Jacob Iwinski - Style Writing
Thomas Ruff - Nudes
Thomas Ruff is a contemporary German photographer who studied in Düsseldorf and was inspired by
the teaching of his professor Benjamin Buchlohwho. Ruff is best known for his ability to reimagine images
through editing and his wide range of work in vastly different photography projects. In Nudes Ruff takes
internet pornography and digitally obscures it thoroughly changing as to make is a wholly new work of art.
His photographs consist of porn that was blurred in a stylistic way as to make it abstract.
The images range from fuzzy lines halos to what appears to be full on motion blur that makes it only
possible to make out a rough idea of the figures and their actions. In porn, sex is seen in its idyllic
state, a fantasy where everyone is gorgeous and has what appears to be an unforgettable experience.
But sex in the real world isn't perfect, we aren’t all models, and many experiences are just remembered
poorly for one reason or another. In Nudes Ruff appears to take these images of unrealistic sexual
expectations and transform them into what could be possible human experiences or even silly/creepy
moments. Nudes show the viewer the absurdity of porn as well as a more intimate look at the actors that
were originally captured. You can't look at the fine detail, so the viewer is forced to think for themselves
about each photo and the behaviors captured within. As for my personal tastes, I think its ok. I respect
Nudes it as a work of art, and for helping to desensitize my wholesome Christian upbringing but its not
my favorite book of photography. As for Ruff's other work, photo manipulation can be present but not
always. He has covered everything from making craters on the surface of mars pop with 3D glasses to
close-ups from inside of German houses in the 80s. His central theme just as with nudes seems to be
using photography as a method to create something new and interesting. Ruff wants us to look beyond
the camera as a tool for capturing a realistic photo of our surroundings, but rather as an implement for
the truly creative.
the teaching of his professor Benjamin Buchlohwho. Ruff is best known for his ability to reimagine images
through editing and his wide range of work in vastly different photography projects. In Nudes Ruff takes
internet pornography and digitally obscures it thoroughly changing as to make is a wholly new work of art.
His photographs consist of porn that was blurred in a stylistic way as to make it abstract.
The images range from fuzzy lines halos to what appears to be full on motion blur that makes it only
possible to make out a rough idea of the figures and their actions. In porn, sex is seen in its idyllic
state, a fantasy where everyone is gorgeous and has what appears to be an unforgettable experience.
But sex in the real world isn't perfect, we aren’t all models, and many experiences are just remembered
poorly for one reason or another. In Nudes Ruff appears to take these images of unrealistic sexual
expectations and transform them into what could be possible human experiences or even silly/creepy
moments. Nudes show the viewer the absurdity of porn as well as a more intimate look at the actors that
were originally captured. You can't look at the fine detail, so the viewer is forced to think for themselves
about each photo and the behaviors captured within. As for my personal tastes, I think its ok. I respect
Nudes it as a work of art, and for helping to desensitize my wholesome Christian upbringing but its not
my favorite book of photography. As for Ruff's other work, photo manipulation can be present but not
always. He has covered everything from making craters on the surface of mars pop with 3D glasses to
close-ups from inside of German houses in the 80s. His central theme just as with nudes seems to be
using photography as a method to create something new and interesting. Ruff wants us to look beyond
the camera as a tool for capturing a realistic photo of our surroundings, but rather as an implement for
the truly creative.
Frank Darius - Willkommen Im Garten
Frank Darius is a contemporary German photographer who currently lives in and photographs around
Berlin. He focuses on the urban and rural setting around this city with a blend of landscapes and objects
in his photography. Each of his photos appears to have been captured in a candid moment almost as if
he was documenting his environment. Each is staged with the utmost care and attention to detail. With
nearly exclusively wide angle lenses at a higher f/stops being used Darius reveals an intense amount of
detail in each of his creations. This level of detail draws the viewer in, so they can explore for themselves
the scene which Darius has created. The colors appear to be vibrant but not oversaturated. I could not find what
type of camera he uses, but I suspect it is digital. Consistent with his larger body of work most of the photographs in
the monograph Willkommen Im Garten are from parks and recreational facilities in the Berlin area. In one way or another,
each photograph in Willkommen Im Garten is an effort to try and capture ways in which people have shaped their
environment from a previous state that may or may not be nature. The forward describes for this monograph describes
"gardens" as what once was once: a utopia or more succinctly “An effort to transform nature as it is the into the way it
should be.” Darius welcomes us to his view of the modern garden. I enjoy his Darius’s work. In a way, the level of
detail and composition in his photos takes me back to my childhood viewings of iSpy books as a search
around the image to find the next new detail or clue.
