Horst Faas- Octavia

Photographer: Horst Faas

Brief Background:

“Born in Berlin, Germany, Faas began his photographic career in 1951 with the Keystone Agency, and by the age of 21 he was already covering major events concerning Indochina, including the peace negotiations in Geneva in 1954. In 1956 he joined the Associated Press (AP), where he acquired a reputation for being an unflinching hard-news war photographer, covering the wars in Vietnam and Laos, as well as in the Congo and Algeria. In 1962, he became AP’s chief photographer for Southeast Asia, and was based in Saigon until 1974. His images of the Vietnam War won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1965. In 1967 he was severely wounded in the legs by an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) and used a wheelchair for the rest of his life. In 1972, he collected a second Pulitzer, for his coverage of the conflict in Bangladesh. Inside Bangladesh, photographer Rashid Talukder considered it too dangerous to publish his photographs and he released them more than twenty years after Horst's photographs had appeared.

Faas is also famed for his work as a picture editor, and was instrumental in ensuring the publication of two of the most famous images of the Vietnam War. The notorious "Saigon Execution" photograph, showing the summary execution of a Vietcong prisoner by Saigon police chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan, taken by Eddie Adams in Saigon on February 1, 1968 was sent under his direction. Nick Ut's famous "Napalm Girl" photograph caused a huge controversy over at the AP bureau; an editor had objected to the photo, saying that the girl depicted was naked and that nobody would accept it. Faas ordered that Ut's photo be sent over the wire.

In September 1990, freelance photographer Greg Marinovich submitted a series of graphic photos of a crowd executing a man to the AP bureau in Johannesburg. Once again, AP editors were uncertain if the photos should be sent over the wire. One editor sent the images to Faas, who telegrammed back, "send all photos."

In 1976, Faas moved to London as AP’s senior photo editor for Europe; he retired in 2004. In retirement he organized reunions of the wartime Saigon press corps and ran international photojournalism symposiums.

He produced four books on his career and other news photographers, including Requiem, a book about photographers killed on both sides of the Vietnam War, co-edited with fellow Vietnam War photojournalist Tim Page.”

                                                                                                                        - Wikipedia

Title of work: 

Location: Binh Gia, Saigon

Time: January 1965

1. What was your first impression when viewing the photo?

When viewing this photo I immediately thought of the different perspectives present in this photo. There are five men in focus facially, with their body language also revealing a story.

2. What does the work look like to you?

This photo looks like a war photo, due to the uniform and weapons taken during midday.

3. What is the subject of the photo?

There are numerous subjects in this photo but there are five main characters in focus.

4. What textures, colors, and shapes are there?

The photo was taken with black and white film, with the sun creating a lighter section casting over the subjects.

5. What about line, forms and space?

The lines are not only formed by the trees, but the natural light coming through them, and the form and space is created by the five men.

Analysis:

1. What stands out and draws your eye in this photo

In this photo, I am immediately drawn to each of the subject’s facial expressions and the sun seeping through the trees.  

2. How is the photograph organized in terms of design elements (line, space, etc)

Considering the line, form and shape the photograph is organized well, diagonal lines are created by sun rays, the soldiers and the trees create vertical lines, and each subject is naturally spaced.

3. What about contrast, rhythm, balance, proportion?

The top of the photo is a lot lighter than the rest of the photo because it was taken on a sunny day, resulting in a significant difference in contrast for the lower portion of the photograph. I think the rhythm is maintained.

Interpretation

1. What is the photo about

The photo is set during the Vietnam War and it portrays what appears to be an average day during a time of war.

2. What is the message of the photographer?

For the photographer, he may be communicating a false sense f reality, where there’s no danger, a reality where the calmness of the sun relaxes them, not having to be on constant alert. The reality is that there is no calmness, moment of peace and they are constantly on alert.

3. Does the photo have a purpose?

This photo, like most of his work was taken to reveal the tragedies, doubts and courage that comes up during times of war.

4. What feelings do you get from the photo?

From this photo I feel a strong sense of curiosity, I’m curious about the various perspectives represented in this photo. Each individual tells his own story through his facial expression & body position.

5. Does it remind you of something?

Nothing in particular.

