………..I have an identical twin sister, Elaine; growing up we were very close and always together. We had all the same classes, participated in the same after school activities, imagined the same games for our toys, had the same friends, and argued over which one of us our pets would get to snuggle with. We went to the same college, majored in similar subjects, and even had dorm rooms near each other. Eventually we grew a little less similar, branching out into our own interests and when I moved to Philadelphia for graduate studies, it was the first time we were apart in all of our 22 years together. This distance has tested our relationship, but has ultimately brought us closer together and allowed us to appreciate the differences between us that we have developed.
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Elaine
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My sister is very into the 1920s era and vintage clothing. She is also an avid swing dancer. Here, she is wearing some of her vintage clothing and reclining in a chair. Even at rest Elaine is trying to dance, and nonchalantly kicks her leg up. The overlaying image is of one of her vintage dresses that she cherishes.
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Elaine
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Similar to the last photo, Elaine wears some of her vintage clothing collection. She curls her hair to better match her classic persona. Vintage patterns from her scarf collection are overlaid over her serene expression. Elaine is a dreamer, who aims to live in a time period of
past.
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Old black and white photo booths invoke a glamour and nostalgia of the past. I also enjoy them for those same reasons. Elaine brightly smiles and poses in one, bringing life to a piece of the past.
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Elaine
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Elaine has always been fiercely competitive, and even though I usually am not, being with her brings it out in me. We are always comparing ourselves to the other. In the past when we were very similar. it was difficult because we were always in a race against each other, but now that competitive feeling only pushes me to be better in what I do, with her supporting me.
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This self-portrait is a reflection of my feelings being a twin. Sometimes when I look at her it is like a warped version of myself looking back. I do not know what it is like to not have a twin sister, but always having someone there is definitely a bonus. Sometimes it is hard to always have to share things, but overall it is rewarding that we are so close.
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Self-Portrait by Melanie Silver
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Elaine is struggling to find her place in the world. Unsure of what she wants to ultimately do with her life. I know that she will be successful with whatever she chooses, because she has such a strong will and friendly personality. Having a twin sister has helped define me as a person, and I can only hope to help and support her and our differences as much as she has with me.
About the Author: Melanie Silver is studying Architecture in the graduate fine arts program, University of Pennsylvania. To read more articles by Melanie Silver, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.
……….Legendary photographer Larry Fink spoke at the Arthur Ross Gallery, University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, November 28th – as part of the much acclaimed 9 Perspectives On a Photography Collection exhibition. The attentive crowd was regaled by a series and discussion of outstanding images from Larry’s storied professional career and young life as a photographer. The talk was intriguing, humorous, informative, and poignant leaving the listeners with smiles on their faces, some wisdom from a special artist, and fond memories that made marks in their hearts and minds.
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Photo: Larry Fink
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Photo: Larry Fink
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Larry Fink’s work, virtually all black and white, covers a wide range of subjects – from politics, parties, Hollywood, fashion, sports, counter culture, and intimate family shots. Larry’s unquestionable ability to detect and capture the “photographic moment” was quite apparent. The audience was shown Larry’s exceptional photographs as a professional photographer covering high society with shots of celebrities at the Oscars and lavish Hollywood parties, legendary musicians such as John Coltrane, and even President Obama himself.
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Photo: Larry Fink
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Larry Fink also spent some time highlighting his incredible work on boxing, shot over years in Philadelphia’s historic Blue Horizon. The images on pugilism were so striking because of Larry’s ability to capture the drama inherent in the sport – the battle between two warriors and two wills, the pain and the perseverance, the victory and defeat, against the gritty backdrop of North Philadelphia’s famous venue and the trainers, staff, and crowds swarming all over the now defunct arena.
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Photo: Larry Fink
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But make no mistake, Fink’s pictures were not something you would find in a standard event photographer’s portfolio. They captured the human element – emotion, drama, narrative, character, and beauty in his subjects. Larry’s gifted ability to capture the raw humanity in a beautiful way was already being articulated when he was quite young, as his early work powerfully displayed in a more bare bones way.
