(Source: Diane Arbus)
As previously mentioned, I'm taking an advanced photography class at Objectifs.
It's so refreshing to learn & practice a non-work related skill. I've tried Coursera, Kahn Academy, CodeAcademy, Rosetta Stone, Adobe Tutorials, etc, but I need more structure. I usually drop out during Stage 2 of learning (i.e., when it gets hard).
Going to a physical class 1x per week makes me more disciplined outside of class (i.e., going on photo shoots, reading photography blogs, analyzing photography books, etc).
A few weeks ago, we learned about Diane Arbus, a famous portraitist. Her work fascinates me.
Growing up, we all learned to smile for the camera and look our best. In the Sanderson family, this meant posing in color-coordinated attire (que matching red turtlenecks and white-washed jeans) in front of our fireplace; the event usually revolved around a holiday.
Diane Arbus did the exact opposite. She said, "I really believe these are things nobody would would see if I didn't photograph them."
She took photos of people on the edge of society -- the misfits, the ugly, the deformed, the disenfranchised, the weird. Her photos are not "beautiful," but tell a strong story.
"Many recognize Arbus's almost extra-sensory peripheral vision -- her magnetic attraction to the peripheries or margins of mainstream society. Arbus is often said to show, indeed hyperbolize and glorify, that which is not normally seen -- what, or who, goes unnoticed by the assumed "normal" viewer." - (source: Arbus, 1972; Prose, 2003)
I tend to gravitate towards depressing things -- I love a good Russian novel or a sad documentary over a glass of red wine.
Below, you can view some of her photos; feel free to make your own opinion.
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