Dallas Simmons' Blog

  Depoorter is a Belgium-born Magnum photographer who has won multiple awards and honors for her work including the Magnum Expression Award. Her work is focused on the relationships that she builds and maintains with the subjects in her photos. The initial interaction between her and her subject is often unplanned. However, through the process, they connect and cause an artistic element to present itself. The relationships with the subjects of her photos really show through the comfortability and expression in each person's face and mannerisms. She has also turned these interactions into books and short films to better capture images.  My favorite aspect of Depoorter's work is the attention to detail. In each picture such as the ones above and to the left, the background surrounding the subject is very interesting. This adds to that artistic element and makes the photos look like paintings in my opinion. 

      Sebastião Salgado, the Brazil-born economist did not take up his true calling until the early 70s. Salgado frequently traveled to Africa for work. As a result, he often attempted to document his experiences and found  interest in photography. In 1974 he became a freelance photographer for an agency in Paris. By 1979, Salgado joined the international photography group Magnum.       Salgado specializes in straightforward photos to describe the economic state of the world and global issues such as poverty. I believe Salgado's goal is to spread awareness without sugarcoating anything. He also specializes in  dramatic landscape photos. These photos to me have a sort of supernatural feel. The two above are my personal favorites.               I personally really enjoy the work of  Sebastião Salgado. I believe that this is the best photographer I have seen yet. I really enjoy the landscape images. T...

     Herbert (Herb) Ritts was a famous portrait photographer who focused his artwork on black-and-white photography. Ritts' big break came while attending college in Los Angeles, CA, where a friend of his took an interest in acting, drawing Ritts to photograph the star. The star's publicity drew publicity to Ritts allowing him to take photography seriously and eventually do shoots for stars in magazines such as Madonna.       To me, a good portrait should have an underlying message or story. I believe that portraits are more than just photos of people. They should make any viewer feel something. For example, the image above gives me a supervillain story vibe. The model's facial expression and the metal fingers tells a story of a crazed villain in my eyes.  My personal favorite portrait was the above photo. I enjoy portraits involving black people due to the color of their skin seeming like an emphasis even though it may not be the main focus. Ritt...

  Ralph Gibson is a Los Angeles-born photographer whose main claim to fame is the surreal visual nature captured in his work. The photos he creates often symbolize something and leave plenty of room for interpretation. Gibson has an eye for taking everyday objects and enhancing the geometric elements of them all.  In this photo, the image depicts a hand essentially painting the world around it. I personally enjoy this image a lot as it taps into another level of creativity. There is plenty of room for interpretation for the viewers. The image seems to be something of a dream.  In the below image, there appears to be symbolism at play. From my perspective, I see a parent possibly neglecting their child for other interests or maybe even their job. The child is reaching out for help but the parent is too focused and occupied with their job at the time to notice. I really enjoy the image.  All in all, I really enjoy Gibson's work. The creativity and freedom of it all int...

  Michael Kenna, a Widnes, England native is a photographer. Kenna has taken all kinds of photos but his true claim to fame is his black and white landscape photographs. However, Kenna did not always want to pursue the arts. His first studies were centered around becoming a priest. This decision was heavily influenced by his Irish and Catholic parents.  Eventually, Kenna's focus shifted to art and photography and attended the London College of Printing. His career really jumpstarted with a trip to Japan. In Japan, he photographed the terrain of the country which was very intriguing to him. Kenna experimented with longer exposure times and shot during times close to dusk or dawn. Kenna states,    "You can't always see what's otherwise noticeable during the day... with long exposures, you can photograph what the human eye is incapable of seeing.". Personally, I really enjoy the works of Kenna. The work is extremely detailed and carefully exposed. I can see so many d...

  Lee Friedlander is an American photographer who was most recognized for the types of photos he specialized in. Friedlander had an eye for implementing reflections into your typical everyday landscape portraits. Although this has proven to be most successful for Friendlander, the beginning of his career started with taking pictures for musical artists and freelance photography for media companies.  In the 60s, Friedlander began the transition to a street photography. Britannica best describes it as, " using a “snapshot aesthetic” to capture contemporary urban life with unflinching realism.". He often used mirrors and glassfronts to create the perfect illusion in his shots. The reflections play a huge role in making the average picture a work of art. Personally, I am a huge fan of this style and idea of photography. I like the fact that there is almost always a story or deeper meaning behind every image. The one provided at the top has a deeper, darker meaning to me. I plan t...