Madison Urich Photographer Styles

Henry Wessel’s photography book is titled Las Vegas. A lot of the colors are pretty muted and within individual photographs the color palette is pretty limited and incorporates a lot of neutral colors. The majority of the photos execute a warm color scheme.  The photos are very succinct and you can tell that one artist photographed all of these images. The subject matter is given away in the title; Henry photographed parts of Las Vegas. More specifically, most of the photos were taken in hotels of this popular city. A few photos that standout as a little different include ones of the top of a castle building, one of water rushing over rocks, one of a wishing well waterfall, and one of a roomservice tray placed on funky carpeting. A lot of the images are of the tacky and kitsch interiors of hotels. This includes windows and curtain pairs, patterned carpeting, ornate light fixtures, flowers or vases, and corridors. Some of the images show off a number of angles built into the architecture. He photographs as though he is a visitor exploring and simply viewing all of these scenes, as any other tourist would see them. He captures the everyday in ways that make the viewer appreciate them in new ways and linger on the subjects instead of quickly passing by, as most people do with these views in real life. He also captures a few scenes that are unique to Las Vegas and the west, such as a cheap wedding venue. Additionally, he captures other scenes that you wouldn’t expect to see when you hear “Las Vegas,” such as barren dessert, deteriorating spaces, and average buildings.  Everything is always in focus and you get the sense of space in each image. He uniquely captures all aspects of this city without being flashy but dwelling on the ordinary and showing off the mundane.

Gabriela Ruiz’s photographs are published in a book called Silence. This book first interested me because of the variety of subject and unique control of color. The subjects in this book vary from architecture pieces, texture, and landscapes. There are no people. Generally each photograph consists of neutral colors or darker hues. Each chapter then has its own color scheme contributing to its own look and feel. One chapter focuses on accents of blue in each image, another incorporates shades of green, and so on. The images are always in focus with a large depth of field. All of the images have a lot of texture, whether it’s in a natural earth surface or the deteriorating wall of a building. A lot of the architecture is images of corridors and windows. Light plays an important role in Gabriela’s work. There is not a lot of light in the images, its very strategically photographed, captured with its interaction coming through windows or filtered through trees, and so on. Shadows are also important in quite a few of the images and settings. All of the images are of still scenes and some are suggestive of motion. For example, the images of clouds in the sky or fabric being blown in the window. Every image promotes a feeling of peace and simplicity and dwelling in the small and quiet moments to be found around us. A variety of camera angles is used, each picked specifically for the setting or object being captured to evoke a mood in that area.

Graciela Iturbide’s work is documented in the book Eyes To Fly With. “Time, life, and death” are themes that run throughout the images in this book. One of the most obvious features of this collection of photography is that it is all in black and white. The photographer’s travels are documented so the subjects range from people, both posed and natural environmental, and a few of scenery. Graciela seems to aim for capturing the essence of an individual in their photographs. They are either doing something that describes them, holding a valuable item(s), showing emotion, or interacting with something or someone. Some subjects interact with the camera and others do not. Some of the images are kind of quirky. Light does not play as important of a role, it’s more important in this collection to document the action and emotion in the environment. These images allow the viewer to see unique aspects of various cultures that seem day to day to the subjects but entice our interest for the odd happenings. The images are not very high contrast and a lot of them consist of middle grays. Photographing people just as they, just as they’re feeling, just where they are, and just what they’re doing – is the primary focus of these images. Color would have been too distracting and I think the black and white allows the viewers to hone in on the emotions and actions better.