Part of Unit 1 tasks us with figuring out who inspires us artistically, and encourages the class to look beyond just other photographers. My mind immediately went to two places: first, Monet, who is my favorite classic artist, and second, Roger Deakins, my favorite contemporary cinematographer.
Beyond being a big fan of their respective styling, I wondered what, if anything, these two creatives had in common and whether there was any connection to my own creative expression.
It didn’t take long to figure it out – lighting! And since this is a photography class and blog… well, that’s just fitting, isn’t it?
I remember sitting in art history class in college and being in awe at the way Monet could capture light with paint, as famously demonstrated in his cathedral series. But beyond some of his more well known pieces, his expertise at playing with light and shadows is a repeating motif in his works.
Note: I am very aware my example photos are not good photos, haha!
Likewise what makes Deakins style of cinematography so iconic is his use of dynamic lighting, especially high contrast and bold colors. If you’re not familiar with who Roger Deakins is, he’s famously known for Skyfall (think the skyscraper fight scene), 1917 (the nighttime war run sprint), and Blade Runner 2049 (…all of it.).
I clearly have a fondness for dynamic lighting.
I remember doing the earlier days of Instagram filter-happy trees where people favored muted, faded aesthetics (ah, the VSCO years. I still have those presets for Lightroom), I tried to follow suit and ended up not really liking the style.
Applying this to my own art and photography, I did pick up on some similarities between my styles and my favorite artists. While I wouldn’t say Monet and Deakins are direct influences whose styles I imitate on purpose, it’s clear that my enjoyment of their styles does tie directly to my favorite styles. I’m not a muted kinda of girl: I enjoy stark contrast, sunsets, silhouettes, vignettes, and strong lighting.
I’m really excited to explore more and see how my style evolves (or maybe just matures) as I go through the process of re-learning!
-Izzie