Taylor Stevenson: James VanDerZee

James VanDerZee was a photographer who documented Harlem during the Harlem Renissance. Capturing the up and coming black middle-class that came from the Harlem Remissance. He wanted to show his community in a light that they weren't often seen. He would focus heavily on small details often retouching his images in the darkroom and adding props in spaces he would “bald-spots”. Van Der Zee claimed that, “I tried to see that every picture was better-looking than the person”. He would retouch his images in the darkroom using montage, which is using two negatives to create one image. I admire the way that VanDerZee is able to create a story using a traditional studio space. 

Liesa Collins - Weekly Artist Post

Moises Arias

Moises Arias is an actor turned photographer in California. He had a role on the show Hannah Montana. He is friends with a lot of celebrity teenagers like Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Pia Mia, Tyler The Creator, and Jaden Smith. I'm just really jealous of his life, to be honest. He shoots primarily black and white film and follows his friends and shoots. More recently, he has been doing street photography in various places in California like Calabasas and Melrose Trading Post. I'm diggin it. He was also under some TMZ celebrity gossip recently for shooting Willow Smith in a bed. It is kind of unfortunate that he cannot be looked upon as a serious artist because he is a celebrity.

postpostpost

Collin Gray is a UK based photographer. Im interested in the way he photographs his parents. he has been doing this on going project for over 30 years. I admire his dedication. I have committed to doing this project of my grandparents. Its terrifying. I've already spent much more time with them than before i started this project, and its something my grandparents really really appreciate it. I want to figure out how I can channel Collin gray's strength and emotion in each of his images.

Shelby Hastings: Weekly Artist - Ernie Button

Ernie Button came across creating this series of works called  Vanishing Spirits: The Dried Remains of Single Malt Scotch when he was pouring out a scotch glass to put through the dishwasher when he noticed the dried patterns on the bottom of the glass. Ernie started using different types and colors of light to bring about this celestial feeling in his images. The circular framing is due to represent the shape of the glass itself.

I find it quite interesting how he takes these images and perpetuate them into some talk about extraterrestrial photography as if it was on another planet or in another galaxy. Ernie brings about this new way to envision landscape and create images that very simply represent what could be a landscape of a foreign place we do not know.

Weekly Artist Post - Arvida Bystrom - Hannah Nees

Arvida Bystrom is a photographer/ model/ musician baed out of London. She is 23 years old and has accomplished a lot in her short time on this Earth. She has photographed for magazines such as Vice, Monki, Rookie Mag and Garage. Her photography has also been featured on the Urban Outfitters website. After growing up in Stockholm, she is now settled in London and says that she is "doing more photography than I intended to." In the future, she says that she hopes to make a book.

I find this series of images to be interesting, because of how plastic everything looks. The photographs of herself seem almost doll-like and I really appreciate that 3D sense. I also enjoy the use of plain colored backgrounds that seem to be pastel colors. She was also smart not to have brand names on the objects in her photographs. I feel that this series may have something to do about the monotony of everyday life, because of the simple objects in her photographs. The cereal bowl and screen shot of a phone conversation reminds me of eating breakfast and checking your phone every morning, then the phone next to her face on the bed reminds me of checking your phone every night before falling asleep. Her use of color is also appealing to me.

http://arvidabystrom.se/

Weekly Artist Post-Scott Csoke

Logan White

Logan White graduated from RISD in 2007. He's been featured in Vice and Bullet magazine and has done work for Urban Outfitters. 

White's work caught my eye because of his warm colors that he uses. It's something I try to emulate as well. The images look very candid, but still well composed. 

Anne- Weekly Post

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/lantern-one-device-free-data-from-space-forever

Lantern

Lantern  is a device being designed and patented through indiegogo that is attempting to utilize the Outernet to create a device that would serve as a sort of mini satelite dish and is completely portable and would work almost anywhere in the world. All someone has to do is turn it on and connect any web browser to it as its wifi source. The idea behind this product is to provide a source of free, uncensored information that anyone, anywhere in the world can access. The dream with this device is that it could be an internet/information database for people all over the world especially in isolated or developing areas with no internet access. I think this is a really interesting and powerful idea. I am interested in the developers ideas on freedom of information and its relationship to a free and beneficial society.