White Horizons Series

I just recently came across contemporary photographer Michael G. Zimmerer.  I like a number of his portfolios particularly his "white horizon" and "still  life." I hope to do a series of white horizons of my own.  Here are two of mine that I like, one done from a previous photo and one I specifically went out to photograph.
I adjusted the original photos in photo shop to make the horizons less visible.  I have posted the before and after of each.  Comments about the photos and which you prefer will be appreciated.

A History Lesson:Dorothea Lange and the Impounded Photographs

Most people are familiar with this photograph by Dorothea Lange (Migrant Mother, 1936) one of her many pictures of destitute American sharecroppers and migrant workers during the thirties. A documentary photographer, Lange (1895-1965) was hired at that time by the Farm Security Administration to bring to the attention of others the misery of their plight. Her photographs were given free to newspapers as a way to aid this process.

Contrast this with what is less familiar to everyone: Lange's series of photographs of Japanese-Americans sent to internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  As many as 116,000 Japanese were made to leave their homes and their work and go to camps-- out of fear that they could be spies for the enemy.  Having been hired by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) to document the internment, Lange's photographs were later impounded by the government as too sympathetic to the detainees, and critical of the interment.  There was little sympathy either in the government or among the public for what was happening to these fellow Americans. Lange was not allowed to photograph the wire fences, the watchtowers with searchlights, the armed guards or any sign of resistance. At one point she was almost fired when one of her photographs appeared on a Quaker pamphlet denouncing the internment.

I chose three of her photographs of this time period because it is important that what happened here, in the United States, not be forgotten.  Not only do they show how Lange worked, following the internment form start to finish, but they also demonstrate the sequence of events: the pre-removal period, the transport and the camp.

This first photograph was taken right after the bombing at Pearl Harbor and dramatically shows the fear of Japanese Americans during that time period.  I like that the car, the grocery sign and and the "I am an American" are directly center.  An intense picture of emotion in ordinary life that does not need explanation.

 This second photo captures the insanity of the internment.  I like the portrayal of  innocence in the girl, waiting patiently, sitting on her family's possessions.  There is something about the position of her booted feet and the apple in her hand that conveys  blamelessness.

This last photo portrays one of the internment camps---a former race track, where the horse stalls were converted into rooms for the detainees.  The point of view--looking down the row of stalls-- is technically strong. You actually expect to see some horses come into the doorways of the stalls.  Lange's photos of the Japanese internment were impounded during the war and sent to the National Archives afterwards probably because of the shame of this period in our history. They lay neglected until the 60's when they were found and some were published.

The story of this time period is told in Impounded by Linda Gordon and Gary Y. Okihiro (2006) which contains 119 photos that were originally censored.

Dorothea Lange began her career as a portrait photographer in San Francisco. In the 1930's she turned to photographing people in the streets during the great depression.  More and more her interests moved towards social documentary photography. 

She married twice and had two sons with her first husband, Maynard Dixon, a well-known artist.  After their divorce she married Paul Taylor, a university professor, who also had two sons.  As parents, Dorothea and Paul and Maynard would be considered at the very least neglectful.  Maynard Dixon did not contribute financially to his son's upbringing, and Taylor and Lange left their sons behind while they traveled extensively and for long periods of time. The children were essentially put in various "foster care" situations.  In an interview with her adult sons they remained bitter towards her,--still blaming their mother rather than her and their fathers-- for that upbringing.

Lange often carried 4 cameras, each stocked with film, so that she could use the most appropriate one for the situation. Here is a rare photo taken of her. She holds one of her cameras.

 

 

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Bryan Memorial Gallery Exhibit

Click: A Photographer's View of Vermont
Bryan Memorial Gallery
Jeffersonville, Vermont

Exhibit: February 8-March 31 2013

Artist Talk and Reception: February 10, 2013 
Artist Talk--1:00pm
Reception 2-4pm

http://www.bryangallery.org/2013click.htm

I have two photographs in the show.

Stillness and movement

Droplets of water in the kitchen sink stilled by the camera speed

Zooming while taking the photo to show movement

Freezing the flame

Panning trees through a window by moving the camera

Ice and water I, action is frozen by the speed used while shooting

Ice and water II

I had hoped to take all of these photos outdoors but with wind chills below zero I decided to be creative indoors!

 

Another class started! Composition and Light

The first assignment was to view ordinary objects in a different way using light of some kind.  Pretty general assignment with a lot of possibility.  I have an old light box from my photo slide days and decided to use it as part of the assignment.  Some of the results were not worth posting but here are a few I liked.

Dried rose and leaf on light box

Another rose, different view on light box

Amaryllis close-up on light box

 

Another view of the amaryllis on light box

Amaryllis back lit from window light

Capturing dried roses in attempt to copy Harold Ross photo

(Didn't quite do it!)

Harold Ross photo of dried roses: http://www.haroldrossfineart.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=1&p=3