Berlin. He focuses on the urban and rural setting around this city with a blend of landscapes and objects
in his photography. Each of his photos appears to have been captured in a candid moment almost as if
he was documenting his environment. Each is staged with the utmost care and attention to detail. With
nearly exclusively wide angle lenses at a higher f/stops being used Darius reveals an intense amount of
detail in each of his creations. This level of detail draws the viewer in, so they can explore for themselves
the scene which Darius has created. The colors appear to be vibrant but not oversaturated. I could not find what
type of camera he uses, but I suspect it is digital. Consistent with his larger body of work most of the photographs in
the monograph Willkommen Im Garten are from parks and recreational facilities in the Berlin area. In one way or another,
each photograph in Willkommen Im Garten is an effort to try and capture ways in which people have shaped their
environment from a previous state that may or may not be nature. The forward describes for this monograph describes
"gardens" as what once was once: a utopia or more succinctly “An effort to transform nature as it is the into the way it
should be.” Darius welcomes us to his view of the modern garden. I enjoy his Darius’s work. In a way, the level of
detail and composition in his photos takes me back to my childhood viewings of iSpy books as a search
around the image to find the next new detail or clue.
Christian Helmle - Waterpower
Christian Helmle is a contemporary Swiss photographer who currently lives in Switzerland but takes
photographs around the world on self-assigned long-term projects. He has a large body of work to
pull and reference from but he focuses primarily on landscape and architectural photography.
His photos are striking and vibrant revealing deep color tones and rich levels of detail.
Almost all of his photography is taken in daylight with an extremely large depth of field and a wide
angle lens, however, his shutter speed does vary. Helmle is firmly rooted in analog methods of
photography but he does not believe that digital cameras cause photos to lose their soul, thus he uses
both digital and view cameras. For him, photography is about the skill of the photographer capturing the
magic of the moment. Once a photo is taken digital or view camera, Once developed that becomes
the final photograph. The photos in his monograph Waterpower while breathtaking in their portrayal of
nature focus not on the land but on the impact of man upon nature and the relationship that we as humans
have with our environment. Helmle captures the way humans sculpt our environment while portraying just
how awe-inspiring nature is that we sculpted. For thousands of years rivers were unstoppable, now they
are tamed. I like Helmle’s work. My Boy Scout self itches to visit where Helmle takes his
photographs, each scene is more breathtaking than the next, but I did not enjoy it as much as I thought
I would. Waterpower has made me realize I like people too much when compared with landscapes.
photographs around the world on self-assigned long-term projects. He has a large body of work to
pull and reference from but he focuses primarily on landscape and architectural photography.
His photos are striking and vibrant revealing deep color tones and rich levels of detail.
Almost all of his photography is taken in daylight with an extremely large depth of field and a wide
angle lens, however, his shutter speed does vary. Helmle is firmly rooted in analog methods of
photography but he does not believe that digital cameras cause photos to lose their soul, thus he uses
both digital and view cameras. For him, photography is about the skill of the photographer capturing the
magic of the moment. Once a photo is taken digital or view camera, Once developed that becomes
the final photograph. The photos in his monograph Waterpower while breathtaking in their portrayal of
nature focus not on the land but on the impact of man upon nature and the relationship that we as humans
have with our environment. Helmle captures the way humans sculpt our environment while portraying just
how awe-inspiring nature is that we sculpted. For thousands of years rivers were unstoppable, now they
are tamed. I like Helmle’s work. My Boy Scout self itches to visit where Helmle takes his
photographs, each scene is more breathtaking than the next, but I did not enjoy it as much as I thought
I would. Waterpower has made me realize I like people too much when compared with landscapes.
x
Comments
Post a Comment