On the way avant-garde appeared

I was on the way home after a long day of continuous shooting downtown, taking photos for my monthly photo challenge with a new camera that I had to learn, when I came across Nina and her friend. They were filming for an art project they had at Strykejernet (an art school in Oslo).

Unfortunately I didn’t catch the name of the girl who was filming, but the name of the model was Nina. They didn’t mind me taking some shots, so I hung around and took some photos while they were filming. I came home with a bunch of photos that day (I’ve deleted a lot but I still have 408 photos shot on that same day).

An avant-garde, sci-fi scene.

When I was looking through the shots with Nina, I decided to merge these two photos into one. I’m pleased with the final result and I think it has some sci-fi, avant-garde feeling to it.

This is my entry for the weekly photo challenge this week: https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/on-the-way/

Enjoy this song by King Missile: “Sensitive Artist”.

“Sensitive Artist” by John S Hall (King Missile)
From the album King Missile (Dog Fly Religion)* ‎– Fluting On The Hump

I am a sensitive artist.
Nobody understands me because I am so deep.
In my work I make allusions to books that nobody else has read,
Music that nobody else has heard,
And art that nobody else has seen.
I can’t help it
Because I am so much more intelligent
And well-rounded
Than everyone who surrounds me.

I stopped watching tv when I was six months old
Because it was so boring and stupid
And started reading books
And going to recitals
And art galleries.
I don’t go to recitals anymore
Because my hearing is too sensitive
And I don’t go to art galleries anymore
Because there are people there
And I can’t deal with people
Because they don’t understand me.

I stay at home
Reading books that are beneath me,
And working on my work,
Which no one understands

I am sensitive…
I am a sensitive artist…

Female Photographers

Why is it that Nikon & Canon focus (pun intended) mainly on male photographers, even if the ‘female market’ obviously is large and fast growing? A huge chunk of the market, regardless of gender, is of course the typical amateur photographer whose main focus is family and holiday memories, while the professional organisations still have more men represented than women.

Grete Stern

The sentences above were discussed in Leanne Cole‘s blog a while back. I commented on her post and later decided to write my own post about it.

I’m not a camera salesman, so for me the market part of photographing isn’t interesting: who’s buying most cameras – women or men? This doesn’t concern me. The only thing that concerns me is what they produce with the cameras. The big majority of people take pictures to produce family memories, boring pictures of their cats, plants and so called ‘Facebook-moments’ (previously known as Kodak Moments). They’re also using their phone cameras to document whatever they’re having for dinner at some restaurant.

Many professional organizations largely consists of press photographers and in this line of work, the photographer is often ‘out in the fields’ in different war zones – a job where you’ll mostly find men, probably because of mental and physical differences between the sexes (men are often more adrenaline seeking, careless and violent than women). A lot of war photography is just about being at the right place at the right time or faking a scene – and it’s more often than not political propaganda. Of course this is just a matter of taste, but in my opinion male photographers such as war photographer Robert Capa and street photographer Henri Cartier Bresson are wildly overrated.

Many (most) of my favourite photographers are women.

• Daniela Rossell:  I wrote an article on Daniela Rossell’s wonderful series «ricas y famosas». I really love her her ethnographic look at the Mexican upper-class’ tastes and lifestyles: she has a closeness & intimacy with her subjects. https://cardinalguzman.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/daniela-rosell-the-rich-andfamous/
• Graciela Iturbide: Another great Mexican, female photographer is Graciela Iturbide. Some of my favourite works are Zihuatanejo, Ciudad de México, Desierto de Sonora and Juchitán (from the series named after the photo Juchitán)
• Grete Stern: a lot of great surrealist works and double exposures. She made 150 photomontages, called Suenos (dreams). Fantastic!
• Herlinde Koelbl: German photographer Herlinde Koelbl had some interesting photos in her exhibition “mein blick” where she took portraits of people in their apartments: a wonderful glimpse of homo sapiens in their natural habitat.
• Madame Yevonde: Madame Yevonde’s portrait of Lady Bridgett as Arethusa. A classic!
• Wanda Wulz: Another of my blog posts was inspired by another female, Wanda Wulz. Her photo «The Cat and I» is double exposure at it’s best! I made some double exposure collages inspired by that photo: https://cardinalguzman.wordpress.com/2014/05/07/when-the-kitty-gets-the-cream/
• Shirim Neshat: Iranian born Shirim Neshat has some interesting photos as well. Rumor has it that her photos are very provocative in Iran.Then again most things seems to be very provocative in Iran. Unfortunately I don’t know her works that well and I’ve never been to her exhibitions, but what I’ve seen so far has been very interesting.

Enjoy this gallery with some selected photos of the mentioned photographers. Disclaimer: I have no rights over these images. I tried to contact the photographers that are still alive to get permission to publish these photos, but some didn’t answer and I was unable to find contact information for the others. I’m assuming that they won’t mind having their photos published in a non-profit, personal blog like this.        

Daniela Rossell – Ricas y famosas

Daniela Rossell – Paulina with lion

Ciudad de México by Graciela Iturbide

Zihuatanejo – Graciela Iturbide

Desierto de Sonora by Graciela Iturbide

Grete Stern – Sirena del mar (Sueño Nº 16). ca. 1950

Grete Stern – En el andén (Sueño Nº 2). 1949

Grete Stern

From the ‘Schlafzimmer’ series of Herlinde Koebl.

Walter by Herlinde Koebl

From the ‘Schlafzimmer’ series of Herlinde Koebl.

From the ‘Schlafzimmer’ series of Herlinde Koebl.

Lady Bridgett Elizabeth Felicia Henriette Augusta Poulett as ‘Arethusa’- By Madame Yevonde (1893-1975)

Lady Bridgett Elizabeth Felicia Henriette Augusta Poulett as ‘Arethusa’- By Madame Yevonde (1893-1975)

One of Madame Yevonde’s portraits from her “goddesses” series.

Io + gatto (Cat + I) Wanda Wulz (Italian, 1903-1984)

Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat writing Persian poetry on the image of a young Iranian.