Inspiration Thursday #13: Deana Lawson

This is the first photographer that could be considered NSFW!

Deana Lawson is an photographer that deals with African Americans in intimate situations. Her photographs are not snapshots of everyday life, but meticulously constructed by Lawson herself -- every aspect is chosen specifically. Her work was recently displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in 2011.

From the MoMA site, because MoMA is infinitely better at articulating work than I am:

"Deana Lawson (American, born 1979) received an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2004 and currently lives and works in New York. Lawson refers to the subjects of her photographs as “her family.” Although she is not related to them by blood—in fact, they are nearly all strangers—the pictures are remarkably intimate. Lawson composes almost every element, often sketching scenes out on paper before working with the camera. Reflecting Western and African portraiture conventions, the works examine “the body’s ability to channel personal and social histories, drawing on the various formal and informal languages of the medium and its archival capabilities,” the artist says. The result is an alphabet of body compositions demonstrating humans’ seemingly limitless variety. The size of these photographs ensures that although they are intimate, they are also confrontational; viewers are invited into the world they depict, but strictly as spectators."

 

My personal favorite... just look at the juxtaposition between the couple and the baby -- priceless.

What do you think of her work? I seriously want to know your opinion!

Inspiration Thursday #2: Jeff Bark

          This week's inspiration is brought to us by Jeff Bark, a photographer whose quality of light is easily mistaken for painting. He works with subject matter from nudes, to natural landscapes, to the ethereal. What I really love about his work is that have such a dreamy, moody, quality to them that seem impossible to exist naturally.

          Here's some quotes from his interview with the Huffington Post:

"I always thought photography was so easy...if someone else can take the picture than I am not trying hard enough." 

"People have said that it was taking pictures of something they already had in their brains, like a dream, and I was showing them the picture of it..." 

"I used to write to photographers in New York and never heard back from them - now since I've been doing this - almost everyday I get a call from some kid." 

My favorite series of his is called, Abandon.

"It makes you feel a voyeur. If you're in the room by yourself you are totally relaxed, but if someone else was in the room you wouldn't do it, if your boyfriend was in the room, you wouldn't do it...it's about the most intimate time when you are alone, and it's a record of it."

Note: his website could be considered "not safe for work."

How do you feel about his work? Let me know if the comments!