 

George currently divides his time between assignments in NY, LA and Europe.  When he’s not photographing, he lives with his wife, son, and animals on their farm in upstate New York.

 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

The Art of Persuasion: A History of Advertising Photography, International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House, Rochester NY, 1988 (permanent collection)

Centro Cultural /Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City 1999  (permanent collection)

Photographs by George Holz:  Hohschule fur Angewandte Hunst, Vienna, 1990

George Holz: G. Ray Hawkins Gallery, Los Angeles, 1991

Nude in Photography:  La Foret Museum, Tokyo, 1993

George Holz Platinum Nudes: The Platinum Gallery Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1996

Original Sin: Staley Wise Gallery, New York, Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco, Fahey Klein Gallery

Los Angeles, A Gallery for Fine Photography, New Orleans,  Robert Klein Gallery, Boston, John

Cleary Gallery, Houston, 1997-1998

The Portrait/The Nude III:  Fahey Klein Gallery, Los Angeles, 2001

Three Boys from Pasadena: George Holz, Mark Arbeit, and Just Loomis: A Tribute to Helmut Newton" Curated by June Newton:  Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin 2009,  Acte 2 Galerie, Paris 2010, and Clic Gallery, New York 2010

Clients Are:-

General Mills
Glamour Magazine
GQ
Hanes
Hershey’s
In Style
Italian Vogue
Kohler
L’eggs
L’Oreal
Lucky Magazine
Men’s Health
Men’s Journal
Mercury Records
Natori
New York Magazine
Nike
Oprah
Paramount Pictures
People
Pepsi
Reebok
Rolling Stone
Saks Fifth Ave
Self Magazine
Seventeen Magazine
Sony Records
Spin Magazine
Tequila Sauza
Turner Broadcasting
Vanity Fair
Virgin Records
Warner Bros Records
WB Network
Wrigleys
YMI

 Denotation

 Naked lady in a garden/park

Big bush

Wood borders

Grass/lawn

Connotation

Comedy aspect to the picture, despite it being fine art

Has she been pricked by the bush as it looks like it is an aloe vera.

To me i see that this lady has a big bush between her legs, it can also be seen as she has a lady garden ;)

All info sourced from:-

www.georgeholz.com

Task 2 | Historical Artist

Alfred Cheney Johnston (April 8, 1885–1971) was born in New York City, and at the age of 18 he enrolled at The Art Students League of New York, later transferring to the National Academy of Design in New York City where  he studied to be an illustrator. The required drawing and painting classes from the Academy's rigorous training program would prove to have a significant influence on his later photography.

Cheney started experimenting with photography by taking portraits of friends and fellow students attending his art classes. At this time portrait artists were making a good living and it's likely that his mentor (Charles Dana Gibson; creator of the "Gibson Girl", an American icon of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century) advised him that there was a good living to be made specializing in photographic portraiture. He applied the knowledge and principles he'd absorbed from his painting classes to his portrait photography, and throughout his life many would compare his photographic technique to that of fine art painting.

Quotes

 

"I just work in my own way . . . I don't imitate the methods of anyone else. And I break all the laws of photography whenever I see fit...why insist on having a shadow here and a high light there, simply because books have been written saying that you must? I suit everything to the personality of the person whose picture I'm making. Lights, background, composition-everything! I like to have a little talk with the person I'm going to photograph, before we get to work, two or three days before perhaps. We sit down here and talk things over, and I find out what kind of pictures are desired, and all that sort of thing. You see, a girl who wants to go into pictures or get on the stage, or who is already famous, perhaps, but needs new photographs, must have several kinds. She needs straight heads, full length pictures, some beautifully draped, some taken in decorative costumes. Her pictures must appeal to the editors of magazines and newspapers, as well as to theatrical producers. They are a large part of her stock in trade. I talk over her good points with her, suggest costumes, perhaps, though I always try to leave as much as possible to the girl herself" Alfred Johnston 1928, when being interviewed by Violet Dare.