Evaluation

1. Did your first impression change, and why?

My first impression of this photo has not changed.

2. Do you think it is a successful photo?

I think this was a successful photo because it captures multiple perspectives in the way that the sun highlights the hidden story of each individual.

3. Is it unique?

While this photo resembles many other war photos, this photograph is unique because it captures incredible light during a dark time.

4. Could you do it better?

Excluding the location of the photograph, I could possibly replicate this photograph because it’s not a photo capturing a woman running away, there’s not much action but I couldn’t improve upon it.

5. Can you readily understand the subject matter, and do the design elements (space, form, line, shape, color, texture) help you to do so?

Yes, I think I readily understand the subject matter because the design elements like line, shape, and color creates a particular message and set the tone of the photo.

6. Was the photo well planned, in your opinion?

In my opinion the photo was not planned, it appears to be natural because it was a casual day where the soldiers were not yet facing any immediate conflicts or dangers.

7. Would you buy it or hang it in your home?

I would buy it, but not hang it up in my home.

8. Have you learned anything that you could apply to your own photography?

In terms of my own photography, I think I should take more advantage of the sun, manipulating it, where I create an angle that is in between the possibility of being overexposed and underexposed. This evident in the way the trees shelter some of the light.

9. Does the photo inspire you?

The photo does not inspire me because it does not directly relate to any of my experiences but I understand how this photo can recreate a sense of hope.

Source: http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2012/05/15/photographer-collection-horst-faas-vietnam/5689/

Sebastião Salgado - Jenny

“Indian washing coffee in Columbia / Sebastião Salgado”

Sebastiao Salgado is a Brazilian photojournalist. Born in 1944 in a small town called Aimores, Salgado earned a masters degree and worked as an economist for the International Coffee Organization. During his travels for work he became interested in photography and eventually switched his career to focus solely on photography and spent his time doing documentary-type work. He focused on issues like poverty, oppression, and the effects of industrialization. The photograph above was taken as a part of his series on coffee as Salgado documented the beauty and simplicity of coffee culture as a form of public awareness.

Description:

1.    My first impression of this photo is the subject’s tranquil facial expression.

2.     This work is a portrait of not only just a poor worker in Columbia, but a representation of the entire coffee culture.

3.     The subject is a man washing coffee in Columbia.

4.     This photo has a lot of natural background textures. His textured hair almost blends into the trees in the background and the dirt on his clothes almost makes him a part of the nature as well.

5.     There is a lot of background space and natural lines in this photograph because it portrays not only just a man washing coffee, but emphasizes his connection to nature.

Analysis:

1.     The aspect of the photograph that stands out to me the most is the subject’s peaceful facial expression and how he almost blends in with nature.

2.     The photo is organized well with soft lines and large spaces.

3.     Proportionally, the subject is small compared to the background, which allows the subject to almost fade into the surroundings. The contrasts of black and white help tell the story of simplicity and hardship.

Interpretation:

1.     The photograph is about the natural and primitive process of coffee cultivation that is often forgotten.

2.     The message of this photograph is to be reminded of the origins of coffee – a product many of us consume every day – and be reminded of the labor and unfair compensation workers like the one in this photograph receive for producing something that we so mindlessly consume.

3.     Yes, this photograph’s purpose is to inform the viewer of the primitive stages of coffee cultivation.

4.     Looking at this photo makes me feel compassionate and appreciative of the work this subject does everyday. Although I know he isn’t compensated properly for his labor, the almost spiritual connection he seems to have with the nature around him is something I think many people could learn from.

5.     This photo doesn’t remind me of anything specific. It tells a unique story that often goes untold.

Evaluation:

1.     No, my impression stayed fairly consistent.

2.     I think it is a very successful and powerful photograph.

3.     Yes, it is unique in the way the subject seems to be interconnected with nature.

4.     I think I could reproduce the composition of this photograph, but the story and the emotion behind it would be hard to capture.

5.     Yes, the subject and design elements were fairly easy to understand.

6.     Yes, this photograph was very well planned and tells a powerful story.

7.     Yes, I would be happy to own a photograph like this one.

8.     Yes, I’ve learned to focus on not only the subject of the photograph, but the interaction the subject has with other elements in the photograph.

