Photographer 16 | Susan Meiselas

Meiselas is a member of Magnum Photos since 1976. She is best known for her documentation of human rights issues in Latin America, published extensively throughout the world in 1981. 

Meiselas' series, Pandora's Box, catches my eyes when I browse through her portfolio. The dramatic content in the series is in fact a documentary mirror of events occurred in a high-class sex club, Pandora's Box, located in Manhattan. In this series, the common scenes we see are role-playing games that occur in the club. At Pandora's Box, women is holding more power to control men, which is in contrary to the traditional, submissive female role.

This series is done in vibrant colors and high contrast. In this way, it gives strong emotional impact. The blurry effects caused by motion allow audience to feel the movement while it makes the image looks lively and closer to the reality instead of being staged beforehand for shooting. The magical part of these photographs to me is the composition. They look like being framed randomly but the composition looks just right in each of them.

Photographer 15 | David Hilliard

Hilliard is an American fine art photographer, mainly produce panoramic photographs. His works usually apply vibrant colors, with large compositions to include more elements which are narrative. I like the way he splits up the frame into 3 images which are somehow able to tell a story alone while each of the story is connected to one another. As a storytelling, Hilliard explores issues such as intimacy, identity and homosexuality. His sexual development has become his constant inspirations to portray heroic characters and masculinity into the frames. Hilliard's works share similarity with Gregory Crewdson's works in terms of cinematic aspect.

Photographer 14 | Bill Henson

Henson is an Australian contemporary art photographer, focus mainly on portraits. He is well versed in handling light to create a transcendent effect. His works are usually in dark tone, shot under low light with much of shadow, to isolate his subjects.

Henson's subject of work revolves around youth and adulthood, male and female. His work tends to painterly depict some classical romance.

I like the emotions that are being portrayed in his work, which is kind of dark, silent and melancholic. It gives a feeling that the persons in the frames are being alienated from the world while he/she is close to the edge of giving up their life, numb and helpless.

Photograher 13 | Bronek Kozka

'For me, right now, photography is all about telling stories. The work I make is about telling stories, and about making people connect with their own histories and stories.' Bronek Kozka.

Kozka's work reminds me of Gregory Crewdson. Their work share some similarities such as the cinematic qualities portrayed in the frames, reflection of personal experience and memory. Kozka is a great observant for rooms with sufficient ambient light which are potential to tell a story that comes from his memory.

'I'm not trying to make a really... what I'm trying to do is to create an illustration of my idea, and of memory.' explained Kozka. As such, Kozka feels more affinity with writers than documentary photography because a writer usually 'creates a scene'.

Photographer 12 | Francesca Woodman

Though Woodman committed suicide in her 22, her work continues to be the subject of attention in the world of contemporary art. She was best known for her black and white photographs featuring herself and some nude female models. She likes to use long exposure to have blurred effects and softness of focus in her work. She incorporates some surrealist motifs such as mirrors, gloves, birds and bowls. Some of the her photographs with disappearing figures were said to have reflected her desire to disappear in the world.

 

Photographer 11 | Kyle Thompson

Thompson is a young American photographer, best known for his surrealist self portraits. During college, he was interested in photography but he did not go through a formal eduction in photography. However, photography has became some sort of therapy to him at the age of nineteen when he was suffering from anxiety of life.

Thompson specializes in self-portraitures. He usually spends hours, even days to explore new locations for shooting, such as forests, mountain, abandoned houses and etc. His portraits are usually conceptual, depicting his personal traits and emotions. By applying water, smoke and lighting effects, Thompson enhances his photos with surreal feel.

His work are often well planned. He usually draws out all of the concepts in his mind before deciding on location and time, costumes, poses and etc.