GL Woods

Photographer GL Woods began shooting fashion seven years ago. Interestingly, his goal is not to land higher profile clients but to gain the trust of clients who will let him create the graphic, mixed-media work he has enjoyed since he studied art.

He says, "The whole point is to get your voice out there and not be a hired gun." His unique collages, cutouts and manipulated images were not immediately accepted as suitable for high fashion, but by paying careful attention to how he presented his work, he was able to begin to win over editors.

His fashion clients now include Vogue Mexico/Latin America,  Elle Mexico, W, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Agent Provocateur, Converse and other brands.

Graphic design has always inspired his work, along with photographer like Jean-Paul Goude. This is evident in his creative images shown below

 

 

 

 

I found Woods's story and work to be particularly interesting because of my combined interests in photography, graphic design and fashion.



Photojournalism

I came across this set of moving journalism photos from the month of October and found the following pictures most influential to me.

A vending machine, brought inland by a tsunami, is seen in a abandoned rice field inside the exclusion zone at the coastal area near Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture. Photographed by Damir Sagolj

Olympic skeleton racer John Daly poses for a portrait during the 2013 U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in Park City, Utah. Photographed by Lucas Jackson

An unknown individual rides their bike along the river Spree in Berlin, Germany. Photographed by Markus Schreiber

Russ Rowland

I came across an interview with photographer Russ Rowland on photography-news.com

I found it very interesting that Rowland considers himself to be a "diverse" and "eclectic" photographer. He considers this to be his style because he photographs a wide range of subjects. For example, he likes taking pictures of theatre, portraits, landscapes, and street scenes.

He says that the paintings of artists such as Van Gogh, Pollock, and Hopper are the major influences behind his works. Interestingly, he often refers to photographs as "paintings".

His current projects include a book of subways abstracts, a series of landscapes and abstracts entitled "Postcards from NYC", and street portraits.

All of these projects, in addition to others, can be found on his website. 

Some of Russ Rowland's works that I enjoyed are shown below

Photography and the First Amendment

I found an interesting article regarding photography on Photo District News  regarding an artist who photographed his neighbors through their windows and then displayed this photos in a gallery.

To my surprise, the artist won the invasion of privacy lawsuit filed against him.

Arne Svenson, the artist, entitled the collection, "The Neighbors" and presented it at the Julie Saul Gallery last spring. The Foster family was the main source of controversy, as Svenson presented an unauthorized photo of their child's face.

The judge dismissed the case on the protections given by the First Amendment, despite the fact that New York state law it is illegal to use a person's likeness for commercial purposes without written consent.

I find this encouraging as an artist because I have the freedom to express myself. However, it is slightly disturbing that someone could sell photographs of me without my consent.

Planning for Ireland

As I continued to research for our midterm project, I have found a national park in Ireland that seems like it may be a good place to work into our trip.

Glenveagh National Park is located in the Northwest of Co. Donegal, right in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains. It is home to the Glenveagh castle and species such as the Golden Eagle and spotted flycatcher.

Below are some pictures that I have found of the park

Photo Critique

#1

 

This photo shows great detail. I like how the jumping fish leads the viewer into the shot from one direction. The viewer is brought from the fish to the bear and back to the water which falls off to the right making the photo interesting. The entire frame is in focus, while the water is stopped quite well.

 

http://www.smugmug.com/community/NaturePhotographers/popular/all#!i=427709767&k=ga2To&lb=1&s=A

Canon 5D 400mm f/5.6 ISO250 1/2000s Av Priority -1/3EV

#2

 

I find the bright yellows in this photo to be very captivating. The log in the foreground connects the bright yellow leaves to the blurred water (created by the slow shutter speed). However, I find some of the darker trees and logs in the midground to be distracting.

http://www.smugmug.com/community/NaturePhotographers/popular/all#!i=313575481&k=iSaoJ&lb=1&s=A

Canon 5D 17mm f/22 ISO100 1.6s Av Priority -1/3EV

#3

 

This photo appears to be a little unrealistic, but I appreciate its creativity. I think the use of black and white aided in this artistic approach. I like how there is a line of rock that lead the viewers eye away while the smooth water lines lead in the opposite direction.

http://www.smugmug.com/community/NaturePhotographers/popular/all#!i=1095723618&k=5WsmsRF&lb=1&s=A

Canon 5DII 17mm f/11 ISO200 1.3s Manual

#4

 

This photo is so clear and perfect that it seems fake. The photographer was able to maintain the blue of the sky while also capture the brightness of the stars, and a very bright mountain in the foreground. Because the photographer was able to have the perfect exposure for each plane, I am curious to know if it a composite rather than an original, single image.

http://www.smugmug.com/community/NaturePhotographers/popular/all#!i=1831531763&k=4Kf7Mcw&lb=1&s=A

Canon 5DII 85mm f/1.8 10s ISO100 Manual

#5

There is a lot a bright blue colors repeated throughout the photo. This helps the viewer travel throughout the frame and connect the planes within it.

http://bumpitup.smugmug.com/popular/732133725_MzzZX#!i=519762850&k=mNuWM&lb=1&s=A

Canon 1DIII 28mm f/13 ISO200 HDR 

#6 

The bird in this photo is in focus as is the twig it sits on. This makes for a very interesting picture however, I would like to see more variation in color in the background.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlw/5743158761/in/photostream

Canon 1DIV 840mm f/5.6 ISO400 1/800

#7

The composition of this photo is very well done, however, I would prefer that the fish and bear's face were more in focus.
Because they are not, I am easily distracted by the rocks that are in focus.

http://www.pbase.com/jleom/image/145185197

Canon 7D 500mm f/4.5 ISO1600 1/320

#8

The variations of color in this photo help distinguish the various planes. Also, because the light comes mainly from the left side of the frame, it creates a leading line to the moose. This is especially appealing because of the use of red.

http://www.mangelsen.com/store/util/enlarge_popup?Args=&imgsrc=3083.jpg

Nikon D4 

#9

I find it impressive that the photographer was able to capture the entire animal in such a tight frame and visually interesting pose. The face of the bird is in focus, as is a majority of the body. The water droplets help connect the planes, and the bright green in the background is appealing.

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6548455

Canon 1DII 500mm f/8.0 1/500

#10

This photo establishes a very good horizon line. Lines made by the ice connect the main polar bear in the foreground to the one in the background. Light blues and white are repeated throughout.

http://500px.com/photo/842621

Nikon D2x 12mm f/6.3 ISO200 1/400   

As I look for information and ideas for our project, I came across the website of a Dublin photographer Mike Louw. Below are some of my favorites from his site that I found inspirational for my project.

Glen Etive, Scotland