Hannah Gallagher

Vivian Maier, a street photographer in the 1950’s, was my primary inspiration for the personal project. She was born in 1926 and spent most of her life moving between Europe and America, eventually settling down in New York where she worked as a nanny.   Although she produced and left 100,000 negatives—her work wasn’t discovered or recognized until recently in   2007, only 2 years before she died.  By virtue of being the only people in the photo out eyes go right to the two girls, telling us that they’re the main subject of the photo. They also capture attention by being the only things with an semblance of movement. That sense of motion makes them stand out as well as the clear happy childlike joy in their faces. You can tell they’re having fun and looking at the photo the viewer feels a shadow of that same happiness and almost seems to hear them laughing as they play. Despite being an example of street photography and preserving a pure, sweet candid moment this phot also s

Known for his photos of disasters, this photo by Antonin Kratochvil still stuns, although he breaks that mold in this photo. This one rare piece of his photography that does not depict destruction, however he still manages to give the viewer an unsettled, uncertain feeling when looking at it. With this photo we somehow manage to get the same effect as if we were looking at a photo of carnage or watching a horror film. In fact, this photo wouldn’t look very out of place in a thriller. The combination of the blur around them and the fact that the group of girls are the only things even slightly in focus brings the viewer’s eye right to them.   The simple white dresses they all wear, along with the palm leaf they’re each carrying probably aids this by making them stand out against the dark background. The fact that they are in the center and right at eye level helps as well. What really makes the photo however is the blurr, not the girls.   Although the blurr looks accidenta

This classic biographical photo by Sebastiao Salgado is as stunning as every other work he produced.   Like his other photographs, it captures the real life of the workers, marginalized and little-known people without degrading them.   This photo—like those -- provides an invigorating breath of fresh air and makes the viewer appreciate a little appreciated world or way of life.   That alone makes It stunning, but of course, the photo itself is intriguing and certainly stands out.   Though, a giant ball of fire would do that. Whether because it’s in focus, or the bright whiteness of the flame against the tones of black and grey our eye goes right to it.   The contrast of mixed colors inside of it—the blinding whiteness with the pockets of black shadow and grey smoke could possibly be another reason why it stands out the way it does. For whatever reason, the result is the same:   Just like a real fire would, the inferno immediately grabs out attention.   It also provides a nice con

A classic example of Arnold Newman’s portraits, this photo captures the subject in their usual surroundings.   In this skillful way Newman is able to pay homage to the subject themselves while also acknowledging who they are.   Setting the photograph up in this way also has the further advantage of allowing the subject’s work and/or art to be honored. Arnold Newman’s portraits always capture the soul and essence of the subject, and it’s no different with this photo of Pablo Picasso. By placing Picasso in the center of the photo Newman sends the clear signal that he is the most important feature in the photograph. Our eye goes directly to him rather than anything else. The way he is sitting instantly makes him stand out against the art and everything else in the room.   Having him sit on the back of the chair is different and a slightly unusual sitting position which makes us instantly focus on him because it’s odd and stands out.   It was also a genius move in that his posture

This photo by Ralph Gibson is not as erotic as some other examples of his photography and lacks the surrealist element he gives to many of them. However, it is no less interesting or detailed for that.   All we can really see of the figure is his back and a bit of his legs as he walks away. The background is entirely out of focus bringing our attention to the man’s clasped hands. From there our eyes naturally stray to the rose held in one of them. The focus of the photograph is clearly on the hands because they are in focus and so detailed compared to everything else.   The blurry background, and the simplicity of the back of the figure makes them uninteresting so we disregard both and look at the hands. Positioning plays a part here too—as having them at nearly eyes level makes them stand out even more.    The hands are simply a segue though. They call our gaze to the rose by the natural movement of our eyes and the figure combined.    The fact that it is white makes it even

I have no idea how Michael Kenna managed to create the effect of the all-white background.   It could be produced by some trick of snow and foggy sky or created by some intentional dark room manipulation. Maybe he simply shot the photo in a snow heavy field in winter – which is possible though if that’s the truth I’m not sure how there’s not a single disturbance in the white surface or one blade of grass.   That background effect alone is stunning, and boggling.   Though, it’s not the main subject of the photograph. Because of the total, complete white behind and around it your attention goes straight for that fence. Then, because there’s nothing to take your notice away from it the eye follows it back as it gets smaller and even further away. The fence twists and turns like a rope ladder whirled around in the air by the breeze.   You might even think that’s what it is for a moment before a second look makes you realize what it really is. This photo seems very very simple

While it may not seem like it at first glance, The longer you look at the picture the more it seems to be surrealistic. That’s all because of the play between the girl and the mask. It changes the photo from something that could easily be boring into something out of fantasy.   In fact, Man Ray’s artistry leaves one feeling like they’re looking at a fairytale unfolding. A dark one straight out of the original brothers Grimm collection, where not everyone has a happy ending. The woman lying with her head down on the table, is clearly the main character here. The focus of the shot is literally on her, and she’s where the eye is drawn first in the photo.   Looking at her, you’re not quite sure what to make of her. The woman could easily be simply resting. . .or in a much deeper, longer sleep.   One could easily imagine her as the princess under a curse, though what the curse is or why it was put on her one is only left to guess. It might have something to do with the mask, b

Like most of his photos, this photo by Lee Friedlander makes you feel slightly uneasy and frightened.   Because it is focused on the woman, your eye is automatically drawn to her instead of the slight blurriness of the busy street behind her.   Next, your gaze travels directly to the shadow of the man looming behind her. This shadow immediately sets an uncomfortable tone to the photo and puts the viewer on edge because they instantly start worrying about the situation and feeling for this unsuspecting woman:   Who is he? Is he following her? Why? What is he going to do to her? Anything?   That placement of his shadow gives a very stalkerish effect to the composition and makes it feel like an old-fashioned horror movie or true crime documentary happening right in front of us. One where the photo was taken a second before the girl turns and screams in terror as the monster’s hands reach out to wrap around her throat. Furthermore, this photo instills the viewer with the same a

After reading “Photography Changes everything.” By Marvin Heiferman I realized how many uses and meanings photography has. Cameras are everywhere, to the point that we don’t even realize how plentiful they are. What’s more, they’re used thousands of times a day, sometimes for things most people wouldn’t even consider as photography.   From taking a picture of your dinner to post on Instagram, snapping a photo at a family reunion all the way to scientists capturing pictures of atoms and doctors taking x-rays, photography is used in many field and ways in life.   Each of those kinds of photographs have a different meaning. Photography has a different meaning in the way it’s used, but to me it ultimately means capturing the world around us. Through photography we preserve things about nature or our world.   Every kind of photography no matter what type has that in common. It shows how our world is or was and how it works.   Look at photos from the 1800’s (when photography was first