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Photo: Larry Fink
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Photo: Larry Fink
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Photo: Larry Fink
About The Author: Daniel Murphy is a young professional in Philadelphia and is studying digital and film photography at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Editor’s Note: Larry Fink’s photographs are currently on display in 9 Perspectives on a Photography Collection, Arthur Ross Gallery, the University of Pennsylvania from November 10, 2012 to January 27, 2013. To learn more about Larry Fink’s Photography log on: www.LarryFinkPhotography.com
……….When the moon is full in Montana during the winter and there has been a fresh snowfall everything is bright and pristine and I love the white.
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I have done many winter snow shoots and they are tough. Shooting in zero degree weather with the wind blowing was not a joy. But I love the white and my blood bubbles at the sight of the shapes snowdrifts make.
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In the west during the winter it seemed as though everywhere I turned there was an image to be photographed.
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Everything about this location and the time of day was perfect. The dark sky, long shadows, virgin snow and a perfect log house. It almost seems like moon light.
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Once we were able to set up on the side of the cabin where I would not see the foot prints and getting inside to light the windows, I only had one shot at bringing the cowboy in from the right in the virgin snow, we either had it on the first take or not.
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As it turned out everything about the photograph is perfect and it was used around the world in different languages as a Christmas card.
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Photography by Jack Ward, Copyright 2012..
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About The Author: Originally an artist of the brush, Jack studied painting and design at Cooper Union in New York City, and color theory under the tutelage of Josef Albers at Yale University, where he received an MFA degree in Color Theory in 1958. It was during a stint in the Air Force – flying the observer (weapons control officer) position in F-100F, F-101F, F-102F, and B-57 aircraft off of Cape Cod and in North Africa, that Jack’s interest in photography became a passion.
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Editor’s Note: To learn more about Jack Ward’s photography, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.
Posted on December 8, 2012 by Ypsitylla von Nazareth
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………..Casting a light back onto the shadows showing up details in a visualized twilight theater about the struggle between reality and madness, the paradox of irony and illusion, confronted with the fact that we are “living at the edge of madness”, this is”High Toxi-City”! The new black and red conceptual images by Cheyco Leidmann, never shown before and presented amongst other thematically different images (all together 131) at the Moretti & Moretti Gallery in Paris, are glutted in their monochrome tones, on palettes of a piercing eroticism, they participate with all their heat to any kind of apocalyptic vision. Authentic, real, unrestrained brutal-though at first sight the brutality appears to remain concealed behind an aesthetic contemplation.
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The bodies enjoy and bleed at the same time. Screams of pleasure open fester wounds. The abyss of perversion is only revealed upon closer scrutiny. The beholder is equally captured in the image as are the morbid, seemingly mad figures in their fantasies. These fantasies are only unraveled slowly, by means of the lighting guiding the viewer through the picture and revealing gradually the fundamental aspects to he or she. Empty houses, windows without glass – reflect the desperateness, the finality of the situation. Faces without eyes, beetles and religious symbols with a depth of eroticism turn the image into a memento of our time.
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Photo: Cheyco Leidmann
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Some images create a mural-like, imposing complex composition confronting issues critical to contemporary urbanism. Flux and reflux capture the world in a state of chaos. The event manifests an encounter between two views.One demonstrating Cheyco Leidmann’s commitment to this new interpretation of
neo-visualism, including a specific triptych constellation composed of multiple images, and the other showing his hard-core color classics.
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Photo: Cheyco Leidmann
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It is a dialogue of true substance which should inspire the viewers eyes, thoughts and emotions seeing the truth of the picture , which by then is no longer just in black and white. Creative collaborator Ypsitylla von Nazareth accompanies Cheyco Leidmann on his journey.
