James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey is a well known photographer that specializes in war time photos.  He is also widely known for his documentation of the World Trade Center tragedy.  I really identify with his work because he captures more than a photograph, he captures a story.  He gets right on the subject and takes a photo at point blank range.  I like how he leaves much information out of the photo, and just puts the pertinent information in.  He seems to be able to tie together the elements of design and human emotion.  In the picture of the wheelchair on the bottom left he takes a photograph of a deathly ill patient that has been starved, nearly to death.  I would strive to become more like him.

Kerry Oda

Kerry Oda lives in Hawaii and has made it a lifes work to photograph the islands in the south pacific. 

Kerry Oda is a fascinating and very talented yet little know tropical photographer that resides in the Hawaiian islands.  She has taken a bit of raw talent and mixed it with formal training and now has the exact life that I want.  Her online gallery is quite fascinating and is a living advertisement for the South Pacific..  My goal is in line with Kerrys-live on a beautiful tropical island somewhere and produce quality, in demand photography. The reason that I chose Kerry as one of my blogs, even though the artist is not widely known, is that I really identified with what Kerry has created.  You can order canvas prints online of floral, landscapes, scenes, panoramas and much more of the islands.  If anyone ever had any doubt about traveling to the islands, this photographer would seal the deal.  This is the artist that I would contact for my internship. 

richard misrach

Richard Misrach, on first glance, seems to be somewhat of a tropical photographer and I reeeeaaallyy like this aspect of photography, given my fascination with the beach! 


I think the most notable thing that he has ever done was take photos of the aftermath of Hurricane Ketrina with a 4 megapixal pocket camera.  He recieved a B.A. in Psychology and now resides in Berkley, California.  He has been in several notable shows and is widely known for his desert caddos work.  He shoots in the desert and he states that the desert is the last landscape untouched by humans.  In the 70's he also helped bring mainstream the large format print, whis is widely popular now. 
I really like his work because he depicts humans and human structure from an almost god-like observation point. 

Robert Glenn Ketchum

 Robert Glenn Ketchum seems to be more of a conservationist than a "for profit photographer".  He is currently assisting the EPA to save some land in Alaska that is threatened by a Pebble mine.    He has written a couple of books but it seems that he is doing it more for environmental change than profit. 

He has worked with the park director at a state reserve park in Alaska and produced a book depiction the need to conserve inholdings, which is an area of land that was transferred to state park reserve but still belongs to the native population. 
It is not so much that I love the work or Ketchum, it is more that I respect the message he is creating.  Preservation!   I love the outdoors and have seen first hand how people can trash beauty so I identify with him but I would get out of the helicopter and get up close and personal with the landscape and show, from a human perspective, what we are destroying. 

Chris Verene

     Chris Verene was born in a predominantly white town and began using his camera in his early teenage years.  He began by taking photos of his friends and family.  Some say that he posessed an alternate personality, which he dubbed himself, "The Great Vereni".  He seemed to have unlimited access to an esteemed "camera club" where the lines were blurred between art and erotica.
Vereni's photos were infamous for his depiction of small town relationships.  In a photo of a young woman in her wedding dress, she was accompanied by her groom and her two favorite customers from the local steak house.
     I can really identify with Vereni's style because I grew up in Odessa, and his photos seem to have been taken in one of the hole in the wall bars out in west Odessa, where time seems to cease.
His style seems dark and dreary, depressing yet hopeful, obsessive yet refined.
He also has a heavy interest in assisting the elderly in homes, and improving the living conditions in such nursing homes.

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz found her love for photography at the age of fifteen while her dad was stationed in the Philipines during the Vietnam Conflict.  She then attended the Art Institute of Philidelphia where she ventured down several different paths artisticly.  She wrote songs and music and finally settled on photography.  
     I am really interested in her photography because the style is almost surreal, almost computer generated. Though the models and the content are real, the finished product screams CGI, or computer generated.  I really enjoy her use of color, or sometimes, the lack thereof.  Most of her pics have the "Victorian" feel to it, stressing the spectrum of Ivory and skin tones.  I would really love to attempt a reproduction of her work, as I might do that for part of my final.

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Having a background in Zen, the art is passively conveyed throughout most of his work.  He began as an optometrist/camera salesperson.  When the eye clinic that he was employed at began selling cameras, he bought one to photograph his family.  He began by hanging his work in the entrance to the optometrist office that he was employed at.  He eventually graduated to more prestigious showings.  I like his images because they are risky with caution.  He seems to use mockery and provocative metaphors in his photographs.  In Romance, he pictured four subjects wearing masks, and though I am not sure as to the subject matter he is attempting to relay, the content is right on.  He was educated in Philosophy and I think that he was attempting to convey his disgust with the "clone" like structure of society.

I feel that this photo conveys a metaphoric mockery of high society, with the subject positioned closest to the number one appearing to be the most normal looking, while the one at the top, closest to the number five is the most abstract.