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.

Gerry Winogrand

Gerry's work was known as part of the "Decisive Moment" movement as he shot from the hip with a wide angle lens.  He was known as a rambler, taking his camera everywhere he went and shooting everything he saw.  I think his work is interesting because he took chances and displayed controversial images.  I really appreciate the image of the bus bench because although the scene may be innocent and purely by chance it exudes the attitude of the sixties.  To me, he really creates the decisive moment technique and allows me to get a better grasp on the abstract idea.  We discussed seeing his contact sheet because his photos seem too good to be true, almost staged.  Sadly, he only had thirty years behind the lens before his untimely death.  In his time his work was not looked upon highly because it dealt with a subject that was not yet main stream.

I also have to mention the photograph of the African American male, White female and the monkey.  At first glance the photo seems to spark a racial tension that would explode to a nation wide movement.  I think his work was very cool due to his use of the environment to capture everyday things and arrange them in the photo so that they tell a story, or in some cases a bad joke.

Willikam Eggleston

William Eggleston is a well known photographer that is known for his work with bringing color photography into the mainstream. He began using a Leica camera, given to him by a friend.  He attended several universities.  While he recieved no formal degree, photography really set in.    A majority of his work revolves around the Mississippi Delta region, as his work resembles that of William Faulkner.   He is also know for shooting the vernacular and seems to have recieved inspiration from the photorealists.  I had no idea that he appeared in the movie Great Balls Of Fire, about Jerry Lee Lewis.  He has also been a model for a popular magazine and is also known for his work with record covers. 

Steven Shore

Stephen Shore seems to use depth and perception in ways that makes a person have to stare at his photos.  In the photo above, taken on the border of mexico and U.S, he makes us peer deep into his pictures.  There is an old truck, or maybe the mountain that he is leading us to, but he is leading us to look at something.  Manipulation through photograph is common, but few can do it like Stephen Shore.  He was one of the first of the pioneers of color photography, helping to make it popular.  Stephen recieved his first darkroom kit at age six as a present from his uncle, and that's all it took-he was hooked.  He experimented with several different formats and finally settling on the  8x10.  I think his photos are stoic, and predictable yet eerily attractive. 

John Pfahl

John Pfahl, a professional photographer know for his landscape prints has quite a reputation.  He has recieved an honorary Doctorine from a prestegious university and has been featured at the world's most infamous galleries.  His style, I believe, is popular because he puts a new spin on things we see everyday.  He seems to see things differntly than everyone else.  He somehow catches a unique perspective, using lines and texture variations to create an almost unbelievable scene.  The picture above is of a couple of ordinary trees, but with the right lighting, and the correct angle he makes an extrordinary photograph. 

Joel Meyerowitz

Joel Meyerowitz is a German Photographer that was born in the advent of color photography.  He graduated with a degree from Ohio State University in the Painting and Illustration area.  He was one of the first to begin using color photography and he began teaching that art in formal classes.  Starting on the street, with a large format, black and white camera, he began to make a name for himself a common name as far a photography is concerned.  Meyerowitz has been awarded the National Endowment of the Arts award and has published his most famous book called, "Aftermath; World Trade Center Archive."  He was also involved in the television documentary called "The Genius of Photography", aired by BBC.  I was able to catch some of this documentary and it was extremely informative.  To me, the message was very clear, a great photographer does not happen upon a great photograph, he creates the scene, then waits for the proper subject to pass by.