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Galerie: Moretti & Moretti
Exhibition Title: “High Toxi-City”
6, Cour Berard, Paris
November 16 to December 8, 2012
………..A couple of weeks ago, our Digital Photography class at the University of Pennsylvania had the opportunity to meet Amanda Stevenson, an internationally renowned photographer based in Philadelphia. Amanda retraced her journey to becoming a photographer, in the process showing us her own work while giving her honest opinions on the photography business, and offering advice helpful to anyone wanting to pursue photography in a professional capacity.
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Our first introduction to Amanda came when she generously joined the class in critiquing our current projects. Her perspective as a female photographer gave us new insights into the ways we could approach and interact with our subjects in order to achieve a better visual connection with a potential audience.
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Photo: Amanda Stevenson
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After the critique, Amanda demonstrated her range of interests and skills by presenting a large portfolio of what she called her “scrap work.” While we were able to see many of her own creative projects involving ballerinas, fashion, and beauty, there were also sports, family, and travel themes present in her repertoire. Commenting on the range of her photography, Amanda described the notion of keeping three things in mind, – big clients, creative work, and pro-bono work – in balance.
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This concept truly resonated with me as someone wanting to pursue photography and advertising simultaneously. She spoke about ways in which one can break into the photography world, sharing some entertaining anecdotes about her work as a photographer’s assistant in her youth with the likes of Annie Liebowitz and Francesco Scavullo, while we perused an elegantly crafted portfolio book which she often shows to prospective clients.
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Photo: Amanda Stevenson
Amanda’s visit was personally very eye opening as she made me aware of just how many applications photography can have, all the while providing an insight into the life of a professional working in the industry. As a class we would like to thank Amanda for her time and advice. We await her future work eagerly.
Photo: Amanda Stevenson
About The Author: Francesca Nichol is a senior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2013.
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Editor’s Note: To learn more about Amanda Stevenson’s photography log on: www.AmandaStevensonPhoto.com
……….Jack Ward – Advertising photographer for Marlboro Cigarette campaign for over twenty-five years. The “Marlboro Man” was created through his camera lens; changing the branding of cigarettes, advertising photography, and some say western-wear fashion for years to come. Jack graciously visited our Fashion Photography class at the University of Pennsylvania last week. The students are working on projects for which they are required to develop their own brand. As young photographers in today’s market, they are being taught to take advantage of their multi-disciplinary talents, and to not only create amazing photographs, but to understand the importance of self-branding when it comes to finding one’s place amongst their competitive peers.
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Photo: Jack Ward
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Photo: Jack Ward
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Jack was fantastic and eager to get to know the students and overflowing with interesting stories from his times on the campaign. I was thrilled to listen to how excited he was about photography; about the thrill of watching the scenes unfold in the viewfinder. It became clear that the only way that someone could do what he did for so long was through a genuine love for the medium and the American West.
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Photo: Jack Ward
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Photo: Jack Ward
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As the class looked through Jack’s portfolio (he had not seen this particular grouping for several years), the photographs of the cowboys and the sprawling, western landscape did not look like advertisements. Later we saw how Marlboro put their stamp on top of the images. But before they were processed with art directors, clients, and witty slogans, the photographs were of refreshing, humble scenes. Jack was right, real cowboys do have a certain “way” about them that only cowboys can have.
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My favorite story that he told us was how the campaign managers had hired a former professional football player to model in the shoots. Jack commented, although the former New York Giants quaterback was deathly handsome, apparently he could not ride a horse with precision, so from that point on, Jack only photographed real cowboys.
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Photo: Jack Ward
This is what made the Marlboro photographs successful in my view: the posture of the men on top of their horses, the coarseness of their hands, the fact that the general public was observing them doing actual work. Yes, there was a product to sell, but regardless of this, the artfulness of the imagery and the sincerity of the people involved transported me to Marlboro Country.
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Photo: Jack Ward
Photos: Copyright 2012 by Jack Ward.
About The Author: Elisa Gabor is enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program, University of Pennsylvania.
