Pepe Alias Boulette

Pepe Alias Boulette is an abstract photographer that deals very much with color. In each piece by Boulette, there is nothing that can be identified and named. He is able to take a little portion of an object and create an interesting frame around it. The colors and textures are so creative and inspiring. I love the simplicity yet the imagination that goes along with each piece. Since there is nothing that can be identified, it leaves the viewer to imagine what it should actually be. He depicts very simple compositions that have a big impact in form or color. These would work well hung up on a wall in a room.

Rebecca Zilenziger

Rebecca Zilenziger is a photographer who is able to capture very simple, everyday things and make them beautiful. She graduated from the Parsons school of design in New York. She is able to use light in such a wonderful way that it makes the composition so much more. She uses shape and form to create outlines that seem to make the image into something different. Her contrast in each image is also very stunning. I love the simplicity and softness of each piece. I also enjoy taking pictures of different forms and views of things that help create a new object. The way in which she portrays everyday things and makes them seem so important and much larger than they actually are. Im glad that I discovered her so that I can look for inspiration. She helps me realize that even if something seems boring and not worth photographing, there is a way to make anything look very interesting.

Lyndon Wade

Lyndon Wades artwork has a very fantasy like feel. Each composition uses very vibrant colors and the subjects are seemingly animated. I really like the creativity and almost comical feel of each piece. Her work is a very good example of the project that we are working on now with masking. The images are very fantasy, however, since the entire piece has the same feel throughout, they are believable.  I also really like the colors and the composition in each piece. Although they seem real, she has enhanced the colors in such a way that it appears dream like. All of the subjects are in some sort of circus outfit or dress of a different time period. Nothing makes sense and each piece is up for interpretation. I think that the photos are very interesting and that it is a very good source for inspiration for our masking project. 

Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon is a portrait photographer from the US who began as a fashion photographer and moved toward fine art and portrait photography. Avedon worked for Harpers Bazaar and Vogue Magazine. After many years of fashion, he began photographing hospital patients, war veterins, and eventually everyday people. 

Avedon's work is very glamours and formal. All of his photos are black and white with a very nice contrast. Each piece pays very close attention to the light. In his fashion photos, balance and rhythm are very important in creating the flow of his pieces. He exemplifies the model and gives a strong sense of confidence. 

His later work deals more with everyday people; people with no significant reason as to why they would be photographed. These images are much more rugged and the people seem very real. Each image usually only has one person, and it is a portrait of that person in their everyday attire. In the images he shot of mental hospital patients, he captures their expressions and emotions so carefully that it is difficult to look away. 

I really like Avedons simplicity of the background and the intense images of the people in which he seems to bring to life. 

Giedrius Varnas

Giedrius Varnas has a simplicity to her work that is very captivating. All of her prints are very spacious and serene. She uses digital and prefers black and white. She does use photoshop on her prints however, she tries to keep it within the traditional controls such as dodge, burn, contrast, and retouching. Her photos are very clean and evoke a sense of peacefulness. Each photo highlights a specific object and the rest seems to float away in space. The calming simplicity works very well in her images; I could not see them being in color. The black and white tends to be more mysterious with the contrast. Though black and white seem to appear in each image, there are no sharp distinctions which creates flow and balance. I really enjoy her use of white/blank space. I tend to not make my images very busy because I like the way that it looks and feels open and clean. 

Simoendli

Simoendli is a digital photographer that I found on deviantart.com. I was not able to find much information on her, however, she does have quite a few pictures on the website. Her work is very sensual and delicate. She does a very good job of zooming in on objects and blurring out the background so that ones eye is focused on one exact spot. I really like the way she uses water droplets and makes them the focal point. They are very crisp and clean images with a mystical feel to them. She also has a very strong use of color and space throughout her compositions. Her use of photoshop to enhance her images is also very strong in that it is not obvious, and could pass for an actual photo with no work done to it. I really want to try and shoot like this for another project. I researched an artist last week with a similar style and I really like the soft, and minute detail that is depicted from looking at these works of art. 

Romano Ferlan

Romano Ferlan lives and works in Fogliano, Italy. His work is very unique. The project that I wanted to focus on was his "Interno Freddo." He photographed the rooms of a house built at the turn of the century. The house was abandoned, so while Ferlan was in there photographing, he wanted to depict the house in a way that viewers would think it was his. His images have an eerie feeling to them. Each one is monochromatic with black adding depth. He is very good at using light to create the composition. In each image light defines the shapes and forms to help the viewer understand what they are looking at, however, it is done in such a way that it only gives a tiny hint at the subject matter. By viewing and studying his work, it really helps me to understand how I can use light to define my space. It is so important in all of his pictures from the bright lights to the dark shadows that without the stark contrast the images would not give the viewer the same intense dramatic feel. 

Denise Swanson

Denise Swanson has a very distinct and interesting style to her work. She grew up with two parents who were very into art and design which helped shape her creative genes. 

Swanson's work is very centered around nature and the natural or primitive world. She spends the majority of her time outdoors and combines her love of the outdoors with her love of photography. It is very important that her viewers can feel the way she felt while taking the picture rather than just seeing an image. 

I really like her style of photography. She is able to capture the intrigue and beauty of everyday objects. Her compositions are also very strong in that she pays very close attention to the design aspects of photography as well as the actual subject matter. She is not concerned with the viewer being able to clearly see what is in front of them; she wants it to be mysterious and evoke the imagination. Her extreme close up images and the somewhat out of focus parts create a very peaceful flow throughout the work of art. I'm really glad that I came across her and by viewing her work it helps me to develop new ideas for different ways of cropping and manipulating images. 

Steve Baker Photography

Steve Baker is a professional photographer who has recently been experimenting with photoshop. His images are very dramatic. Almost all of his photos are of people. He uses light and color to create a dramatic effect rather than the actual subject. His interesting use of color comes from photoshop where he places it specifically in one area. They are not overdone in photoshop; they still look like real pictures, however, he adds the little detail that makes them stand out. His photos tell a lot about the subjects due to his style of depicting the emotions through color and light. Most of his images are very interesting and captivating, however, there are some that I find to be boring, like he couldn't quite get what he was trying to say. 

Suits of the Future?

There has been a lot of controversy over the new competition swim suits. As a competitive elite swimmer, I feel that the new fast suits come with the new technology. These suits are designed to make people swim faster then they have ever swam before. So what is the big deal? Haven't all swim suits prior been named "the fastest suit to date." Yes, they have, and this is why all of the hype and contemplation over these new suits has gone too far. Yes, they do help with buoyancy and they do help keep swimmers stable in the water, however, they do not have motors on them that would propel one forward. It is all up to the swimmer as to if and when they will swim fast. The ones whom work harder and believe they will swim fast with the fastest suit in the world will be the ones who will swim fast and drop time. However, the ones who simply depend on the suits to make them fast, will be sadly disappointed. Swimming fast comes from hard work and dedication. Those who are at the top of the sport know and understand that wearing a certain suit will only get you so far. 

Technology and Graphic Design

Technology has had a huge impact on graphic design. Before computers, graphic design was done all by hand. Designers would cut out type then place in a visually pleasing way on the paper. However now computers can do all of the hard manual labor themselves. More and more companies are turning to graphic designers to portray their companies look and overall feel. Not only are they turning to designers for printable layouts, web design has become increasingly popular. Does this mean print will soon fade away? It is likely that print will be around for a while, however, it is very important for designers to learn to navigate and design web pages.