Photo Essay Exhibition Curation

Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams was a an American photographer from 1927 through the 1970s. He specialized in black and white landscape photography, and was the founder of the photography group F64. The name F64 comes from the small aperture that was commonly used by the group, whose purpose was to contrast the common pictorialist movement that was common at the time. The photos produced by the group were very detailed and have a lot of contrast. Adams' photos commonly capture still photos of vast landscapes and mountains.

Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks was a photographer and pioneer among black filmmakers. During his career which took place throughout the middle of the 20th century, Parks' photography highlighted issues of civil rights and poverty. From 1948 through 1972, Parks worked with LIFE magazine where he created numerous photo essays. During this time he photographed sports, fashion, poverty and racial segregation. which he later transitioned into a career in film.

LIFE magazine was the first major American publication to place an emphasis on photojournalism, and is significant for its photography of World War II.

Henri Cartier Bresson

Henri Cartier Bresson was a French photographer whose career began in the 1930s. Much of his work during that early part of his career was characterized by the authenticity of his photos. He used a 50mm lens which provided him with the utmost anonymity so that his subjects would act normal as they would not be aware of him being a photographer. Bresson was later assigned by Magnum Photos to work in many different parts of the world, still using his same street photography techniques.

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens

Annie Leibovitz is an American portrait photographer for the Rolling Stone magazine, the Rolling Stones and Vanity fair. Her work is characterized by capturing moments, rather than the subjects which she has spent so much time living with in order to capture their lives accurately. I enjoyed watching the film about her, and think that it did an exceptional job at capturing her relationships with her subjects.

This is one of the photos taken by Annie Leibovitz during her time working for Vanity Fair. The subject is Clint Eastwood. I am a big fan of the composition of the photo, and how it is balanced with the rule of thirds.

This photo of Annie Leibovitz was taken sometime during the 1970s when she photographed the Rolling Stones. I am fascinated by how close she often becomes with her subjects, which allows her to get much more natural and authentic photographs than she would otherwise. Additionally, I am a fan of the contrast used in the photo as it really makes the subjects pop.

This photo by Annie Leibovitz is from her Disney Dream Portrait Series, which she began shooting for in 2007.  The photo depicts Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gisele Bundchen, and Tina Fey as Peter Pan, Wendy, and Tinkerbell. I enjoy how Leibovitz is able to turn photography into something magical.

I chose the images above because they all capture a different aspect of Annie Leibovitz's work. This includes her integration with her subjects' lives, her composition and the magic she captures in some of her later work.