Monday, January 30, 2012

Creep

Lately I've been getting the feeling that my work has been pretty... eery and lonely. To tell you the truth, I love it. It reminds me of the feeling you get when you're depressed and for some reason you want to listen to sad music or watch a sad romance (not that a manly man like myself would ever do such a thing). I think it's a sort of healing process, a purging of emotions. But damn, that feeling of unrest, I just can't get it out of my head. I mean, I'm a happy guy... most of the time. It's odd to say but I find a sort of comfort in it.

So I've decided to jump into it some more with the current series I've taken on. While it's still untitled, I've decided to give everyone a little sneak peak (old and new work) into my process and search for solace.






Thursday, January 12, 2012

Urban Suburbia


San Fransico based photographer Todd Hido's work "involves urban and suburban housing revealing the isolation and anonymity in contemporary suburbia. Eerily lit rooms and suddenly abandoned homes increase the effect of loneliness and loss." Hido's work has always struck me as some of the most elegantly made photographs I've ever seen. His work truly does create a sense of loneliness and sadness. In the video below you can see Hido's process in photographing and some discussion on his work.



Behind the Scenes w/ Todd Hido:


Link

Through the incredible blog/website BOOOOOOOM! I came across Barcelona based artist and photographer Emil Kozack and was immediately reminded of the similarities between his and Hido's work.

I especially enjoy his work titled "Big Black Nothing" which can be seen on his website linked above. In this series Kozack says that " It's basically walking until i get scared or cant go any further... take the photo and go back."























Kozack from "Big Black Nothing"

Below I'll show you a few images from each artist to illustrate the similarities in their work.




















Todd Hido

















Emil Kozack

















Todd Hido

















Emil Kozack


It appears as though in both Hido and Kozack's work sadness and loneliness are reoccurring themes. Even in Hido's portraiture you can sense despair and desolation within the subjects. Not only do their themes overlap but their shooting style has a few similarities. Whether it be composition or subject matter they both show great skill and especially in their lighting. The quality of light in both of their work is what truly impresses me and even further embodies the sadness in the work.