 Denotation

You can see a lady posing in the mirror whilst knelt on the sofa.

She seems to be resting on some cushions.

She is wearing a lace fabric round her lower half of her body.

It is in black and white.

Connatation

She seems to be admiring herself in the mirror.
She must be uncomfortable resting on them cushion things.
Love
Admiration
Self Comfort
Beauty

Source info:-

http://transversealchemy-raw.blogspot.com
http://www.alfredcheneyjohnston.com
http://broadway.cas.sc.edu/index.php?action=showPhotographer&id=45

Task 1 | 6 Key figures in Still Life

Paul Reiffer

 

Paul Reiffer (born 12 May 1980 is a British photographer, having previously been a commercial male model.

As a previously established UK commercial model, Paul Reiffer had the opportunity to work with some of the best photographers around the world. As a result, he decided to switch to “the other side of the lens” to make use of some of the skills and experience he’d picked up along the way.  Now an Internationally published photographer, his base is in London, but he also shoots in his Southampton studio from time to time along with facilities and locations all along the South Coast of England. Beyond studio shooting, he also works on location both in the UK and abroad.

Now an award-winning photographer, in 2010 Paul gained Associateship distinctions from both the British Institute of Professional Photography (ABIPP) and the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS). In 2011, this was followed by Associateships from the Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers (ASWPP) and the Society of International Fashion & Glamour Photographers (ASIFGP).

His portfolio photography is used every day by active models for top agencies such as Oxygen Models(London), W Athletic (London) and Look Model Agency (San Francisco) as well as many smaller management companies.

His clients range from the US National Park Service (NPS) to British racing drivers such as Andy Neate, to organisations such as Pineapple Dance Studios. He has shot many images for underwear brands such as Baskitand Lick^[- including advertising campaigns frequently published in Attitude Magazine during 2010 and 2011. Since turning to professional photography, Reiffer has shot many known faces including Louie Spence, Jodie Kidd, Debbie Moore and worked with ex Big-Brother star Imogen Thomas on her publicity in 2009. Reiffer also shot publicity photos for The Grapes, famously owned by Evgeny Lebedev, Sean Mathias and Ian McKellen.

                                                                                                              http://www.paulreiffer.com

 

Shot in studio. Low key setup with a lightbox above and front of the subject.

The light has cast shadows under the subject, the model looks very nice and composed very sensually.

The image has had a vignette added post production and I reckon the image was cropped giving her a central composition.

The leather chair with its red colour has added to the atmosphere of the picture, I think if it was any other colour it wouldn’t look as good.

 

This image was shot in studio under high key lighting setup, you can see from the reflection in her glasses that they have used a lightbox.

They have used to white sofa to keep the natural theme, white is a plain/naked colour which matches the pose of the model.

 

Alfred Stieglitz 1864 - 1946

Alfred Stieglitz (January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his fifty-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz is known for the New York art galleries that he ran in the early part of the 20th century, where he introduced many avant-garde European artists to the U.S.

 

 

There are a few mysteries surrounding Alfred Stieglitz, As the most important photographer in America in the early twentieth century, his prints were reproduced frequently during his lifetime and afterward.

He exhibited fairly often and made selected examples of his photographic work available to a wider audience by issuing large format editions in phootgravure, an artistic medium he ranked with etching and lithography.

With all the knowledge that we have of Stieglitz oevure, it is surprising to find that one of the major landscape photographs – a work he valued highly – remains unknown to historians and the public.

Alfred Stieglitz (1977), American Art Journal, Vol. 9, No. 2, William Innes Homer, 

Quotes

Stieglitz, A. (photo.) (2008) Camera work : the complete photographs. Taschen

“I was born in Hoboken. I am an American. Photography is my Passion. The Search for Truth is my Obsession. - Alfred Stieglitz - from Exhibition Catalogue, Anderson Galleries, New York 1921  Alfred Stieglitz "bilder i Camera Work", Ikaros Forlag, Oslo 1977, back cover”

Wherever there is light, one can photograph. - Alfred Stieglitz

http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/stieglitz/stieglitz_resources.html

 

This is a rather bland nude frontal image. You don’t look at it and go wow, it is dull as they didn’t have colour photography then.

