Accidental
Photographs by Sarah Olin
I always find that some of the most interesting work (at least that I’ve done) has come by accident or chance. When something unexpected comes out of what you’re doing, there’s an element of surprise, and kind of a rewarding feeling. In the case of these photos, I was shooting and processing 3200 film for the first time and something, somewhere went wrong. Most likely, the negatives were over/under-developed. Either way, they didn’t turn out how they were supposed to. When this happened, in my first photo class, I was disappointed. Not because I didn’t like the way they looked, but because they weren’t “right.”
Looking at the images 2 and a half years later, I wish I was able to achieve this look, but I don’t know how, without it looking unnatural. I don’t think this range of tones and the quality of light could be attained digitally or using photoshop.
The photographer Sally Mann has based entire series’ of her work, including “What Remains” and “Proud Flesh,” on mistake. Both photo sets focus on death and decay and the negatives themselves, shot using the wet plate collodion process, are literally eating away at themselves. The process becomes the subject of the photographs. The aesthetic she was able to achieve would be difficult to accomplish if overthought. Even Mann admits, “I’m so worried I will perfect the technique.”
Photographs from Mann’s ‘Proud Flesh,’ series, which use the wet plate collodion process to further depict her husband’s decaying bodily state.
Extreme Beauty
I recently came across the book ‘Extreme Beauty in Vogue’ and was notably inspired. I was familiar with most of the images, but hadn’t taken them in more than one at a time. The photographs have caught my eye here and there on a magazine page or in a museum, but when looked at collectively, their impact is momentous.
While the title of the book wouldn’t necessarily draw you in, the cover certainly compensates (Penn’s photograph, above). And as you look inside, each page offers another startlingly strange, yet beautiful image. The book isn’t exclusively Penn’s work, but his images command the majority of the pages, the remaining few reserved for Steven Klein or Annie Leibovitz. But Penns’ are what captivate.
Irving Penn, who died at 92 in October, had a style so distinctly prolific, it stands in a genre of its own. Though many photographers balance their work between fashion and art, or commercial and personal, Penn is one of the few who seemed to do so seamlessly. Each image achieves clarity, elegance, and minimalism; or, as The New York Times puts it “economy.” Everything in the frame is essential.
The bold use of color, abundance of texture and fixed lack of spontaneity in his images point to the fact that, like countless photographic masters, he originated as a painter. He was never trained as a photographer, but rather, stumbled upon it through art directing. His definitive grasp of the page has allowed his photographs to maintain relevance in passing years and contexts, as they will continue to do.
My baby !
Well, here it is. Designed, photographed, and partially written by me! First two covers appear above, or see it in it’s entirety here: http://issuu.com/thesaraho/docs/saraholin_magazine
