Elina Brotherus

The New Painting- Horizon6

http://www.elinabrotherus.com/photography/the-new-painting/

Elina Brotherus is a Finnish photographer born in 1972 in Helsinki, Finland. She currently is living in Paris where she does portrait and place photography. I really loved Elina's series called "The New Painting." These photos are based on a quote Elina's friend said: "Photography is the new painting." They are meant to portray the beauty of a painting in a photograph. The photos are in vivid color and gives the actual place an artistic aesthetic. It makes the photo more effective in its portrayal of the place because the emphasis of the beauty of the area brings emphasis to the place itself. It makes you want to know where the scene is and brings emotional attachment from the viewer. Elina's intent can be summed up with this quote she stated:
"With the camera I try to approach the same problems that painters have been dealing with for centuries: light, color, composition, figures in space, projection of the three-dimensional into the two-dimensional. I find these questions fundamental in all visual arts."

Horizon 4

Perspective 2

Horizon 2

Photography Quotes

“I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody's face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways.” Duane Michals

I like this quote because I understand what this person means. It's fun to see photographs from a different perspective and maybe done with different settings so that the photo is more interesting. I like seeing normal photos that capture a scene or the beauty of a face, but when a photographer takes the time to spruce the photo up by adding their own style to it, I love it more.

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer—and often the supreme disappointment.” ~Ansel Adams

I find this quote funny, and I think I disagree with it. Landscape photography is a great subject for many photographers to take on, and it's definitely a challenge however I don't think there is that many failures in trying to take the photos. I'm an extreme beginner photographer so I know the struggle of trying to capture a piece that says something about you that others will find beautiful and will like. I think photography is an art that can be seen the way art is seen, meaning that the idea of something being beautiful or being good art is open to interpretation. Some people may find the photos not very good while someone else may find them wonderful. I think it's this that makes art more interesting as a whole and make everyone feel like they can be accepted in the art world.

“Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.” Berenice Abbott

I believe this quote to be true on both a literal and figurative level. Once a photograph is taken it becomes a memory that is often looked at to remember the past. It freezes a subject in time and when you look at it again, you feel almost the same emotions that you felt about the scene originally. Although time changes and the actual subject changes over time, the photograph will be one of the only things remembering it how it was.

Recreation: 3 Recreate Memory

 Not all memories become those that you want to replay in your head over and over again. Some memories become nightmares.

In-Camera Collage

I'm not really aware of the double exposure thing, but from photos I've seen it looks like a cool way to show two photos at once. In order to capture two moments in one image, I would use double exposure to have one scene on one side of the photo and the other scene on the other side of the photo. As far as slow shutter speed I would use it to have the two scenes blur into one.

Unknown Vs. Familiar Space

In order to convey the difference between an unknown and a familiar space, I would capture the familiar very close up and imperfectly. I would make sure the space has a lived in feel and not touch up the photo too much. For a faraway place, I would capture it as a voyeur. I would make the place look beautiful, but cold as if I'm not quite there yet. I would photograph places that have been touched very little by humans like this as well. I would want it to look like a desired and obtainable place, but still distant enough that only a few can actually reach it.

Human-Made Space

If I was to create a landscape with natural materials, it would definitely have to look like it belonged. I would use fallen branches to create a 'tree' in the forest. I would used tons of stone to create a small 'mountain'. I would even like to use fallen leaves, seeds, and maybe fruit to create a 'garden'. All of these things would give the appearance of the original without ruining the look of the natural landscape. Something that brings an illusion to the eye and a smile to the face.

Memory of a Photograph

A photograph I remember the most is the very first one I remember of my being a baby. I didn't get the 'just born' pictures that every baby gets and that my sisters got, (and because of this they tease me and say I was adopted) but I pretend like it is my 'just born' pic. I was a cute chubby baby and I had the cutest smile even though I do say so myself. Then I stopped drinking milk. I most definitely changed from sweet and innocent. Hopefully one day a reenactment of this photo would be my own child smiling and supporting herself on her arms for the first time. If I myself was to reenact this, I would definitely not look too cute. There are things babies can do that adults cannot (I was topless). But I guess it would mean my dad was still alive. How has the place changed? I don't remember the actual place I was in, but my entire life of viewing and loving this photograph I was so positive that I was rolling around on my parents bed while they snapped a picture of me. A week ago I looked at the picture with my little sister and she pointed out crib bars. Funny how a change so small can completely change your perspective!