IN PRACTICE: St. Patrick's Day in NYC

IN STUDY: Rogerio Reis

After viewing the NY Times LensBlog feature of photographer Rogerio Reis, I became facinated with his work. Reis, who explored the intricate culture of the Rio de Janerio Carnaval participants, set up a dirty, wrinkled canvas in a small alley and selected some of the most exotic yet under appreciated characters who participate in this longstanding Rio tradition. I think Reis' work is captivating and portrays an interesting side of the human soul by giving the underbelly of society a chance to communicate who they are.

IN PRACTICE: Hip Hop and Haiti

"Singularity is no longer enclosed in an individual."
—Gilles Deleuze

Across cultures the concept of an individual may vary in definition, but nevertheless it conveys the same idea: that singularity is inherent in one body. Its as simple as that. Or is it?
With the advent of the internet, communication networks and mass information distribution became as common as corn flakes for breakfast. Just add milk and voila, your drawing, essay, socio-political commentary, or photograph has reached the eager mouths of thousands of internet junkies. When it comes to viewing digital photography, there are no limits, not even those of the limitless internet. Traditionally, until this century, art has been viewed singularly; one canvas, one installment, one sculpture. Besides the realm of performance art and music, once was enough. With digital photography, however, there is no "once." Even traditional film photography has merged with the digital monster (scanners, digital archives, etc.), so that the only time "now" enters the photographic vocabulary is when the photo is taken.

Day Three: Eugene Smith

Minimata. Just this one word is enough to conjure images of pain, destruction, and the human will to persevere. Eugene Smith's work with the post-nuclear bomb fishing town was very instrumental in communicating the pain of an entire community. His images are provoking and lack the soft sentimentality of other tragedy documentaries. These photographs are hard, bitter, and imbibed with struggle.

Day Two: Robert Frank

Robert Frank spent most of his photography career capturing the social distress of the 1950s. His book, The Americans, focused on the disparity between the social ideal of contentedness with the prevailing loneliness found on the streets. His work went in line with the distress of the Beat generation and Frank even worked with Jack Kerouac on the introduction. I find Frank's manipulation of faces by obscuring them strengthens his visual rhetoric and make his photographs unforgettable.

Day One: Ansel Adams

In an effort to narrow down my study of photographers and their body of work, for the next couple of weeks I will be featuring a post about a certain photographer every day.

For today's study, I have chosen Ansel Adams. Many are familiar with Adams' large body of nature photography, and with good cause. Adams successfully made a career out of capturing some of the most majestic scenes of nature. He glorified the rustic west with a skill that is unparalleled in its simplicity. Below are several of my favorite images.