McDermott Style Paragraphs

Harry Callahan

Harry Callahan is a professional photographer who is most known for his words of pristine depictions of nature. With Adam Ansel as a mentor, he too fell in love with the seemingly divineness of the natural world around us. Though he is not religious he has said on many account that photography fills a spiritual need inside him and capturing a plant in perfect detail and eloquence is a way for him to feel fulfilled. His images are often high contrast, either white or black, smooth or rough and they don't force a perspective or opinion on the viewer just an image of nature. He shoots in film and uses a 9x12cm Linhof Technika and a 8x10 Deardorff large-format camera. Many of his works are of a single plant or a single object but are taken in such detail and are developed in such a high contrast it causes the view to look at the image differently. His other works are images are sometimes square or rectangular photos of a clump of nature from various US states. He most likely uses an aperture greater than or equal to f22 to get the detail in all corners of his photo. He also loves to experiment in the darkroom when developing his images often double exposing. His work, though inspired by Ansel Adams, is something different that truly reflects his artistic process. 

Melanie Schiff

Melanie Schiff is a photographer based in Los Angeles. Her work consists of photographic images depicting scenes from the outskirts if LA or in Claremont, Mount Baldy. SHe also has photographed in Chicago. These locations influence her style of photography. She likes to look at graffitied walls, not as trashed but as a different form of art and a medium in her work. Her photographs all have meaning to her, whether it be a delicate lemon lightly hanging from a tree or a woman walking towards the sunlight, her photography is inspired by her experiences with motherhood and femininity. Her photographs often depict women in whimsical settings like in a lake or behind a glass table. Many of her photographs also show her captivation with the natural world. Her landscape shooting style utilizes a high aperture and an unsaturated feel to the images. They aren’t exploding with color rather they appear flat and elegant capturing the stillness of nature. I would describe most of her personal style in her photography as having a still appearance, soft light and a calmness to them which makes it interesting when flipping through her book that these soft images are separated by her experiments with motion. One such image shows a girl spewing water from her mouth towards the camera lens. The photo must have been taken with a low shutter speed because the motion of the water is shown. In conclusion, Schiff's work is life based and shows her personal experience through her journey of life. She chooses to define this by calmness and serenity displaced by moments of motion. 

Lori Vrba

Lori Vrba’s photography immediately caught my eye. Her images aren’t still portraits or vast landscapes rather detailed stories captured in a single picture. A quality all her photos have is that they are all sepia tinted. To do this she uses film and a wet darkroom. Vrba’s work is often high in contrast with dark shadows, lots of black and and lots of white. They show a double meaning from what is seen to what is being said by her work. For example, she has a picture of a white dress covered in brambles at first glance that is what you see just a messy dress in the woods outside but when you think about what she means by this picture the viewer can go deeper. Is the white dress symbolic of a wedding dress? Is she suggesting she is married to nature? All of her images evoke this kind of wonder and thought when looked at. Many of her photos show her subjects not just in nature but interacting with it as well whether it be they are covered in leaves, mud or holding a birds nest the theme of nature is very consistent throughout her work. Finally, she loves incorporating children into her work. As a mother she obviously feels a special bond with children and frequently shows this in her photos. They are often shown in white and with their eyes closed to represent their innocence and their fascination with the world around them. Vrbra’s photos are truly one of a kind and seem to spring from a special place in her mind as well. Her style truly reflects the storytelling aspect of her images both in composition of the subjects and in the bright whites and dark blacks as well as the sepia tint.