Photographer Case Study

Shania Carter

Man RayMan Ray was born as an American modern artist but captured his career in Paris. After his first artistic experience, Man Ray had

his own solo show by 1915 in New York. As well as depicting ‘rayograms’, Ray directed a number of short films. The play on word of ‘rayogram’ takes a twist on the Latin meaning for light writing, thus creating images without a camera.

The techniques that Man Ray used to create his photograms was to place objects on photo sensitive paper before exposing it to light. The usual result has a negative shadow image and is also known as cameraless photography.

Man Ray’s work was historical and traditional, it featured the use of a dark room which is classed as one of the traditional methods in photography.

In 1963, Ray published his second autobiography titled ‘Self – Portrait’ it was then republished in 1999. Most of his work will be seen in books, more heavily in France than in America.

Jerry Uelsmann Uelsmann was the leader of the photomontage movement started in the 20 th century, he used multiple negatives and constructed

thorough darkroom work to create his final pieces. At the time when photography was still being understood, his work was classed as magical skill – therefore reaching what he wanted by connecting with the viewers on a personal level. Uelsmann generally uses black and white and grey tones throughout his work but it is not the only focal point, he is known to also combine the organic and the artificial – although his work is exempt from being manipulated and altered.

Jerry’s technique can be combined as historical and contemporary, the work that was created was drawn to the attention from the use of dark rooms and multiple negatives. Uelsmann believed that his work would flounder without being tied to one negative.

Ueslmann has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1972 and has gone on to be an ambassador of the Royal Photograph Society, here in Great Britain. Uelsmann’s ‘magic skill’ work has been granted to the public in many museums around the world, here are just a few:

The Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe Museum of Modern Art – New YorkThe Chicago Art InstituteThe Samuel P.Harn museum of Art – Gainseville.The International Museum of Photography – George Eastman HouseThe Victoria and Albert museum - London

Alvin Langdon CoburnLangdon Coburn was an early 20th century photographer and became of one the key figures in the movement of international

style and aesthetic – pictorialism. He later went on to make some of the first abstract photographs, in his rise to fame by 1905, Coburn’s ranks had reached further and was considered amongst of the most elite photographers of that period. By 1907, his career had reached an all time high, Bernard Shaw had called him ‘the greatest photographer in the world.”

Coburn’s techniques come from traditional techniques, Coburn had the use of a camera but still had to use films to develop his images. Coburn also used negatives in his work and there are 17.500 recorded ones in the George Eastman House collections.

As mentioned earlier, Coburn’s work is displayed in the George Eastman house, he also donated more of his photographs to the Royal Photographic Society which is now part of the National Media Museum here in the U.K.

Reference: http://notesonphotographs.org/index.php?title=Alvin_Langdon_Coburn/Technique