don’t forget your chocolate milk

I am currently on a quest to finding a photographic personal style and identity! I was looking through some of my old photos and its honestly a hot mess. [alright, I’m going to try to critique myself without sounding absolutely conceded] Its not that my photos are bad and lack personality, they’re just not organized. [Along with the rest of my life. But thats a different story] I’ve been trying to resolve this problem for so long. And change the way I edit my photos and such but all thats done is create an ever bigger mess. Its also made me more afraid to take photos. Maybe I’ve over thinking. You know I tend to do that a lot. Over analyze.EVERYTHING

So as I’m going through this photographic awakening I’ve decided to look into some photographers. You know do a little studying. I’ve drawn up two names. David Armstrong. Juergen Teller. 

David Armstrong.

What I love about David Armstrong’s photos are the way his portraits are so intimate and mysterious. I’m not really one for landscape photography but David’s landscape shots are so soft and sensual. His landscape work are taken with a soft focus, so some of his photos of street lights, trees, electric signs and cars present human characteristics. If you were to look at a photos of a rose bush by David Armstrong, with his signature sensual soft focus, you’d also find that behind that photo you feel deeper emotions; emotions of a sorrowful young girl who waits  on a street sidewalk, who at the end of the night still find herself still waiting. Its the way I have to put all my attention into figuring out a photo by David Armstrong. And how when you finally figure what its all about you then feel all these emotions transfer to your finger tips. David Armstrong is known for his portraits of men and these portraits carry the same amount of emotion as his landscape and cityscape photos. A photo of a model by David Armstrong is not only a portrait of a human being but it is also a portrait of a soul and introduction to a character he want you to meet

Rodarte,L’officiel Hommes Germany March 2010

Juergen Teller.

He’s most know for shooting the Marc Jacob ads that you see your in fashion magazines but what I love about Juergen Teller’s photos is that they’re fun and playful and raw and can sometimes be seen as risk-ay or scandalous.  When you look into one of his photographs or Ads he’s shot, you feel as if you are playing a very graphically advanced version of the sims. And that you are looking into or even have control of these peoples/models lives. I sometimes look at one of Teller’s photos and begin to create stories of how this images came to be. Not only that but when  looking at his photos you get this feel that you’re not meant to see them. That you’ve just walked in on two strangers in a hotel room making love. YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. But his photos tell a story and unlike all those air brushed editorials, Teller’s Marc Jacobs ads are shot by film. The shots you see are straight from the camera. And the difference between film and digital to me is that with film there is still a sense of ‘life’ and all the secrets of it. Life that hasn’t been modified or edited for the sake of fashion. Its raw and imperfect and beautiful. Juergen Teller captures the realness of ever situation.unpretentious yet still very glamorous. 

I’d really love to develop a combined style of the two.