If you took the same shot now you would have colour and it would look miles better.

31 dec 1969

This is another old photo but compared the one above this is more dramatic as he has gone darker.

The Water ripples with the black background add dramatic effect to the photo.

Dale Frazier

Fell in love with the camera. At that time I enjoyed taking nature and wildlife images. I studied Black and White Photography in College at Oklahoma City University. During my first years of College I was asked to photograph a Wedding, that lead to Engagement, Bridal and Wedding Photography. While Working with Brides and Brides to be I was asked to help with some Model Portfolio. I went on to work with Numerous Models and Help them Create Portfolios to further their modeling career. To this day I know several of the models are still doing print and commercial copy. After my wife Got sick with Breast Cancer, I quite doing model photography. It was too difficult for her at that time. I concentrated my efforts back to Engagement, Bridal and Wedding Photography, as well as Family and Senior Photography.

These two pictures by Dale Frazier, as he has used shadows and low light to create his pictures.

You can clearly see what looks like the back and a bum in both pictures, one with flowers resting on the hip area.

Well you are mistaken!!!

This image is taken in studio. With the help of a standard Red Bell Pepper as his subject.

“I believe I have made an interesting study of light and shadows of a Bell Pepper”. Dale Frazier

http://dalefrazierphotography2009.blogspot.com/search/label/Fine%20Art%20Photography

 Alfred Cheney Johnston 

 (April 8, 1885 - April 17, 1971)

 

Was a New York City-based photographer known for his portraits of Ziegfeld Follies showgirls as well as of 1920s/1930s actors and actresses.

Johnston was born into a well-to-do New York banking family, which subsequently moved to Mount Vernon, NY. Initially he studied painting and illustration at the National Academy of Design in New York, but after graduating in 1908 (and marrying fellow student Doris Gernon the next year), his subsequent efforts to earn a living as a portrait painter did not meet with success. Instead, reportedly at the suggestion of longtime family friend and famed illustrator Charles Dana Gibson he started to employ the camera previously used to record his painting subjects as his basic creative medium.

In approximately 1917, Johnston was hired by famed New York City live-theater showman and producer Florenz Ziegfeld as a contracted photographer, and was affiliated with the Ziegfeld Follies for the next fifteen years or so (he also maintained his own highly successful personal commercial photo studio at various locations around New York City as well, photographing everything from aspiring actresses and society matrons to a wide range of upscale retail commercial products—mostly men's and women's fashions—for magazine ads). He photographed several hundred actresses and showgirls (mainly in New York City, and whether they were part of the Follies or not) during that time period. For his indoor studio work, Johnston often employed a large "Century"-brand view camera that produced 11x14-inch glass-plate negatives, so a standard Johnston 11x14 photographic print was actually just a "contact print" from the negative and not enlarged at all. This size of negative afforded extremely fine image detail.

Johnston's "standard" work, of course, was used by Flo Ziegfeld for the normal advertising and promotional purposes for the Follies, and mainly consisted of individual or small-group shots of the Follies showgirls in their extravagant stage costumes. However, after Johnston's death in 1971, a huge treasure trove of extremely artistic full-nude and semi-nude full-figure studio photos (and their accompanying glass-plate negatives) were found stored at the farm near Oxford, Connecticut, where he'd lived since 1940. Most of these images (some named, mostly anonymous) were, in fact, showgirls from the Ziegfeld Follies, but such daring, unretouched full-frontal images would certainly have had no public-publication possibilities in the 1920s-1930s, so it is speculated that these were either simply his own personal artistic work, and/or done at the behest of Flo Ziegfeld for that showman's personal enjoyment.

