Photomedia - Part 2

Okay, this progress challenge is asking me to research 2 photographers/artists that I am 'inspired' by - what are their objectives?  Their target audience?  Their timelines or schedules?  Their milestone stages? Their creative approaches?  And their technical approach - that is, the tools and technologies they use to achieve their outcomes?

Answer

Case Study 1 – Erik Johansson

I just love his work and approach¹. He was orginaally born in Sweden but has worked in Germany and now the Czeck Republic².

His clients (target audience) are many and varied. They include Adobe, National Geographic, Volvo, Google, Microsoft, Barncancer Fonden, Hornbach, and Aishti. So, they include major organisations. However, these works are also available as individual prints which you can purchase³.

The timeline or schedule can vary according to whether he makes images for specific clients (where there are tighter deadlines to adhere to) or for noone in particular (these can take up to a year to create).

The development and milestone stages are as follows: a sketch, photo shoots at the locations, model making (and painting), loading the images onto the computer, then compositing (on Photoshop). This is for his composition for 'Landfall'⁴ (where there is a house on the edge of a cliff, but instead of the rock face, there is actually grass growing like on normal ground).⁵

Technologies he uses include a Hasselbad H5D camera system, a Mac Book Pro 15-inch and self-made PC, an Eizo colour monitor and Adobe Photoshop CC 2015 and Lightroom. He uses his own images.

Illustration 1: 2014 (c) Erik Johanssen: Landfall

Case Study 2 – Arno Raffael Minkkinen

I found out about this photographer on Bored Panda⁶ yesterday, via Facebook: For the past 40 years, he had taken photographs of himself naked in various landscapes and in black and white. However, you won't see many full-frontal pictures, most of these consist of body parts which have become part of the landscapes he photographs.

The target audiences usually include art galleries and their patriots, and people who buy copies of his prints. His work is also available through Amazon⁷.

The development and milestone stages are as follows: go out to the location, take clothes off, set viewfinder and timer, get into position, take photo, get out of position and location, go into dark room and develop photos ready for display. The timeline or schedule can vary according to how long it takes to do the work, especially when it comes to going out to some of the remote locations he travels to.

He says he doesn't use Photoshop or any other photo-editing software (in fact, he was creating the compositions long before Photoshop was available) – just what appears to be on the viewfinder of the camera. The technologies used include the timer on the camera (and a case of being able to get into his position in enough time to create the shot), and a long cable release bulb (which he throws out of the way in time to get the shot). He then uses the traditional dark room techniques to process and develop the prints.

Illustration 2: 2007 • Le Bouquet d'Arbres • Malmö Castle Prison, Malmö, Sweden

1 Johansson, E (2015): Erik Johansson Photography, http://www.erikjohanssonphoto.com/

2 Ibid, http://www.erikjohanssonphoto.com/about/

3 InPrint (2015): Art Prints by Erik Johansson, http://www.inprnt.com/gallery/erikjohansson/

4 Op cit, Landfall, http://www.erikjohanssonphoto.com/landfall/

5 Op cit, 'Behind the Scenes for Landfall' in http://www.erikjohanssonphoto.com/behind-the-scenes and https://youtu.be/8fP3AJl6eLk

6 Dovas (2015): Photographer Uses His Own Nude Body to Create Surreal Worlds, in Bored Panda, http://www.boredpanda.com/self-portrait-photography-landscape-surreal-arno-rafael-minkkinen

7 Amazon (2015): Books by Arno Rafael Minkkinen in http://www.amazon.com/Arno-Rafael-Minkkinen/e/B000APQZOU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=vilofjoy-20&linkId=7GC77UK4BOH3QKEI