How Did John Szarkowski Influence American Photography

Winogrand took photos of everything he saw; he always carried a camera or two, loaded and prepared to go. He sought after to make his photographs more interesting than no matter what he photographed. Contrasting many well-known photographers, he never knew what his photographs would be like he photographed in order to see what the things that interested him looked like as photographs. His photographs resemble snapshots; street scenes, parties, the zoo. A critical artistic difference between Winogrand's work and snapshots has been described this way, the snapshooter thought he knew what the subject was in advance, and for Winogrand, photography was the process of discovering it. If we recall tourist photographic practice, the difference becomes clear: tourists know in advance what photographs of the Kodak Hula Show will look like. In comparison, Winogrand fashioned photographs of subjects that no one had thought of photographing. Again and again his subjects were unconscious of his camera or indifferent to it. Winogrand was a foremost figure in post-war photography, yet his pictures often appear as if they are captured by chance. To him and other photographers in the 1950s, the previous pictures seemed planned, designed, visualized, understood in advance; they were little more than pictures, in actual fact less, because they claimed to be somewhat else the examination of real life. In this sense, the work of Garry Winogrand makes a motivating comparison to Ziller's

For this essay the works of Robert Draper, author of “Why Photos Matter,” and Fred Ritchen, author of “Photography Changes the Way News is Reported,” will be analyzed. Though both deal with the topic of photography, their take on the matter is very different. While Ritchen is a photographer who writes on “what professional photographers will be doing in the future,” Draper is a writer for the National Geographic writing on how the photographers of the magazine share “a hunger for the unknown.” Both writers, however, write on the topic of photographers having a deeper understanding of their subjects, Ritchen due to research and practice, and Draper because the photographers “sit [with] their subjects, just listening to them.” In both essays the need for a deeper understanding of the

Uelsmann’s work was not well received in the photography community. His creations were not considered photography; however, he was well received in the art community. John Szarkowski hosted a solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in 1967. Uelsmann was considered “iconoclastic” and “set out to convince critics that photography offered alternatives to the conventional “purist” sensibility…” Uelsmann debated that photos could “evoke elusive states of feeling and thinking triggered by irrational and imaginative juxtaposition” (Kay). Uelsmann has succeeded in finding a following among photographers and artist alike. In the past forty years, Uelsmann’s work has been exhibited in over 100 solo shows throughout the US and overseas. He has permanent instillations in museums worldwide (Taylor). Uelsmann’s photos are now revered for their original technical form as well as their surreal matter (Johnson).

Teju Cole, in his essay “Against Neutrality,” dissected the tones behind photography- which he believes are thought of as unbiased towards the subject. The power of words and of photos is crucial to Cole’s essay. He states that images can “make a grim situation palatable” because of the photographer’s craftiness in selection (Cole 1). To anyone who isn’t an experienced photographer these tricks can be hard to see but Cole provides further insight from the historian, John Edwin Mason. Expectantly, Mason sheds light behind the misconception on photography, how the “manipulation in photography isn’t really about Photoshop or darkroom tricks”, but the style, angle and other aspects of taking photos (Cole 1).

No matter it’s effect, photography was and is very pivotal throughout society. Photography can be a beautiful but yet haunting form of art. It displays an image which is characterizing

Before starting this project, I knew very little about photography, photographers, or exactly how much impact photographical images have had on our society. I have never taken a photography class, or researched too in depth about specific pictures or photographers. This project has allowed me to delve deeper into the world of photography in order to understand just how much influence pictures can have over society’s beliefs, emotions, and understandings’. I have have chosen two highly influential photographers, Diane Arbus and Dorothea Lange, who I have found to both resonate with me and perfectly capture human emotions in way that moves others.

Perhaps one of the most famous photographers known today. His work spans from his photographs to conservation of the environment. He used his exceptional talent in photography to capture his audience to help preserve what he loved. His pictures went beyond just normal photos of landscapes. They would envelop the viewers and give them a sense that what they were looking at was bigger than life. The pictures had the effect of making you feel small.

