TASK 1 - 250 word report comparing 2 artists
Having a
look at many different photographers in the last few weeks, I have fell in love
with Nan Goldin. Her work is independent and intriguing, I could look at her
photographs all day.
Goldin was
born in September 12th 1953; American photographer first started
taking photos as a teenager in Boston, MA. Her earliest works were black and
white images of drag queens, which still occur in her work as she developed an
interest in the LGBT community. 1990s, photographs varied from portraits of
drag queens, to photographing her close friends dying of AIDS. She often presented her work as a slideshow with a soundtrack which I am going to give a shot. Her work grabs
my attention especially, due to the raw true reality of life, she is the
example of “art isn’t about pretty pictures” her work makes people
uncomfortable and that gives me shivers down my back. Her photos aren't always neccesarily good quality but because of her subject matter it works. It is important, as a photographer to know when and how to make things work. I would say her photography fits in the area of location photography as they are not taken in a studio, they are in the environments of the people she is photographing, usually quite messy, junkie looking houses.
Fashion
photographer David Bailey really differs in the sense of reality from Goldin.
Fashion photography is great but there is nothing real about it, pretty
pictures are the key in it, not for Bailey. He was born in January the 2nd,
1938 in London. Entered the scene in a period known as the Cultural Revolution
called the Swinging Sixties and exploded with a completely different approach
to the British Vogue. Bailey pretty much slammed punk onto the previously taken
pretty fashion pictures. Everything changed after his arrival, he became as
famous as the stars that he photographed, and he is still considered as one of
the greatest photographers now. His work is very much studio based, working in a bigger team with a lot of props and professional lighting and camera kit. His work makes me think of fame, money and celebrities. Goldin's work has a completely different feel to it, its almost opposite, with the cluttered backgrounds and a theme of poverty rather than fame.
David Bailey’s
fashion photography, even though his was punk and more energetic than
previously, is very controlled, it’s about making the model look as good as
possible. Where as Nan Goldin conveyed the idea of how shit you look when you
are dying of AIDS throughout her career.
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| This photo is taken on some kind of public transport, possibly a bus. People in the background are faded, minding their own business. The man asleep in the woman's arms is an image that gives the impression of being unplanned. The rule of thirds applies, the top right and bottom right are focal points of the two faces. Tiredness in the eyes of the woman tells a story of a difficult childhood/life. |
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| Black and white has a very strong effect, the lighting of the photo is taken care of, the way the hair blows is obviously down to a fan or something similar, the pose, make up, body language, facial expression - everything is planned and rehearsed, god knows how many times Bailey took the photo before deciding that this is the one. In comparison with Goldin the nature of the photograph is to look nice, Goldin's is to look real. There isn't much to figure out from this photo, I can't see a story behind those eyes, there is no background to try and fit in with the person. That is the difference between fashion photography and photos of real people in situations. |
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| This image of Goldin's looks a lot more rehearsed. It gives me the idea of this being taken behind the scenes of a theatre, where the actors are taking a hit before the show and the man is too high to go on the stage. This image is lit well with interesting shadows on the white curtains. The way they are dressed and the curtain is what makes me think of a stage. It may be staged but not for Goldin I think, staged as in the sense that they were going on stage and are ready with their outfits and make up, but the plans turned the other way. |
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| Bailey had his preferred model, which he, himself made famous. The messy hair, not real messy hair, very controlled by a stylish messy hair - it's the way he wants the model to look. The way the people in Baileys photographs look is all down to him, he knows how he wants them and they will be that way. The reason I have chose David Bailey to compare with Nan Goldin is because he is a very successful fashion photographer, he knows exactly what he is doing to fit into the area with fashion photography, there is no way Nan Goldin's photo's would fit the fashion scene, that's not the point. They have completely different purposes in their work and it is important to appreciate both. If all photo's looked like Nan Goldin's and showed the true reality of life obviously the world would look a lot different. David Bailey perfectionists the world and there is a purpose in that. If all photos looked like his, there wouldn't be a line between the different classes of people. |
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