Masters of Photography Reflection

After analyzing all master photographers within the field, I have narrowed my overall interest onto two specific artists: Joel Meyerowitz and Margaret Bourke-White.

After observing much of Meyerowitz’s work, I have recognized the elements that make his pictures look so ominous and mysterious. In a sense, these pictures lead viewers to question where he was able to catch such a scene and how the simplicity of his pictures still manage to tell a story. Unlike the bright concepts and tones presented within many famous photographs, Meyerowitz’s picture (up above) focuses the color tone on an icky green palette. Although I haven’t seen many pictures with such a color focus, I find that it makes the ordinary routines of a gas station seem severely apocalyptic.

While analyzing the works of many photographers, Bourke-White’s pictures truly left the greatest impact. Capturing difficult scenes of tragedy and heartbreak, Bourke-White visited difficult situations and captured them for many to see. In this picture, we see a group of innocent Jews, divided solely be a wired fence. Understanding the tragedies of WWII and the Holocaust, the sad, empty expressions of these individuals results in a feeling of pity and sympathy. Without photographers like Bourke-White, such terrible conditions would have never been recognized and kept for exhibition for many years to come.

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