9.     Yes, this is a very inspiring photograph.

“Photography allowed me to see anything that I wished to see on this planet. Anything that hurts my heart, I want to see it and to photograph it. Anything that makes me happy, I want to see it and to photograph it. Anything that I think is beautiful enough to show, I show it. Photography became my life.”

- Sebastião Salgado

Robert Mapplethorpe--Lilia

Robert Mapplethorpe (November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, known for his sometimes controversial large-scale, highly stylized black and white photography. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-portraits and still-life images of flowers. His most controversial work is that of the underground bondage and sadomasochistic BDSM scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s of New York. His highly stylized explorations of gender, race, and sexuality became hallmarks of the period and exerted a powerful influence on his contemporaries.  Mapplethorpe died on the morning of March 9, 1989, 42 years old, in a Boston, Massachusetts, hospital from complications arising from AIDS. 

This photograph is called Patti Smith. Mapplethorpe took this photograph in 1976 in his loft apartment in New York.


Description
1. When I first saw this photo I was shocked by how fragile and delicate the subject seemed.
2. The subject is the woman in the picture. All the focus is on her as she sits naked on the wooden floor in a crouched position so that her knees are tight against her chest while her hands grip the radiator pipes.
3. The photo is black and white and sort of texture on the floor under her and on the wall behind her. 
4. While the main focus remains on the woman subject, it seems as though she is trying to take up the least space possible from that available in the picture by herself smaller.In terms of lines we see very strong lines along the heater that she is holding on to, as well as a strong vertical line behind her aligning with her body.

Analysis
In this black and white portrait photograph Patti Smith sits naked on a wooden floor in a crouched position, her legs folded so that her knees are tight against her chest while her hands grip the radiator pipes in front of her. Smith’s body facing towards a window, but her head is turned towards the camera. She is positioned sitting to the left of the image. She occupies what appears to be an empty room with painted white brick walls, wooden floors and a radiator.. A series of horizontal lines – including the radiator pipes, the flooring and the brick work – are contrasted by the vertical lines of the pipes rising from the radiator and the vertical wooden frame of the window. The singer’s limbs and torso mirror these vertical and horizontal lines, while also introducing some soft diagonals to the composition. Light comes in through the windows creating illuminated surfaces on the left side of her slim body, while casting shadows on the right side of her face.

Interpretation
1. Morrisroe, Robert's biographer,  states that in this particular portrait Smith resembles a ‘baby bird emerging from a cracked shell’, and that Mapplethorpe captured the singers ‘precarious state of mind’ (Morrisroe 1995, p.174).
3. Like all of his work, I think it serves a purpose to him as satisfying his needs as an artist and also exploring and cutting through boundaries such as gender and sexuality. 
4.Ever since I read Patti Smith's book Just Kids, I have a soft spot for both her and Robert. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of melancholy as I recall the way Patti Smith so beautifully and eloquently described Robert's progression through his art. 
5. For one of my gender and women studies classes, we had to watch a documentary called Killing Us Softly in which a woman, Jean Kilbourne, discussed how women are portrayed negatively in the media. This specifically reminded me of an example that Jean Kilbourne used about how women are often made to pose into weak and dominated positions. Patti Smith's pose reminded me of that. However, this picture proves to be something different. First of all, this picture isn't being used to market or advertise. This is a piece of art that was more about exploring aspects of gender. 
Evaluation
1. My first impression did change because the woman no longer seemed delicate and fragile after learning about the nature of Robert Mapplethorpe's photography.
2. Yes I think it is a successful photo. It is beautiful in the strangest of ways.
3. Like a lot of Mapplethorpe's work, this picture is very unique especially when one considers the fact that the picture does something that would seem so controversial at the time when this picture was taken.
4. No, I don't have Robert Mapplethorpe's talent. 
5.
6. Yes I think the photo was well planned. Everything in the photo seems so structure. There isn't much in the picture given that it is an empty room but Smith's position in the room is very well placed and her form is also matches the feel of the picture very well. 
7. Yes, I would buy it and hang it in my room. I think it's beautiful and powerful. 
8. It's okay to not stay within society's constraints of what art is. 
9. This photo does inspire me to not feel discouraged from taking pictures of subjects that I find worthy and that others might not like.