Magnum

I have spent most of the day shooting for assignment 5 and had just come indoors to download and review the afternoons shooting. I came across a link to an exhibition in Birmingham for Steve Mc Curry. To be honest I hadn't a clue who he was until I saw the famous photo of the girl in Afghanistan that was a cover for National Geographic, here is a link ;NYC5958.jpg

So I went to have a look at his website, which is a little slow uploading and was blown away by what I have seen so far.

His gallery entitled war is truly a vision of the hell that war is. The photos from the first gulf war are very dark and disturbing especially the photos of the birds covered in oil. I think it really gets home the point that oil was the reason for the war. I find it very interesting how photographers of this caliber seem to be easily able to switch between photos were the subject comes first and photos that are aesthetically pleasing too. This is something I am finding difficult to do. I am beginning to feel hemmed in by the need to serve the demands of aesthetics. I find I have to consciously try to break free of the compulsion to look for a graphic arrangement in every subject.

In the feedback for the 3rd assignment my tutor recommended that I look at the work of Trent Parke. I love this quote; "I am forever chasing light, light turns the ordinary into the magical" That is so true! I am beginning to really discover how light breathes that spark of life into a photo. Here is a link to a great picture of rain; LON38311.jpg

Also I was recommended to look at the work of Martin Parr. I have seen his work before and I like it, but I know that some people have very strong views. I had a conversation with somebody recently who felt he was laughing at "us" but I like the way his work demands that we reassess ourselves, it allows no place for sentimentality when we look at society.

Love this; LON19355.jpg and this; LON6982.jpg that woman in the background pointing!

Another photographer I came across a couple of years ago was Paulo Pelligrin. His work can also be found on magnums website; www.magnumphotos.com. His work definitely holds true to this quote on his magnum page

"I'm more interested in a photography that is 'unfinished' - a photography that is suggestive and can trigger a conversation or dialogue. There are pictures that are closed, finished, to which there is no way in."

Like this; PAR305879.jpg and this PAR319427.jpg. This shot blew me away the first time I saw it; PAR322366.jpg. All of them are great examples of narrative, juxta-position and illustration.

They are taken from a book/exhibition called as I dying. I saw the exhibition 2 years ago at Recontres des Arles; www.rencontres-arles.com which started last week and runs till the 19th of September.