 Outstanding image, the lighting is spot on and i love the way the light accenuates her body. The foreground could be got rid off and its a little distracting. but nevertheless the overall image is well composed.

Again another image by Alfred Johnston, this time he seems to have used a stand for her which he has covered with fur coats, again distracting.

The backdrop i think is either some wallpaper or some embroidered cover as if you look closely to the left you can see where it doesn't match together.

Both these images where sourced from onkayaks.squarespace.com

George Holz

George Holz is an American photographer whose work spans 30 years and includes nudes, fashion, and celebrity portraits. He is a native of Oak Ridge Tennessee, and graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1980. While at Art Center, Holz assisted for Helmut Newton, who urged him to move to Milan to pursue his vision. In Europe, Holz’s work appeared in Italian Vogue, Lei, Linea Italiana, Madame Figaro and French Elle.

After five years in Europe, he returned to New York City in the mid 1980’s and opened a studio in the Village.

In New York, his fashion and beauty  editorial work appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Interview Magazine, and the New York Times Magazine. Holz photographed many advertising campaigns for diverse clients including Max Factor, DeBeers Diamonds, and Elizabeth Arden. His “Gold” campaign for the International Gold Corporation won him a Clio Award.

 Stunning picture where you can see the women is nude, yet the photographer has managed to hide her assets, thus leaving your mind to not wonder and see the image for what it is.

The composition is great and the picture is black n white.

http://www.georgeholz.com/#/PERSONAL/Personal/6

Still Life Presentation

Frank Allias

 Franck Allais is self-taught photographer. Originally from France he moved to London 10 years ago. He likes playing with every day things, and bringing them into another context and if possible - making people smile. “I like to question people’s perceptions of objects whose role and function are so often taken for granted.

•       Photography allows me to play with the ordinary and present these things in a more unusual environment”., london, United Kingdom

                                                                         www.christianpinchbeckfmp.blogspot.com

 

The lighting here is high key, The mood of the lighting is soft.

It’s a simply put picture with only 2 props.

The texture is smooth as its toilet roll.

The angel he has used to photo this image is directly infront .

The focal point for me is on the right of the picture as you are not sure what you are seeing till your eyes focus and you can see it’s a tiny doll.

The scale of the 2 items are totally opposites of each other, little and large.

                                                                www.franckallais.com/Franck%20Allais%20Ok.html

 

This is mangle of lines and curves, from the lamps that are positioned sporadically.

I think he has used the lights from the lamps for this image, but you can kind of see an extra light source from the reflections in the chrome lamps…possible a soft box.

The variety of different lamps he has used is creating both unity in the fact they are all lamps but also variety in the different sizes and styles.

The clustered shapes here convey an optical weight to the image.

                                                                 www.blog.elemental.uk.com

 

The composition of this image is centralized and your eye is drawn to how weird the glass looks.

This is a high key shot of the glass and there is a light coming from the left of the glass to highlight it and create some shadow on the right to create form.

There is no real colour in this image as the white background keeps it true to emphasize the cold crisp nature of the water.

 

Function & purpose

 

His images are used for advertising purposes for most media formats.

For example :-

02, Cheestrings, Standard Life, Specsavers, Cravendale, EA Sports,The Natural Confectionary Company, Kingsmill, McDonald's, Belmaz, Red Bull

He also does photos for Newspapers and magazines: The World of Interiors, Indian Vogue, House & Garden, Guardian Weekend, Saturday Telegraph, Bon Magazine, FT Weekend Magazine, Palladium, Wallpaper, Psychologies, Time Out, 125 magazine 

                                                                            www.franckallais.com

                                                      www.theworldofphotographers.wordpress.com

 

Quotes

•      “His photography often challenges perceptions by flipping the mundane and ordinary into the vibrant and unusual.”

 

•      http://trendland.net