As photography was being used more and more as a method of documentation, they were among the first to use it to push social reform efforts. They closely documented the devastating effects of industrialization and urbanization on the working-class American. Through their work they brought attention to the need for housing and (child) labor laws. They used their medium to bring real proof to the public and legislators, where it needed to be seen. Actually, instead of documentary photography, it may best be called social reform photography, as they both worked tirelessly and used the medium to force attention and to effect social change.

In the Martha Rosler’s essay of In, Around, and Afterthoughts, she discusses the Bowery, a favorite place to hang out in New York and wonders why this Bowery seems so attracts to the documentary photographers. Rosler questioning how to deal with the documentary photography as a photographic practice and she suggests that we must start with it as a historical phenomenon. She discusses the historical anecdote on the discovery of flashlight by Jacob Riis, who realizes that this technique allows him to photograph places of great poverty. Rosler implied that early documentary photography would concerned with reviving the suffering of the poor and the documentary carries old information about a group of powerless people to the powerful people, so

For my chosen photographer, I have based my project for ‘In the style’ on Berenice Abbott’s. Abbott work was mainly based in the 1930’s of the urban designs of America, she was best known for her black and white photography as well as her documentation of New York City. She had a great approach to photography in a variety of ways, through her own style of work and through her introduction of other artists including Eugene Atget’s, for his unique photographic techniques. Abbott’s work has not always been based on photography as she focused on Journalism, but soon became interested in theatre and sculpture. She began her career in photography in 1923 as an apprentice to Man Ray. In 1925, she set up her own photography studio in Paris and made several well-known portraits of artists and writers who were popular in this time. Berenice returned to New York City in the time of the Wall Street Crash, which was the largest stock market crash in American history in

Gregory Crewdson is a contemporary America fine art photographer. Crewdson is best known for his elaborately staged scenes built to perfection—down to the most minute detail— with the assistance of large production teams. Using small-town America as a backdrop, Crewdson creates hauntingly surreal images that show people in the moment of disconnect and isolation. In his essay, In a Lonely Place, Crewdson shares his response to the works of several American artists who all have influenced his work on one level or another. He states that each of the artists mentioned, in whatever medium they choose to work in,

Photography captured the truth and the truth is a powerful thing. Photographers like Jacob August Riis and August Sander used photography to tell stories that words couldn’t. With photographs like “Poverty Gappers Playing Coney Island” and “Turkish Mousetrap Salesman”, Riis and Sander’s was able to show stories that surpass anything else. They both worked to give their subjects an identity and using it to show how they and the world around them was suffering. Jacob Riis was a photographer during the Progressive era.

Adam traveled to New York we he showed his work to one of the greatest photographers of the time, Alfred Stieglitz. Stieglitz was amazed at Adam’s photos and how he managed to capture the essence of the imagery (American Experience). Adam was inspired by what Stieglitz said about his photos and landscape photos began to take a new form. Adam’s photos made you feel as you were there at the time the photo was taken something that many artist had been trying to understand. As a result to this new form artist began to take notice of his work and celebrated how he understood the subject matter American

Deakin took several of uncompromising true portraits of bohemians Soho set of the 1950’s. Deakins ambition was to be a successful painter however he did not complain of being a photographer for vogue in the 1940’s -1950s was much more steady enough. He captured the real life that revolves around soho, and not the fantasy life. John Deakin is a photographer with extraordinary eyes as his friend Elizabeth Smarts said, “Although he was a great photographer his dream was to become a painter”. (Robin.M.2014.p4). Deakin started his career working for vogue as a fashion photographer, although he was sacked twice. While he was there he mostly shot many portraits. He worked with Audery Withers back in 1950. While working together they took some beautiful street photography, which then were exhibited in Rome and Paris in the 1950s. It was also used in the Catalogue. He was the photographer for well-known artists such as Picasso and Dylan Thomas. Deakin’s subjects were poets, artist’s actors and some popular entertainers.

Henry Peach Robinson, born on July 9th, 1830, was a British photographer and prominent author on photography. Known as “the King of Photographic Picture Making,” he began his life’s work as a painter but would become one of the most influential photographers of the late 19th century. He was a prolific advocate for photography as an art form and is well known for his role in “pictorialism,” which, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is “an approach to photography that emphasizes beauty of subject matter, tonality, and composition rather than the documentation of reality.”