Photographers have to be aware of the fact that viewers of their images can’t know the whole story of how a photograph came to be. The image has to rely on its own visual authority to get the message across. Using this photograph of Sant’ Antimo, a 12th Century Romanesque abbey in rural Tuscany, I explore the idea of where images come from and how that impetus translates to the viewer.
Abbazia di Sant’ Antimo, 1997
Photograph by Jeff Curto
The idea you want to communicate in a photograph is in direct relation to the way in which you choose to make that photograph. A photograph of Bernini’s beautiful Baroque fountain, situated in front of the Pantheon, is used to examine how composition and idea play off of one another.
Fontana, Piazza della Rotunda, Roma, 1990
Photograph by Jeff Curto
Paul Strand’s masterful 1953 portrait “The Family” acts as a backdrop for some thoughts on how interaction between the photographer and subject and among the subjects themselves creates visual and emotional interest in a photograph.
The Family, Luzzara, Italy, 1953
Photograph by Paul Strand
Ultimately, a photograph comes down to a common element: Light. Using two photographs of a vineyard, this podcast explores the quality, direction and visual impact of light.
Eugene Atget’s photograph of conical shrubs in Saint Cloud provides the visual resource for a discussion of how careful camera placement can affect a photograph.
